Hampton Roads Club Mini

So I have decided that I really want something to work on with the little spare time I have, and I've been considering a classic Mini for a while. I am thinking I might bite the bullet within the next 6 months depending on what I can stroll across and find. I have done a bunch of research. When I say a bunch, my head is starting to spin with years, makes, engines, rust, rust, and did I mention rust... So, can anyone make my head stop spinning and maybe help point me in the right direction. I don't have a ton of money to start but I figure if I can find something that is recoverable and capable for being restored in a good fashion, I'm in!

This goes out to you current classic owners that know more about them and can help weed through the miss information online.

Thanks,
Nathan

Nathan,

 Give these guys a look. There not cheap by any means. But never forget the slogan, "you get what you pay for".

http://classicminiautos.com/

I bought my classic there and I have not been disappointed.

For Reference...I bought mine 5 years ago from a guy that had just had it shipped from England.  I paid $7k then and I could part the car out for much more than that based on the MiniMania prices.  I had a lot of mods.......

I have all the shipping documents from then ... shipping was under $1k from England to Jax FL then

In the states check
http://turkys.com/mini.html
turkys.com....many folks hate him but he DOES have a selection of US legal (TITLED) cars

I've never met him nor dealt with him, so take what I say with a grain of salt. 

As far as I can tell, Turky has a stroke and since then seems to have a hard time getting along with people.  I know people who made a deal with him for a car and then Turky backed out and wanted more money.  I stopped by his place last time I was in Charleston and looked at some cars.  If I were looking I would look there and just go into being aware that he doesn't always get rave reviews from customers.

I would say besides rust the biggest thing to look out for is to know what you are buying.  A good percentage of Minis in the states are not what they seem.  Mine is one of them, but I knew what it was when I bought it and it was priced accordingly.

They are fun cars, easy to work on, parts are available - you just have to wait on shipping.  If you are serious about buying one, I would recommend you head over to Cooper Tune and see Steve Gibbs.  He normally has a shop full of projects and has been building, repairing, racing, and driving Minis since the late 60's.  He has a shop in Hampton.

He is a good resource - you can ask him questions and see different cars in one place to see what is what and what you are looking for.

Have fun.

Thanks for the input guys. I actually signed up on cooper tunes website, because another customer, Mike, runs the website over there and knows Steve very well. So I will continue doing my research and hopefully there is a classic Mini out there with my name on it that would be perfect!