going to england to buy a mini

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lipscomb@hotmail.com - 11 Mar 2006 00:56 GMT

I live in the USA and need some references on good mini specialists in
England preferably fairly close to London although this is not a
requirement. I want to have a specialist that can take and older car
and paint it for me and add the sports pack options. i then plan on
importing it back to the USA. Any ideas on specialists that do this
would be greatly appreciated

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David Betts - 11 Mar 2006 07:27 GMT

>I live in the USA and need some references on good mini specialists in
>England preferably fairly close to London although this is not a
>requirement. I want to have a specialist that can take and older car
>and paint it for me and add the sports pack options. i then plan on
>importing it back to the USA. Any ideas on specialists that do this
>would be greatly appreciated

You are getting into murky waters here. What these so-called
'specialists' do is to take late-model Rover Minis and give them the
fake identities of cars which were more than 25 years old to fool US
customs. These cars may get in to the US, but they will always be
illegal.

Nobody here is putting sportspack options on Minis which are more than
25 years old. The sportspack cars are amongst the least desirable
Minis because the oversize wheel wreck the performance and handling.

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Steve68s - 11 Mar 2006 16:57 GMT

>>I live in the USA and need some references on good mini specialists in
>>England preferably fairly close to London although this is not a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> 25 years old. The sportspack cars are amongst the least desirable
> Minis because the oversize wheel wreck the performance and handling.

A mini with 10" wheels will give you more fun than anything else, add 7.5 "
servo assisted disks, height adjustable suspension, performance dampers & a
good 1275cc motor & your away,

Steve.

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mwalsh@smad.com - 11 Mar 2006 17:13 GMT

As someone who's done all three - bought a Mini already here, bought
one already on the road in the UK, and had (or more like tried to have)
one built, I've got to tell you to BEWARE! There are LOTS of cowboys
out there who will take your money and leave you hanging!

If one UK based specialist stands out as being one you seems to be
reliable, it would have to be Michael Waterjohn at M-Tech
(http://www.m-tech-cars.co.uk/mtechhome.htm). Although I haven't had a
car built by him, I've seen his interactions with folks for the last 6
years and I am pretty sure he can be trusted to do you right.

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David Betts - 12 Mar 2006 08:55 GMT

>As someone who's done all three - bought a Mini already here, bought
>one already on the road in the UK, and had (or more like tried to have)
>one built, I've got to tell you to BEWARE! There are LOTS of cowboys
>out there who will take your money and leave you hanging!

I certainly wouldn't recommend using anyone you don't meet, talk to
and live close enough to to pay regular visits. Not the sort of thing
to be done by remote control from the other side of the Atlantic.
Better to import a genuine pre-'71 car and then have the work you need
done in your own locality.

>If one UK based specialist stands out as being one you seems to be
>reliable, it would have to be Michael Waterjohn at M-Tech
>(http://www.m-tech-cars.co.uk/mtechhome.htm). Although I haven't had a
>car built by him, I've seen his interactions with folks for the last 6
>years and I am pretty sure he can be trusted to do you right.

Plenty of good guys out there in the UK. It's the 'US export
specialists' you need to be particularly careful of because the basic
premise of their business is dishonest. I would recommend guru Russell
Downton of Pingewick near Reading (Berkshire, UK) for spec-building a
Mini. He hasn't done it for me, but I have seen lots of examples of
cars he has built for others.

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David Betts - 12 Mar 2006 11:17 GMT

>Better to import a genuine pre-'71 car and then have the work you need
>done in your own locality.

I really shouldn't post before the first coffee of the mornng. I mean
pre-'81, obviously.....

>I would recommend guru Russell
>Downton of Pingewick near Reading (Berkshire, UK) for spec-building a
>Mini. He hasn't done it for me, but I have seen lots of examples of
>cars he has built for others.

.... and I mean Pingewood. Don't know where I got 'Pingewick' from.

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