Classic Mini Classifieds in USA - MiniMania.com

This website's classifieds section is a great place to find classic (1959-2000) Minis for sale in the States, especially cars which have been modernized to the specifications of the '96-2000 Mark VII Cooper and Cooper S. The original Mini was officially sold here only from 1960-1967, and a lot changed between then and the end of produciton, while the look remained virtually the same.

The final years of the Mini produced some really desirable modern cars, with fuel injection, leather interiors, air conditioning, keyless entry, air bag, and nice sound systems. The top choice is the SportsPack 1.3i, featuring the fuel-injected 1275cc engine and sporty styling features. Most are in excellent condition, and you can find them in Right- and Left-Hand Drive, whatever you prefer.

One of the big ideas to get to know with classic Minis in the US is the concept of Theseus's Paradox, which "raises the question of whether an object which has had all its component parts replaced remains fundamentally the same object." Basically, since even the later cars share many essential components with the 25-years-and-older cars, it's possible (and legal) to thoroughly update a 1984 car with all the amenities and components of a 2000, in effect creating a 2000-spec car that's still registered as a 1984 and making it legal to import. Some describe these cars as "re-VIN," since it's much easier to swap a 1984 VIN plate onto a 2000 car than to completely rebuild the car around the '84 VIN plate, but this is technically illegal. Differentiating rebuilt vs. re-Vin cars isn't really something to worry about, since they're viewed with the same legality by the EPA and DOT from a practical standpoint. These cars are sometimes listed for sale by their "spec" year, while the description gives the original year, such as  "1976/1998" for a '98-spec car built around a '76 VIN. Otherwise they're listed by their original year.

For an example check out this great bargain: 1996-spec 1976 SportsPack 1.3i In Baltimore for $13,250

The website's classifieds section URL is: http://www.minimania.com/Cars4Sale_list.cfm
Check out the main page here: http://www.minimania.com/home.cfm

The exterior photos are from active classified ads on Mini Mania, the interior photo is from eBay, the same seller as the Land Rover I featured last Thursday.