I doubt very much if there is a Canadian alive that likes Senator Mike Duffy. One who indulges heavily
at the trough. Thank Harper for that appointment. GRRRRR !!    To any friends who don’t know this political
 character, he is a senator for little PEI who has managed to squeak through legal proceedings against him
that you or I wouldn’t have a chance of being found not guilty. OK Derwood....Enough.....  LoL.

   Cheers Big Al .

   Hi Spitz , mur , and thewerewolf, I’ve tried to reach Craig at Hunter Classic Sports cars ( the opposite side
of North America for me , but I don’t care ; i’ll Likely end up with a large transport bill, and i’ve saved up
enough cash to figure that in with the total costs ). Of course I couldn’t reach Craig today as it’s Saturday, but
I thought it was worth the try. I’ll try again on Monday. 
   As for reaching Big Al, i’ve meant to , but it was near his lunch time ( and only an hour different from mine )
so I put that off for a while as I net searched. I will be phoning him later today.
    I’ve sent an email off to Tamer ( Joltfreak ) with no reply yet, so I may have luck there...
    i’ve Also e - chatted with ve9aa, and I can tell you all that not only does he have a beautiful classic mini
( licence plate MINIAC !   ) but he and his family also own two BMW Minis. I’m hoping that he parts with the classic Mini, but he is still contemplating a car reduction. Anouther nice possibility.
    I’ve also got my eye on a very nice 93 ( the newest year that I can register ... drats ! ). This tiny province 
has less than 150,000 people all together and they are the one puny Province to impose this stupid law. GRRR! 
    Anyway friends, I appreciate your continued help and I promise to keep you all abreast of the situation.
With all kinds of time on my hands, AND the money sitting there, it’s an interesting process....
   Big Al , if you are reading this, I will be phoning you soon. Thank you all , brothers ( and possibly sisters ).
      Very best regards,
       Derwood.

BTW - Spitz, just to give you an idea of where I live , I’m on the east coast, in the gulf of St.Lawrence and
very close to both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia ( 2 to about 7 hours away depending on where in those
two provinces ).

Where in CA are you Derwood?

Craig may not be able to help with a Jap MINI as Derwood said his province wont allow a RHD car less than 25yrs

OK...I just paused and did the math....so a 92 would be OK?
I think most Jap spec ones will have the clocks on the right, unless an owner switched to centre binnacle.

I still see CA spec MINIs come up on kijiji......but beware of the rust bug.  If you do find a centre binnacle RHD MINI, it's super easy to switch over to LHD !

The word is ditto. Dido is a British singer. Since Craig is a focal point for mini parts and support in his area it is not realistic to say that he only deals in recently imported Japanese market minis. He often has or knows of cars for sale that originally came to Canada.

I think it makes sense to know the precise regulations in PEI in regard to out of province vehicles and 15+ year old vehicles being brought in from outside of Canada. Quebec, for example, no longer allows rhd cars.

Also, a low mileage well maintained automatic mini can be a delight. Our 1997 car has no trouble keeping up with earlier manual transmission spi cars, and its main use: occasional drives to work, morning trips to Starbucks, trips to get wine & beer, etc. really couldn't be better.

OK, I know a Lancia Stratos is a superior car to go and get beer.

dido. at craigs to get you Jap speck Mini.. later bc

I recommend you call Craig at Hunter Classic Sportscars in Victoria.

derwood..  if you do NOT find what you  are looking for in canada.. might try www.carandclassic.co.uk under austin. or www.ebay.co.uk in England. and then I can help you import to canada..  as you can mini that 15 years or older as compared to 25 years and older in the USA.. later bc

Hi Darren,

i’m located in Hamilton, Ontario. I may be able to help in your mini search.
shoot me an email at:
joltfreak(at)gmail.com

Tamer

Hi Darren (Darwood). I am presently in Kissimmee Florida

If you wish phone me @ 716 704 4106 and we can talk

I have some ideas Buy in Canadian Dollars Buy rust free Stay away from automatics Buy with the purpose of an investment Control your transportation costs as best you can Remember P E I is not the centre of the universe It is 1000 miles from me Get Mike Duffy to road test it Eh ? , sorry

Big AL

At the ripe old age of 80 l have decided to call it quits - Albeit l got into the mini game late 1988, l have had 25 years of fun and excitement - I have met many great people in the hobby and made many friends also, a few of the people l met a long the way have passed on-such a pity.
A lot of us have gone thru major illness and surgeries but still hang on.
With all the regulations and restrictions doing the mini thing just isn't the fun it used to be-As the Mini Mover, l moved/hauled tons of cars but now, you can't move cross border with all the restrictions and conditions- Moving minis was never a great money maker, just part of the hobby. I have been in towns and villages that no one new existed but if a mini had to be moved, l found it.
I have now pretty well reduced my inventory to where it is manageable for now-I still have tons of parts to sell but they will go, one way or another. I consider the past and all the names, now gone- BMC in Smithville, Ontario, Mr. Mini in Stoney Creek, Ontario, ML in California, Turky in Charleston SC, and some who have shrunken their operations to next to nothing. As l see it the hobby is on life support, not enough young blood coming in-Where will it be in 2020? Not sure but l will be history for sure.
I promised my family that l would take it easy after my BIG TIME heart attack in 2008 but of course l didn't, not walking in a program, not eating healthy, grossly over weight and living on borrowed time.
As far as minis are concerned, l have owned some of the best, but my nature is to move them along for others to enjoy- The BIG BMC unit was just outstanding, what a conversation piece and of course my original 1949 Austin COE diesel K-8 model got me started in hauling cars.
A special thanks to Ryan Adams my web master and Martin Fontaine who did the job before, both great I.T types and also great mini owners. And also a special mention to Captain J.J. for all his help over the years, while wheeling the BIG BMC around the country. He died way to young. R I P John-
People like Mini Mania and their forum hold the community together in North America and without their support there would be no common link. Kudos also to Mike Guido of CMU who has put together a 1000 member club of classic mini owners and was good enough to host two "BIG Al Snow Bird” mini shows in Cocoa beach FL. Thanks Mike and Malcolm for that.And in Canada, the British Saloon Car Club of Canada (BSCCOC) who at 400 members strong keep the LBC scene going-
So, thanks to all my friends, customers and acquaintances for their help and support over the years.
Now off to Florida for some sun and just plain kick back with my great family.



As i mentioned....kinda sad. But a classy guy that just wishes to put his feet up. I wish I had got to know him 
better. by the way- this was dated August 2017.

     Best regards all,
      Derwood.

    Hi again @thewerewolf. I have exchanged emails with “Big Al “ over the last few years but didn’t know
him as that. I just found his blog, and this is sad....but at 80 years old Big Al is retiring from the mini game.
there is a touching last business letter in that thread. I should have copied it and posted it. I will, darn it.
hold on one minute :
     Derwood.

Hey Darren,

There are no "PM's" on this forum anymore.

Email me please

ve9aa (AT) nbnet (DOT) nb (DOT) ca

(you can figure out how to put that all together, LOL)

And....my car is a RIGHT hand drive...ie: opposite to most cars in Canada.  I have found it freaks people out who see it and it's fun as heck to drive.  Being 4-1/2' wide, RHD is a non issue...at least for me.  I wouldn't want to drive a Rolls Royce or Cadillac RHD however, ouch !

  Hiya  e9aa ! 

I’m not likely to find a mini fanatic like myself any closer than you in New Brunswick ! Too cool !
Yes , it’s a shame that all the classic minis are gone. But like you, I’m going to do whatever it takes to get one. Great catch on your part to find a LHD in Wales. I like your little saying ... 30 minutes in a Mini is 
more therapeutic than 3 trips to the psychiatrist ! How very true. It’s almost like an awakening ... that first drive in a mini. To find such an unusual car that can and does handle phenomenally is indescribable....all we
can rely on is the old truism “ it handles like a go cart “. And it’s true. 
    Why don’t you PM me if you do decide to sell the mini. This could be a very cool case of serendipity!
     And thanks for jumping in and adding to the dialog  
    Peace fellow maritimes. ( BTW - I have a brother in Moncton ) 
     Derwood ( aka Darren in the real world ).

Welcome to the wild world of Minis Darren !

You're right.  You won't find any survivor cars out here on the East Coast of Canada.

I imported my 87 (RHD) from Wales in 2005 after searching Canada anywhere's east of Toronto for years....until I finally gave up !

Have toyed with the idea of selling mine lately as I don't seem to have any time to enjoy it.

Later,

   Hi @thewerewolf. I haven’t talked to Al yet ( but have been surfing the net for minis all afternoon ).I spend
many hours doing this with the knowledge that I will eventually find what I’m looking for. I basically want a mini that currently only needs maintenance ( spinal column injuries keep me from doing the amount and type
of wrenching that I used to enjoy ) and TLC, both of which it will get lots of. But yes, I will try to connect with
him tonight. I’m located on the East Coast but I really don’t mind if the mini comes from the Yukon lol. Salt 
has destroyed most that used to roam the roads around here. Of course there likely isn’t a person foolish enough in Canada now to drive a classic Mini in the winter, but many did back in the day. So to summarize,
I will buy anywhere in Canada that I can : to heck with trucking fees- I want my mini ! 
   Hi malsal and thanks for joining the discussion. I know from reading Bat that Minis are very important to
you too. Which is eexcellent ; more resources to call upon, and even though minis look very similar to the
average Tom, D***, or Harry, there are of course many slight ( but often important ) details to different minis.
i have came close to buying a JDM mini on a couple of occasions and may yet. As poor luck would have it, the
tiny Province I live in has mandated that only RHD cars older than 25 years can be imported. The only little
province to enact this stupid legislation. So I am up against the same age delema as you folks ! I do like
the notion of A/C a LOT, but my heart wants a LHD mini with the 3 instrument center binnacle. 
    In the long run, body condition is my first concern, then mechanical, and after that it’s things I can and
will compromise on such as RHD vs LHD, colour choices, wheels ( like 10’s the best ) , A/C etc. I think there 
is generally a slightly larger percentage of JDM cars than there is all others, which is mostly Canadian with
a light sprinkling of Kiwi, Brit, Aussie etc.
   Although I’d love to find the right car today, the reality is that as long as I find my mini by next April or May 
I’ll be happy. I look forward to sending you both a picture of the mini. In closing, thank you both gentlemen 
for you sharing of information. Also, if you have any minis , I’d be delighted to see them , if you care to
send them via PM ( I assume we have personal messaging ? ).
   Thanks brothers and best regards,
    Derwood ( aka Darren in real life ) ???????

Derwood buy a Jap spec 1275 90's import they are usually around on the west coast of CA and best bang for the buck with your 15 year rule and usually none or very little rust along with a/c.

derwood. have you talked to big al guest yet ??? aka mini mover in ontario, I know he has several minis for sale and very nice orange moke.. also.. you might think about import JDB mini from japan.. do NOT buy an automatic   later bc  ps. my home phone is 1,704.487.6797..

    Thanks for the information you’ve passed on @thewerewolf. Very helpful to have some shared thoughts
on this topic. I do in fact follow those two clubs and am a member one of them ( Mostly Minis IIRC ). Your 
information jives with the info that I have found so far. Too expensive is the consensus that I’ve been 
learning, and your post helps me by reinforcing that notion. 
     Yes, our dollar is a big factor in the equation, as you mentioned. One Canadian dollar is currently only 
worth 78 cents US. This difference has continued to slowly grow wider over the past few years and can
make a BIG DIFFERENCE in my costs as a Canadian buying a non - American made item ( free trade only 
applies on American, Mexican, and Canadian made goods. And it looks like Mr Trump would like to do away
with this NAFTA deal altogether.
       So for now I shall continue to focus on classic Minis that are being sold in Canada.
       Thank you very much for your help @thewerewolf.
        Best regards,
         Derwood. 

PS - if anyone else has any other information that may help me find my retirement Mini , I would be glad
to hear from you on this thread . FWIW , my very first car was a very rust mk 2 , and I have maintained a
love for the classic mini for 4 decades now. At the time of my minis demise with the crusher I vowed to one
day have a good solid classic mini. Now that I am newly retired, that time is now. I have the money needed
saved ( perhaps the most difficult part of classic Mini ownership ) , so the hunt continues. Cheers my Mini
friends, and ALL Bat regulars. I very seldom miss viewing Bat at least once a day. A Truly WONDERFUL SITE.
     Derwood.

hi derwood.. I would look at the www.vancouverminiclub.ca in BC..   as you Canadian $ is still  NOT $1. to $1. to the USA. $$.    Mini mover is the expert here to import to and from Canada.. he is in Ontario Canada.. There is also Mainly Minis Montreal.. mini club..  I would NOT import.. just buy one in canada.. later bc  Monte Carlo Minis. LTD..

      Hello friends. I am writing this thread in hopes of finding out how the process of importing a mini into
Canada is after making the purchase at Mini Mania. There seem to be so very many more classic Minis to
 chose from in the USA ! 
        Has anyone from Canada done this? If so would you please tell me what is involved ? Was it a positive 
experience ? How costly was customs in fees and/or % ?  Would recommend not sourceing from the USA !
     In essence I am looking for the information on how to do this successfully. Should I hire a broker ? Or
is it straightforward enough for a newbie like me to do it myself?

     I also ask Mini Mania staff to offer thier insight into this question, and if possible , provide price estimates,
possible troubles involved ( certainly don’t want to see a classic Mini crushed. Especially one I had just
bought ! 
      Thanks in advance ,
       Derwood from Prince Edward Island ( PEI ), Canada.