+1 to what John and Dr. Mini said.

That car looks like it got hit hard enough that there may be distortion in the main part of the body. Note neither door appears to be shut completely, The front is pushed in as far as the motor. That suggests the front subframe may be bent. If the subframe is bent, did it hit the transmission, which is under the engine... did it crack the transmissio9n case?.

The cash value listed may be reasonable, as a salvage/ parting out value.
More telling is the estimated repair cost of over $17,000.

Welcome to our world. It's good that you do your homework prior to buying. First off you must realize the car in the ad is not a 1980 Mini! It is a Re-VIN. What that means is the person who imported it swapped out the VIN plate from an older Mini in order to sneak it into this country. It is a federal crime to do this and you need to know that prior to purchasing it. Now, as you aren't the one who actually did this are you going to have issues because of it? Who can say? There are several things that are possible, and most would have you losing the car/confiscating it and having it crushed by the authorities. This is especially true in California. Next problem would possibly be if you're involved in an accident. Would the insurance companies cover it if they found out it was mis-misrepresented? Can you say LAWSUITS and deep DODO? Yeah, lots to think about. All that aside, unless you can only drive an automatic, I'd avoid buying an automatic classic Mini. Unless properly maintained they will not last long. Good luck with whatever you do, but personally I would run from this car if I was 19 and new to Minis. It's way more problems than you need. Find a cheap driver Mini and if you're purchasing long distance I'd suggest having someone who knows Minis to inspect it before you spend your money on it. Good luck!

Hi George,

Servicing a car and fixing major body damage are worlds apart. A Mini body shell is welded together, the fenders and front core support are not held in place by bolts. The Mini in your link can be saved but I feel in reality it is now a parts donor.

The location of the Mini is shown as California. If you are located in California invest some time here on the forum and search for CA DMV and registration topics. California doesn't welcome Mini's newer than around 1968.

If you are really interested in a classic Mini save up enough to buy a solid foundation to work with. It will save you loads of cash in the long run.

John

Hello my name is George. I'm 19 years old and I'm looking to get into buying my first mini. I'm fairly good with servicing cars, but I am new to the mini's. I wanted to get an idea of what I could be getting into with these types of cars. This is the link to the car I'm looking to purchase. https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/31965100?RowNumber=0