I'm really feeling the "old car" vibe today...probably the fumes in my 65 Buick getting to my head...but I really don't enjoy some of the routine maintenance required in old engines...so I'm think the way to fix this is to find something vintage with a slightly more modern drivetrain. Like this 1931 American Austin with Datsun 1200 engine offered for $9000 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.
The original Austin Mini had a long life (from 1959 through 2000) will mostly engineered changes to the chassis/powertrain/suspension with little to notice on the outside. The configurations of the Mini were varied and interesting, but it seems they never fitted one with a compression ignited diesel engine from the factory, which is odd given the Europeans thirst for the stuff in recent years, but somebody decided to fix this issue and make a green, but not so green, Mini. Find this 1980 Austin Mini Diesel offered for $14500 in Portland, OR via craigslist. Tip from JB1025.
This next car pushes the acceptable limit of money you'd want to spend on a modified car...but it does offer a certain degree of classic charm, modern powerplant, and wheel roasting potential. The best part is that nobody will expect you are driving something from the year that Survivor had their break out hit Eye of the Tiger. Find this 1982 Austin Mini offered for $20,500 somewhere near Worcester, MA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The original Mini was produced for an insanely long period of time -- 41 years to be precise -- with only minor changes from 1959 through 2000. The long in the tooth Mini was probably the best 1950s designed car you could buy in 1980 (aside from that Alfa convertible thing) but does that mean it was a good car? It doesn't really matter because today you buy it for the 1960s looks and enjoy 1980s (albeit British) reliability. Find this 1980 Mini Cooper offered for $5,500 in Litchfield, CO via craigslist. From Cory.
The original Mini was produced for an insanely long period of time -- 41 years to be precise -- with only minor changes. However, it was always a pokey little puppy, even in the hottest of Clubman 1275 GT trim, so if you want to go fast, you'll need to find a modified example. Like this 1982 Austin Mini offered for $12,000 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
The classic Mini was built starting in 1959 and production didn't stop until the year 2000, so you might be shocked to learn that the classic looking beast in front of you today was built the year when the UK and France annouced plans to build the Chunnel and Argentina was victorious at the World Cup of Football. Find this 1986 Austin Mini offered for $9,000 in Converse, TX via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
DT's cub reporter Hunsbloger stumbled onto this next feature in the flesh at the 2012 Coronado Festival of Speed and you can read the original roadkill feature about the car here. The seller (Glenn) seems like a competent craftsman, a serious car nut, and a good guy -- but don't buy our word for it...buy his car and find out for yourself. Find this 1960 Austin Healey Sprite V8 here on eBay bidding for $5,100 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Riverside, CA.
The long term effects of amphetamines and barbiturates, the tool of the 1970's trucker, and a dabble of LSD can be studied using this rolling Rorschach test. Likely devised while licking the last bit of truck-stop cheese grits from the bowl in a 4AM meth-and-Jolt induced fog, this rig, let's call it the Waste-ern Star, was comprised of one half Austin Mini and one half of a lifetime of bad decisions. Find this 1966 Austin Mini turned Peterbilt on craigslist in Dallas for an undisclosed price.
The Nash Metropolitan was a strange car. Smaller cars had (have?) been built, but few from the likes of big American companies like Nash (and later Hudson). To make things even more obscene, the Metropolitan was build in England by Austin (BMC) and powered by small BMC engines. Find this 1961 Nash Metropolitan here on eBay offered for $3,450 buy-it-now located in Dallas, TX.
Find this 1991 Mini Classic here on eBay bidding for $7,100 with auction ending Tuesday at 9AM Pacific.
The original Austin Mini seems to be a regular recipient of Honda VTEC power, probably because the original BMC A-series engines aren't the most powerful things on the planet, and (more importantly) the little Honda motors just fit. Find this 1969 Austin Mini VTEC offered for an undisclosed amount of money, located in Pheonix, AZ via craigslist.
It is a cool autumn day and you decide to take a drive in your vintage British built Mini. You don your favorite plaid golf cap, slip on a pair of well worn driving gloves, and fire up the old gal. After warming up the engine you scoot down the road to your favorite set of essess on the way to a nice coffee shop. Entering the turn you brake hard to get the front end to bite, turn in and mash the right pedal to the floor and calmly wait for rpms to build --WHOA! the steering wheel violently jerks in your hand, both front wheels leave black lines on the pavement as the engine bounces off its revv limiter and you understeer dangerously into oncoming traffic...what just happened? Oh yeah, you forgot that you picked up this 1970 Mini with VTEC Honda power offered here on eBay
bidding for $15,100 reserve-not-met with one day to go, located in Woodbridge, VA.
Happy Wednesday to everyone out there -- today, I've got a really short feature for you. Find this 1975 Austin Mini offered for $7,000 in Christiansburg, VA via hemmings. Tip from Greg. 
Remember those Testors model kits you put together as a kid? Fighter planes were my favorite, but that damn sticky glue always got all over the canopy and created some seriously hazy views for the little guy who had to be painted with a toothpick. Time marched on, my assembly and painting skills increased, but so did the size of my thumbs and responsibilities. No longer do I have the time, patience, or desired to build scale models of cars, but with the proper motivation, I could get into assembling 1:1 models. Maybe I could start with this 1961 Austin Mini project offered for $6,500 in LaOtto, IN via Hemmings.
The original Austin Mini is one of those motoring icons that is instantly
recognizable anywhere and is known for its compact package, large usable
space and cat-like reflexes. It is one of those hip cars that makes the
driver cool no matter if he is Jason Bourne or Mr Bean. It is cool. But, if I learned one thing from high school, it is that the real trick of being cool is avoiding the appearance of trying to be cool -- the cool must naturally ooze from your pores. Like the bespectacled nerd who aces all of his classes even though he doesn't study -- he becomes cool because he appears effortless in his success. Now, what happens when you take that genius nerd, cover him in a leather jacket, ray bans, prison tats, teach him to throw 60 yard touchdown passes and grow a viking sized beard? Quite simply, you've got the recipe for a young Chuck Norris, or this 1975 Austin Mini ZCars Rear Engine Conversion
currently bidding for $16,100 reserve-not-met with $35,000 buy-it-now on eBay, located in Jupiter, FL with 4 days to go.
Time for another edition of DT's Reader Ride
feature, also known as a festival of fuel, fire and Fieros! It might be my imagination, but these cars keep getting nicer! This next feature comes
from reader Todd who not only provided us with photos and formatted text, but also put it on his own website to make it easy. Whatta fellow! Oh, did I mention the car is everything you'd ever want in a classic Mini?
The original Austin Mini Mk I is one of those iconic cars that makes the driver cool no matter how much a of a douche bag he may be. There are some cars...cough cough newish BMW...gak...something in my throat...any 911...cough...yeah, better now...that turn any nice-guy driver into an immediate target for ridicule (porcupine jokes...etc), but the original Mini brings with it an instant aura of awesome like an invisible Chuck Norris is giving you a pat on the back for some unknown success. Great job man, and you can rub my beard for good luck. Find this 1963 Austin Mini Cooper for sale in SF Bay Area, CA for $17,500 via craigslist and hardtuned.com. As posted by CKEFFER on oppositelock.