Buying a Rover Mini import – CAUTION, CAUTION!!
With over 25 years’ experience importing and complying Rover Mini’s there is no place in Australia who knows more about the good, bad, issues and pitfalls than Australian Mini Cooper.
Over the years there have been various import schemes to allow the Rover Mini to be imported into Australia.
Introduced in the early 2000’s the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (SEVS) replaced the outgoing Low Volume Compliance Scheme (LVCS). Australian Mini Cooper is the only company in Australia who has held compliance approval for the Rover Mini in both schemes.
All SEVS vehicles will be fitted with a RED Used Import Plate which is recognised Australia wide. All LVCS vehicles will be fitted with a GREEN Low Volume plate and again these can be registered in all Australian States. Both these schemes were regulated by the Federal Government with various checks and balances to ensure the vehicle available to the end user met the ARD reequipments.
The 3rd type of approvals were for “pre 88” manufactured cars and more recently the rolling 25year old approval scheme. These cars only had to meet the basic rules for the State or Territory where the vehicles were registered. These rules did, and continue to change, as does the interpretation of individual engineers. There is little to no regulation and many cars have not had the correct modifications done to them prior to registration.
Simply put, we have seen numerous cars for sale in the marketplace that DO NOT meet the Australian Design Rule requirements. If you look at any of the Rover Mini’s offered for sale on the bigger online outlets (Carsales, etc) many don’t meet the regulations.
Some of the more obvious issues include –
SIDE INTRUSTION BARS. No Mini built prior to the end of 1996 had SIB’s standard and they MUST be fitted to ensure the car meets the requirements of ADR29. The 1996 – 2000 cars DID have SIB’s fitted as standard however they DO NOT MEET ARD29 and therefore MUST be replaced with a bar that does.
CHILD RESTRAINTS. No Rover Mini was fitted with them standard and they are an ADR requirement dating back to the late 1970’s. They must be fitted.
AIRBAGS. In late 1996 Rover introduced the Mini for the first time with a driver’s side airbag and pretensioned front seatbelts. This enabled the Mini to meet more stringent regulations that had been introduced around the world. This also meant the Mini now meet ADR69 which was introduced in mid-1995. If you buy a 1996 Mini with no airbag it DOES NOT MEET the ADR’s and therefore CANNOT be legally registered. We are seeing a few of these coming into the marketplace and heard all sorts of horror stories where purchasers have been caught out. Speak to your State registration authorities first!!
HIGH MOUNT STOP LAMPS. Introduced in the early 1990’s this rule requires the fitting of a 3rd brake light in the back window. Only the very late 2000 Mini’s offered these as an option.
BRAKE FAIL and HANDBRAKE WARNING LAMPS. No Rover Mini ever had these lamps fitted standard that met the requirement of the ADR. Again, they MUST be fitted.
If you would like to learn EXACTLY what the rules are for a car, more details can be found here –
Keep in mind the regulations applicable to any imported cars are those THAT WERE IN PLACE at the date of the vehicles manufacture. IE if your imported Mini is a 1995 model then the car must meet the 1995 ADR’s.
UK / European based cars
There are numerous places to buy used cars from the UK however these cars are notorious for suffering rust and previous repairs. Although required to have regular MOT inspections these are not necessarily done to a standard that you might consider.
This is a 2000 Mini Cooper purchased from a leading Mini specialist in the UK. The car, offered at GBP 12,995, was listed in the ad with such statements as:
“This car has truly been cared for over the years which really shows in its condition”
“The underside is in very good condition with no nasty welding or black underseal to hide rust/rot”
Distance pics on arrival seemed to show a pretty clean car.
Sadly a lift on the hoist revealed all sorts of corrosion with extensive rust in structural areas and thick black underseal sprayed to cover all manor of horrors. Virtually every seam had bubbling corrosion which points to more issues….
The car had had the sills replaced and various workss done to other panels including a replacement windscreen scuttle panel and roof / gutters repairs.
The RAWS/SEVS regulations are very clear when it comes to damage and/or corrosion and the sad reality is this car can only be scrapped or re-exported.
If this was a vehicle imported under the rolling 25 year scheme it may well have been “bogged” up and presented to the marketplace for the next unsuspecting buyer.
Cars in Japan are far less likely to have rust especially those from the Tokyo and Nagoya areas. Our “Mini man” in Japan is Aaron at Bulldog Bros and he goes right over all the cars to ensure we will have no issues here.
Below are some pics Aaron sends us before bidding of a typical Mini going through the auctions. This car was a 1997 model and had covered 80,000 km from new. As you can see the sills and floor are very good and this car represents the majority of cars that we get coming from Japan. Aaron completes a full check of the car and reports back with all relevant details.
Other vehicles we see offered for sale locally include “rebirthed” cars where an earlier model VIN / Chassis number has been used to register a later model car that would otherwise not be possible to register. We are aware of at least 3 cars that have had their registrations cancelled by the State registration authorities due to this practice. It makes that shiny Mini you have a very expensive paperweight with little to no comeback.
Our recommendation is buy through a reputable source who can provide all the relevant paperwork and remember, if it’s too good to be true then it’s probably dodgy!!
