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@NurseHolliday
I made the mistake of thinking that if I got a "refurbed" 1993 Mini, it would be totally reliable. Make no mistake, it's still a near enough 60 year old design. Shit will happen when you least expect it, the only way it won't is if you buy a completely restored car. They start at £20k+ because they really are like new cars.
Simple things like driving in the rain become cumbersome, frustrating activities due to classic ignition not liking the damp, and archaic windscreen wipers that require gravity to return to the "down" position.
Windscreens that freeze on the inside.
Heaters that provide heat everywhere you don't want, and nowhere that you do want.
Your carbs will need tuning every 6 months just to keep the engine running smoothly, not to mention the almost random fuel consumption, and the requirement for leaded additive unless the engine has been updated.
THINGS WILL BREAK. The parts are old, they're weak. You could do a 500 mile journey and nothing breaks, you could do a 2 mile journey and snap a wheel stud. Bushes, bearings, suspension components, everything.
It's easy to think your love for the car will overcome anything, but when it's 22:00, you're on your way back from Wales after a long weekend of mountain biking, you're tired, it's pissing it down with rain, and it conks out on the side of the M4, 100 miles from London, it's really easy to start rueing the day you ever bought a Mini.