Hi Khabboub.. welcome..   first fill out your profile. and someone close can contact you..  where are you in the USA??  I would join local classic mini club.. or even local british car club..  some old timer like me with white hair.. will always help..  Cheers PHD  PS.. guess you gave up on your mini ownership  see you have your 1970 mini for sale on the cars for  sale page here today.. and you are in san jose cali..

Welcome aboard mini ownership. It can be a bumpy and trying time when new.

Here is a good place to ask questions. Some here have been around mini a long time and have extensive knowledge and don't mind sharing. The best place to find an owners manual would probably be ebay. Just make sure you do a worldwide search to see overseas results too.

What in the USA do you live? Most of the larger cities have min groups that can offer help. Not knowing what your engine spec is it would be hard to tell what fuel to use. Safe bet is to start with 93 octane for a few tanks while you get used to the sounds your car makes. Then drop down to mid-grade while listening for any pinging sounds from the engine. When mine did I heard more of a rattle sound of pinging. If no bad sounds then switch to the lowest grade and repeat. There is NO benefit to using higher grade than needed. Most minis will run on regular as they were built for the easiest and cheapest fuel.

Unless the shop you want to take the mini to is english car friendly they may not be much help. Minis have not been sold in the US since 1968 so they may not have any experience with them.

This is when you get a Haynes manual for your mini. If you can find one the covers Authi then you would have what you need for YOUR car. Hopefully there is a mini owners group in your area then you can learn how to work on your own car. They are very basic and not hard to take care of if you have basic skills and willing to learn. We were ALL there looking for help on our first mini.

So for now just drive your car and learn the sounds it makes and how it feels. Relax and get used to waving at folks and answering questions whenever you stop. You may find that it is less expensive to get insurance through a classic car company. Hagertys, J C Taylor are two I have used. The rates should be less and you can get full coverage with agreed value that you really want if someone else hits you. Also see if they offer towing coverage you can add for just a few dollars more. That helps with peace of mind while you learn about your mini and drive further from home.

Welcome! And congratulations on your purchase.

This forum is a good place to start your learning process. No question posted here is "dumb" or "stupic".
An owner's manual will be hard to find for a 50+ year old car, but not impossible. The good news is that a car this age is very uncomplicated. That is part of the appeal. So, if you have a specific question ask it!

A repair manual is a very useful source of "education". Wortth every penny. You can order one from our host  Follow this link:
https://www.minimania.com/part/646/Austin-Mini-Haynes-Workshop-Manual-1969-2001

As built, Minis did not have very many controls. Most of the switches on the early ones were on the dash rail above the heater. Variations did occur depending on where the car was built and for what market. Later cars had some controls added to the stalks on the steering column. I'm sure you'll figure them out quick enough. Additional things like fog or driving lights may have been added over the years too.

Your car, as originally built had a 998cc engine designed to run on leaded fuel. It should be OK to run regular fuel. However, since it is over 50 years old, the motor may have been rebuilt, including the modification of the valve seats to accept unleaded fuel. Or the motor may not even be the original one. These cars are so simple, it is not difficult to swap engines, so many of them have been changed.

We can help you identify your engine and what it needs to take care of it.

Start by telling us the engine serial number which should be on the engine block above the alternator (or generator). It would be on a metal tab riveted to the block, though sometimes they disappear when engines get rebuilt.

Post pictures of the engine, both a general view from the front and closer in views of things like the carburettor and the distributor. Take a picture or two of the interior, showing the switches you have - we can determine if it is original or what might have been added.

Note: it is easy to post pictures - there is a large green circle to the left of the window where you write your post. You just drag and drop each photo file onto the green dot. But be aware, your photos cannot be too big = you must reduce the file size or they won't load.

hello! I just purchased a 1970 authi mini 1000E. The car runs and drives, but I have a couple of questions. Any help would be appreciated!

this is my first classic can, but I am having a really hard time with buyers regret. its a fun little car when zipping around, but the unpredictability is making me tense. I have a few questions I was hoping to get some help with.