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Mini's ... I've had a mini, an 1100, and an 1800. They were all biaches to work on especially on the spiders and CV joints. And absolutely no room in the mini engine bay, I just used to drop the whole motor out the bottom and that included the 1800, very heavy.
If you are keen on an early easy to work on go for an early Escort. Umpteen numbers of amateur and professional rally drivers can't be wrong. Built like a brick, will take any engine transplant and drives like a demon. Only problem is they are probably quite popular so not easy to find. Cortina is a collectors car now, quite rare and sought after.
If this is just for an easy option on a daily drive then an MX5 which is very basic mechanically is ok, and there is a hard top for them if you want. Otherwise I'd be buying an early Toyota Corolla or similar. Engine lasts forever, cheap to run, reliable as anything. I had one I sold at 250,000 km and it was still warrantable and going like a good thing.
The problem with any of these earlier cars are parts availability and age. I certainly would not be buying a Mini unless I was an enthusiast.
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