I'd be happy to help out if I can and share what I know about the car, importing , dealers, whatever.
Make the trip to Ocala, Dion's a good guy and fair. If nothing else you'll learn a bunch. Its worth the trip. It'll save you $ in the long run.
Did you know there is a Mini dealer in Bradenton, M&S
http://www.mandsautos.com/
Take a look at Turky's in Charleston SC
http://www.turkys.com/mini.html
Feel like importing?, call
John Hodge @
http://planetmini.tripod.com/welcome/
or David Weber @
http://barnhillminis.bizland.com/
or Alan Tozer @ Henley Classic Minis in Oxfordshire
Rust, rust, rust. Did I mention, rust? Well, that's the biggest issue. Find a car with the best shell you can. Don't worry about the engine. A used and usable 1275 engine is about $800 and a day's work. ALL Minis have rust, somewhere. Be very careful. Learn about the car & where to look.
Go online and search through the classic mini webring. You'll find some informative sites with diagram's of the cars & where to inspect closely.
As far as prices, I'm a cheap bastard. I've bought out of the UK and haven't paid more than $2,400 for a car. Add $1,200 shipping. If you saw my orange clubman that was a $3,800 car landed & registered. It was a clubman (admitedly an acquired taste) and 1098cc with 55,000 miles. I just bought a 1978 Clubman Estate w/22,622 miles and it will arrive in Nov for a total of $2,800.
That said, expect to pay $5k to $7k for a reasonable Mini here in the states. There's no $ for a dealer to make under that price range. They're paying what I am, you know. I saw a Mini Equinox in Dunedin that was purchased from M&S for around $7k that was most excellent. I sold my orange car at a fire sale price of $5,500 last November. It was heavily modified and a reliable daily driver. Its since been resold by MiniMover in Canada & I bet he got $6,500+.