Value my MINI?

Since none of you cheap bastards will by my car I'm spending one more day trying to fix this dumb thing and I would like to bring it to the challenge when I'm done! 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/201x-classifieds/2003-mini-cooper-s-2000/140139/page1/

I know one part of the rules states if you bought it for $2000 its $2000 but another part says if you bought it 30 years ago to ask the board for FMV. I didn't buy it 30 years ago-but its not as simple as I just bought it-so here's what its worth.

Here's it's story. I bought this car for $2000 from SVReX in July of 2015. I planned on repairing a weird engine noise and having my wife DD it with the occasional autocross thrown in. It ran and drove but made ugly noises and the manifold glowed bright red if it ran more than a couple of minutes. Since then I chased gremlins and let it sit. First the fuel pump died and I replaced it. Then the injectors clogged and I replaced them with slightly higher flow units that fit and were cheaper than stock replacements. Then I ignored it.  I am busy with life so I decided to sell it in the above thread.  Over the life of the ad I have lowered the price from $2000 to $1700 with a factory manual and a factory car cover thrown in. The best legitimate offer I have received was $1,400 and involved payments. 

So now I bought a timing chain kit and plan on replacing the chain on Thursday. I miss being a competitor so I bugged Spinout007 to fix his broken timing belt Miata and we would enter whatever gets finished. 

So what says the hive-Is it still a $2000 car? Have I proven its not because it aged 3 years and I can't sell it for more than $1,400. Can I challenge it if I put a $250 timing chain kit on it?

Without answering your question, I look forward to seeing another 2003 MINI. I am bringing a few spares, though mostly for a non-S.

In reply to MrJoshua :

I’m not gonna rule on that. 

But I say bring it, regardless of the ruling. You can always run it in exhibition class, and there is a lot of fun to be had. 

The car has been a former Challenger, and it would be great to see it there as a benchmark  for other cars in those big auto cross courses. 

You could also pull the interior or a few body panels for their recoup value. 

I sold that car to you with a working fuel pump, working injectors, and a working timing chain. (For the record)

With no drag strip, that car is a contender for the dynamic time. (Assuming decent tires)

If everything was in working order at the time of purchase and you've replaced parts as they wore out I think you're good at $2000. I can also tell you that the Kelly Blue Book value is well below that. You could also email your questions to Tom Suddard for clarification.

If there is one close to you, bring it Carmax and get it appraised?