It's a shame you were'nt in Blackpool a month ago !!
I picked up my series 2 for......... £400. :P
The guy i bought it off just wanted to get rid.
I stumbled across it by accident just sitting in the back yard of the guys house with a tiny For Sale sign in it.
It had no tax or MOT so was a bit of a gamble on my part.
I had her M.O.T'd last week and she only failed on 7 things. :D
3 of them being the lights, 1 was the wiper blade, 2 were spots of welding on the footwells and the 7th was the vacum on the brakes.
Not that im trying to brag.
im just really pleased.
I suppose the moral of my story is that there are bargains out there to be had !!
Just keep your ears to the ground and your eyes open.
Good luck with the searching and i hope you find something soon !