MINI One buyer's guide?

[dorset_clive]

Clearly my Google fu is weak today...I'm after a buyer's guide for a One or poverty spec whatever has the smallest/lowest power engine.

My daughter is pestering me for a MINI as a learner/first car and I want to see what I may be letting myself in for if I say yes. I've found lots of guides for the Cooper and above, but nothing about the 1.4 (?) engine in base spec.

I'm looking around £1500 and ten years old if that makes a difference.

Thanks

[Elliot2000]

10 years old will be an r56, same engine as in a cooper but with less power, buying guides will be the same. Personally I would avoid 2007-2008 cars. If u can get a 2010 or newer they are much more reliable

[simonsti]

I bought my 17 year old daughter a 55 plate mini one to learn to drive in.
I think it's brilliant little car.. so well built and also nippy for a 1.6 motor.
Insurance was also cheaper than other similar cars at less than £1000 per year fully comp.

Highly recommended.

[Paul S4]

I am also beginning to look at MINIs for the first time : I have just tested a 2012 MINI 3 door Chilli Sport diesel: I need to replace my ageing Alfa 156 JTDM that has over 160,000 miles on it.

I need the diesel mpg as I do 350 miles a week on a motorway commute in the North East.
I was very impressed with the overall MINI One: I need something that has character and is great to drive at a reasonable price...there are not many cars that fulfil these requirements nowadays !

Any advice on what to look out for, what models are best, etc , as the OP said really !

[shoestring7]

I've been trying to work this out too, as SS7 Jnr would like a Mini One, they're fun to drive, safe-ish (his brother had a 1983 Golf which was a write-off when T-boned by a drunk driver and he and his g/f ended up in hospital...), and insurance no worse than any other small hatchback.

If I'm right, there's a

2001-2006 R53 1.6 n/a , with the Brazilian engine
2007-2010 R56 with a 1.4 n/a Peugeot engine (to be avoided)
2010-2014 R56 with a BMW 1.4 n/a engine
2014 on F56 with a 1.4 or maybe a 1.2turbo BMW motor

If this correct?

There are quite a few One's at the bottom of the price scale with 100k plus miles. Can they take it?

[eybic]

I used to sell for Mini and the biggest objection we found to buying them for young'uns was that the insurance tended to be higher due to them having "big" (1.4) engines compared to the normal first cars so it's worth checking that out.

[jonny996]

I just went through this & picked junior car up yesterday.
The model you want is the Mini First, they are the 1.6 and built from 2009-2012 BUT here is the kicker, it’s the same 1.6 as rest of the range but detuned down to 74hp.
Doesn’t sound much but it’s fun & as cheap as anything I found to insure

[oilit]

shoestring7 said:

I've been trying to work this out too, as SS7 Jnr would like a Mini One, they're fun to drive, safe-ish (his brother had a 1983 Golf which was a write-off when T-boned by a drunk driver and he and his g/f ended up in hospital...), and insurance no worse than any other small hatchback.

If I'm right, there's a

2001-2006 R53 1.6 n/a , with the Brazilian engine
2007-2010 R56 with a 1.4 n/a Peugeot engine (to be avoided)
2010-2014 R56 with a BMW 1.4 n/a engine
2014 on F56 with a 1.4 or maybe a 1.2turbo BMW motor

If this correct?

There are quite a few One's at the bottom of the price scale with 100k plus miles. Can they take it?

Almost, the 1.6 was also offered in the R56 One.

Problems to consider:-

2001-2006 R53 1.6 n/a , with the Brazilian engine - engine prone to overheating due to failure of resister on cooling fan preventing it from working on low speed, and the PAS steering cooling fan can also fail - all easy to fix if preventative testing is done to prevent the boil. Also manual gearboxes can be problematic.

2007-2010 R56 with a 1.4 n/a Peugeot engine (to be avoided) - Correct -

2010-2014 R56 with a BMW 1.4 n/a engine - Don't know about the 1.4 but the 1.6 needs to have its oil levels watched very carefully, as low oil can damage the Vanos, which is expensive to fix.

2014 on F56 with a 1.4 or maybe a 1.2turbo BMW motor - no experience.

ref: 'There are quite a few One's at the bottom of the price scale with 100k plus miles. Can they take it?'

I tend to see that cars with 1-2 owners and mini history and less than 80k are generally in better condition - I have seen a one owner with 100k that was immaculate and in good order, equally I have seen 60k on their 3rd or 4th owner that I would view only as a money pit due to poor maintenance and a long list of items that need to be fixed.

Edited by oilit on Tuesday 28th July 03:56

[shoestring7]

That's great, thanks.

[Majorslow]

I'm a driving instructor.

I bought a 2012 Mini Baker street in Oct 2013 with 7K on the clock (diesel) as it's special edition, it looks like a cooper but with many extra's like half leather boost stereo, Black gloss alloys, bonnet stripes, etc.....

It is a great specked car, Ideal for my job, I get about 52-56 mpg teaching, and up to 70 mpg when I drive it

It is still on it's first clutch at 172k

I have only had to replace condenser on the A/C as it must have caught a stone sometime, so not a manufacturing fault.

Even with the amount of heavy braking and emergency stop practice i do, I still get over 30k out of the front tyres. I have also had two sets of front discs, and one set of rears. For a car that is driven as hard as mine is I think that is great for the miles (Do not "dry" steer" the car as your tyres will wear quick) my tyre garage I use can't believe the miles I get out of the tyres....well I check they are correct pressures and make them drive it properly

Servicing is every 20k ish, and for me that's about every 8-10 months, for your average person that would be every 18-24 months. I have found servicing at the main dealer reasonable (Chandlers Ford Hants)

Can't really fault the car, an ideal 2 person car, crap sized boot, no rear leg room if driver over 5 foot 8", getting reverse is a pain for learners until they actually listen to what they are told.

Every Mini out there is different as there are so many options, therefore hard to compare unless you search engine a particular car like mine (Baker street) and even then it may have extra's original buyer threw in.

If mine died last week I would buy another like mine up to 2013 when they changed the shape, as I don't like the new ones as they have got too fat. You can still get a decent pre 2013 for less than £5-6k with low miles.....why have a car and not use it?

Definitely try to buy a car with service history, there are so many out there so walk if it has none or missed services.

Snows Mini in Swindon have a great saleswoman called Catherine if you wish to go main dealer

Edited by Majorslow on Thursday 20th August 15:41

[Ayahuasca]

I bought my daughter a Mini One, and I love it !

Handles like a go-cart, not fast but very ‘nippy’.

My only modification is bonnet stripes and a Union Jack roof. Obvs.

[jonny996]

I got my son a mini first (one minus 20bhp) for his birthday & I often walk past the 911 to take it, it’s a hoot

[shoestring7]

I tried several cars, but at a £1.5k market they were all tired and entertained a miscellany of interior rattles.

I eventually found him a low mileage Civic 1.4, which drove beautifully and, apparently has some old skool JDM cred.