Is this reasonable?
Discussion
Hi guys
In a nutshell me and the wife have a car each, we don’t buy brand new but usually 2-3 years old. Like most we lose a fair bit on depreciation over time. Also my work is becoming more of a problem for parking and somewhere to park it. It’s really not A nice area. We also tend to spend the most on my car, it being the main family car and less on the wife’s.
So got me thinking, but one nice car between us that the wife can have, she gets secure parking at work etc. Then I get something cheap that I can possibly keep forever until it dies.
This brings me here....
Back in the day I always wanted the old mini, but looking now there’s a fair few cheap new ones about. They age well as they don’t keep changing the shape and I was hoping being a bit bmw they would be reliable.
I would be doing a 16 mile round trip to work and back 5 days a week, probably stood on a weekend. Budget between 2.5 &3k.
Willing to do basic servicing/oil changes and stuff myself and hoping for not too much drama come MOT time.
Not too fussed on creature comforts, a heater that works and not much else would suffice.
Am I barking up the right tree?
In a nutshell me and the wife have a car each, we don’t buy brand new but usually 2-3 years old. Like most we lose a fair bit on depreciation over time. Also my work is becoming more of a problem for parking and somewhere to park it. It’s really not A nice area. We also tend to spend the most on my car, it being the main family car and less on the wife’s.
So got me thinking, but one nice car between us that the wife can have, she gets secure parking at work etc. Then I get something cheap that I can possibly keep forever until it dies.
This brings me here....
Back in the day I always wanted the old mini, but looking now there’s a fair few cheap new ones about. They age well as they don’t keep changing the shape and I was hoping being a bit bmw they would be reliable.
I would be doing a 16 mile round trip to work and back 5 days a week, probably stood on a weekend. Budget between 2.5 &3k.
Willing to do basic servicing/oil changes and stuff myself and hoping for not too much drama come MOT time.
Not too fussed on creature comforts, a heater that works and not much else would suffice.
Am I barking up the right tree?
having bought and sold a few - like many cars - there are some common problems to consider on mini one:
1) the rear exhausts seem to rot early
2) Front suspension components can wear - which are a pain in the wallet to replace - subframe removal
3) Gen one 1.6 have had a tendency to overheat due to corroded wiring on low speed fan - causing head gasket issues if not caught early simple test can be done at home with no special equipment to see if you have this problem
4) Vanos on 2nd gen minis can be problematic - avoid the bmw quotes and get it early and you can fix it relatively cheaply
5) Gearboxes on early cars are well documented for being fragile
6) uneven tyre wear on early cars (normally nsf) could be turret problem
HTH
1) the rear exhausts seem to rot early
2) Front suspension components can wear - which are a pain in the wallet to replace - subframe removal
3) Gen one 1.6 have had a tendency to overheat due to corroded wiring on low speed fan - causing head gasket issues if not caught early simple test can be done at home with no special equipment to see if you have this problem
4) Vanos on 2nd gen minis can be problematic - avoid the bmw quotes and get it early and you can fix it relatively cheaply
5) Gearboxes on early cars are well documented for being fragile
6) uneven tyre wear on early cars (normally nsf) could be turret problem
HTH
I bought a 2003 Cooper S back in April as a bit of a project. The idea being I can mess about with it and have a fun cheap run-around to help reduce the mileage on my main car. As with all these things, even though I knew 90% of what the car needed doing to it, there is always unplanned expenses to replace bits on any car of this age.
My experience is that its a very easy to work on car. Basic tools is really all you need. In this day & age there are so many online videos and guides that help you. I paid £1000 for mine and spent about £2000 on replacement bits which is exactly what I expected (and budgeted) when I bought it. I did take the opportunity to upgrade parts as & when I replaced them for better items - such as the suspension, brakes etc. So far all the replacement parts have been cheap to buy. New clutch for example - £60, drive shaft £30, cv joint £15, radiator £40, header tank £25, clutch slave cylinder £25 etc. etc. I figure if all those bits have lasted 16 years and 100,000 miles then thats very good value for money if they last the same again.
The only negative thing about the cooper s is the mpg. Really the "sensible" me should have got the cooper and could have benefited from cheaper running costs, but the lure of having a supercharger drew me in!
My experience is that its a very easy to work on car. Basic tools is really all you need. In this day & age there are so many online videos and guides that help you. I paid £1000 for mine and spent about £2000 on replacement bits which is exactly what I expected (and budgeted) when I bought it. I did take the opportunity to upgrade parts as & when I replaced them for better items - such as the suspension, brakes etc. So far all the replacement parts have been cheap to buy. New clutch for example - £60, drive shaft £30, cv joint £15, radiator £40, header tank £25, clutch slave cylinder £25 etc. etc. I figure if all those bits have lasted 16 years and 100,000 miles then thats very good value for money if they last the same again.
The only negative thing about the cooper s is the mpg. Really the "sensible" me should have got the cooper and could have benefited from cheaper running costs, but the lure of having a supercharger drew me in!
We have owned MINIs for 13 years, ranging from a 2002 MINI One (6 years ownership) , 2004 MCS (1 year ownership) and a 2007 Clubman S (6 years ownership).
They were all pretty reliable - biggest 'unexpected' bill was a thermostat housing failing and cost about £200 at BMW to fix.
Probably the best bet is a post 2004 One or Cooper (facelift, take a look where the reverse light is). I found the post 2007 models (second generation) did not feel as fun to drive and the interior build quality was not as 'strong'.
When the first generation facelift happened during 2004, the gearboxes were changed away from the chocolaty, midlands box.
The other issue we had was the power steering pump failing on our 2004 MCS, but that was covered under warranty. For this reason I would also avoid 17" alloys (not proven, but a suspicion based upon reports of the failures)
Fun, little cars which we will probably return to at next car change......
They were all pretty reliable - biggest 'unexpected' bill was a thermostat housing failing and cost about £200 at BMW to fix.
Probably the best bet is a post 2004 One or Cooper (facelift, take a look where the reverse light is). I found the post 2007 models (second generation) did not feel as fun to drive and the interior build quality was not as 'strong'.
When the first generation facelift happened during 2004, the gearboxes were changed away from the chocolaty, midlands box.
The other issue we had was the power steering pump failing on our 2004 MCS, but that was covered under warranty. For this reason I would also avoid 17" alloys (not proven, but a suspicion based upon reports of the failures)
Fun, little cars which we will probably return to at next car change......
I doubt very much they'll last the same again when the original parts were of a quality and typical replacements are sourced as cheap as possible, often opposite ends of the quality scale but good for buying one with that aim, most seem to be being broken daily so at least that's one less.
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