2008 MINI One 1.4
Discussion
Was looking for a car for the OH after her XC90 expired - had to be cheaper to run that the Volvo and something she liked. The first point was easy as the 2006 XC90 was not far off £600 a year to tax and was averaging circa 29MPG, had large alloys/tyres, wasn’t cheap to service and had the other running expenses that go with a hefty 4WD car. It served us well when the kids were younger over 5 years and 75,000 miles.
It is likely to be a car we keep for a year or two before changing it again so a bit of a stop gap car.
I floated the idea of a MINI as one came up locally with full service history (last 5 years at a specialist), plenty of other bills including cooling system and sensors and looked a tidy example.
After a nice test drive With no squeaked or rattles including noting the 43MPG average shown on the OBC, the OH liked it and a deal was done.
It is likely to be a car we keep for a year or two before changing it again so a bit of a stop gap car.
I floated the idea of a MINI as one came up locally with full service history (last 5 years at a specialist), plenty of other bills including cooling system and sensors and looked a tidy example.
After a nice test drive With no squeaked or rattles including noting the 43MPG average shown on the OBC, the OH liked it and a deal was done.
Initial impressions having driven it for 50 miles of all types of road are that it is much more solidly built inside than our Focus, it is faster than I expected, the boot is almost useless, the front is roomy (I’m 6ft2 and largely built and fit fine), rear leg room is not great but I do fit in the back ok if the front seat is well forward. No centre arm rest or cubby which would be useful but plenty of other storage.
It is a pleasure to drive - much lighter on its toes than the Focus and you can feel the lack of weight in a good way through the corners. Brakes are excellent, again likely due to the low weight and the 6 speed manual gearbox feels very tight with a positive gear change. Haven’t tried heel & toe braking yet or very spirited driving as the OH had been with me but the initial signs are good.
One possibly large negative is that this is the engine that is beat avoided I believe?! There is blue smoke ahem idling that gets quite bad when crawling in traffic but clears when on the move so I’m confident it is the valve stem seals rather than anything more serious as there’s no turbo and it doesn’t get worse under load as it would with piston rings. I’ve ordered some seal conditioner so will see if that helps and keep an eye on the oil level.
It is a pleasure to drive - much lighter on its toes than the Focus and you can feel the lack of weight in a good way through the corners. Brakes are excellent, again likely due to the low weight and the 6 speed manual gearbox feels very tight with a positive gear change. Haven’t tried heel & toe braking yet or very spirited driving as the OH had been with me but the initial signs are good.
One possibly large negative is that this is the engine that is beat avoided I believe?! There is blue smoke ahem idling that gets quite bad when crawling in traffic but clears when on the move so I’m confident it is the valve stem seals rather than anything more serious as there’s no turbo and it doesn’t get worse under load as it would with piston rings. I’ve ordered some seal conditioner so will see if that helps and keep an eye on the oil level.
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