Getting carried away with daughter's car - 2013 MINI One
Discussion
Our story starts in late 2022, in the run up to my daughter’s 17th birthday.
She gets dragged along to various car events each year and has read the print of my Roadrat collection, so it was important to me that we got a car that would be fun.
The plan being that I would smoke around in it for a while before using it for driving lessons, etc.
The MINI was acquired in early 2023, This followed a very brief period in late 2022 with an ’07 plate Ka, that was quickly identified as being in need of significant welding, so went back onto Facebook marketplace, before the budget was substantially increased.
To be fair the little Ka drove really well, I have great memories of them, but it was determined that we needed something more modern.
We talked about what kind of car she would like, I was in favour of a Fiesta but wanted Cruise Control, didn’t want an EcoBoom, Mum was in favour of “something Japanese”, sprog fancied a MINI.
We’ve had MINI’s in the family before, (2001 R50 Cooper back in 2002, sister’s 2005 R50 Cooper, followed by 2007 R56 MCS, 2013 R56 JCW, from around 2012-2020), so I knew they drove well, that they weren’t particularly reliable, and I had some experience of fixing them. I did know that the “Prince” engine versions were less reliable, particularly the earlier versions, but the Chrysler engine R50’s weren’t “new enough” to qualify for Mum.
So, I was searching for an R56, ideally a later car, ideally with auto climate, cruise/MFSW, and a sunroof would be nice. Preferably in an interesting colour. Mini One preferred over a Cooper for the lower insurance.
Tracked down a well spec’d Mini One at a trade auction, owners looked ok (3), mileage looked ok (~80k), condition looked ok, good service history, 2 keys, etc.
From the original listing
Here things get a bit amateurish; I got a bit carried away in the bidding, and won the car.
Went to pick it up, the car was absolutely filthy.
Couldn’t work out how to open the bonnet, felt like an idiot, so decided not to worry.
Found a petrol station, filled it up, car was driving well. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.
Heading up the motorway discovered the washer fluid seemed to be very low / empty, so I would need to work out how to open that bonnet.
Motorway exit roundabout – hmm, low oil pressure – I remember my sisters cars had a thing about that.
Bonnet open, screen wash, topped up, which was concerningly not empty.
Check oil I could see some on the dipstick so I figured that was okay.
Back on the motorway, heading home, and of course at the first roundabout, the low pressure, warning light came on again. Cue me checking the oil with a bit more care, and realising there wasn’t much in it so added a couple of litres and crossed my fingers.
It may have been at this point, or at least on this journey that the car decided to chuck up its first check engine light in our care!
While this clearly wasn't great, past experience with R56's did suggest a degree of TADTS.
Got home and started going through the paperwork, identified that the previous owner had had the car for about 11 months, and had taken it back to the supplying dealer earlier in January because of a check engine light. One coil pack and plugs had been replaced, but that clearly hadn't solved the problem.
Anyhow it was now my problem, and the start of a journey that might well suggest that used R56’s are best bought retail with a robust warranty…
To be continued
She gets dragged along to various car events each year and has read the print of my Roadrat collection, so it was important to me that we got a car that would be fun.
The plan being that I would smoke around in it for a while before using it for driving lessons, etc.
The MINI was acquired in early 2023, This followed a very brief period in late 2022 with an ’07 plate Ka, that was quickly identified as being in need of significant welding, so went back onto Facebook marketplace, before the budget was substantially increased.
To be fair the little Ka drove really well, I have great memories of them, but it was determined that we needed something more modern.
We talked about what kind of car she would like, I was in favour of a Fiesta but wanted Cruise Control, didn’t want an EcoBoom, Mum was in favour of “something Japanese”, sprog fancied a MINI.
We’ve had MINI’s in the family before, (2001 R50 Cooper back in 2002, sister’s 2005 R50 Cooper, followed by 2007 R56 MCS, 2013 R56 JCW, from around 2012-2020), so I knew they drove well, that they weren’t particularly reliable, and I had some experience of fixing them. I did know that the “Prince” engine versions were less reliable, particularly the earlier versions, but the Chrysler engine R50’s weren’t “new enough” to qualify for Mum.
So, I was searching for an R56, ideally a later car, ideally with auto climate, cruise/MFSW, and a sunroof would be nice. Preferably in an interesting colour. Mini One preferred over a Cooper for the lower insurance.
Tracked down a well spec’d Mini One at a trade auction, owners looked ok (3), mileage looked ok (~80k), condition looked ok, good service history, 2 keys, etc.
From the original listing
Here things get a bit amateurish; I got a bit carried away in the bidding, and won the car.
Went to pick it up, the car was absolutely filthy.
Couldn’t work out how to open the bonnet, felt like an idiot, so decided not to worry.
- Almost zero fuel.
- Various invoices from the previous selling dealer for servicing work, plugs, etc.
- Clutch was really high.
Found a petrol station, filled it up, car was driving well. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.
Heading up the motorway discovered the washer fluid seemed to be very low / empty, so I would need to work out how to open that bonnet.
Motorway exit roundabout – hmm, low oil pressure – I remember my sisters cars had a thing about that.
Bonnet open, screen wash, topped up, which was concerningly not empty.
Check oil I could see some on the dipstick so I figured that was okay.
Back on the motorway, heading home, and of course at the first roundabout, the low pressure, warning light came on again. Cue me checking the oil with a bit more care, and realising there wasn’t much in it so added a couple of litres and crossed my fingers.
It may have been at this point, or at least on this journey that the car decided to chuck up its first check engine light in our care!
While this clearly wasn't great, past experience with R56's did suggest a degree of TADTS.
Got home and started going through the paperwork, identified that the previous owner had had the car for about 11 months, and had taken it back to the supplying dealer earlier in January because of a check engine light. One coil pack and plugs had been replaced, but that clearly hadn't solved the problem.
Anyhow it was now my problem, and the start of a journey that might well suggest that used R56’s are best bought retail with a robust warranty…
To be continued
Edited by FlashBastd on Wednesday 11th September 22:51
Once home we had a few things that needed immediate attention;
So it’s ignoring the CEL issues, the car is driving well, came up reasonably well, but as with any new car there are always some cosmetic bits that need sorting; the armrest top was broken and wouldn’t stay in place, front wiper blades were a bit knackered, the aerial was a broken stub, N/S scuttle had a broken battery cover clip, no book pack beyond the service book, BravoAuto number plates had been drilled by a blind man.
Anyhow this all provided opportunity to rekindle my relationship with the parts counter at my local BMW dealer for most of it and some new plates, rubber mats, wiper blades, and to scour eBay for the rest.
Rubber mats
“Sports” aerial to replace the broken original
Broken armrest lid
Front plate possibly fitted in a hurry
Battery cover scuttle trim
Making it talk to the iPhone for Bluetooth streaming
Returning to the mechanical concerns, the Carla app along with some Internet diagnosis didn't really seem to help (do not recommend), so I booked the car into the local MINI specialist for an oil change, coolant change (oh yes the coolant was black) and for them to try and diagnose what was wrong with the bloody thing.
I got the car back with fresh oil, fresh coolant and a new Lambda sensor. Was told that the clutch was worn but not slipping, and otherwise the car seemed ok.
The Check engine light stayed off for a while but would return.
Our local garage, having shaken their heads at my foolishness for buying a MINI, suggested that as a next step I should try running it on premium unleaded (rather than just cooking shell).
A tank or so of V power though, and the CEL was back, accompanied by P2196 on the Scangauge.
Both the specialist and the local garage (who also see their fair share of MINI’s) told me not to worry about it, that these cars are a bit sensitive when chucking up a CEL (which we’d seen with my sisters), but to keep an eye on the oil and use good fuel.
Unsurprisingly I was keeping an eye on oil consumption, which really didn’t seem high (would be maybe 1.5-2 litres over 8,000 miles – not great, but well within tolerance).
Obviously I couldn’t leave this alone, so kept digging.
The code relates to the first O2 sensor having a rich reading. This suggested to me some issue with the fuelling, my initial thought being a MAF reading more oxygen so chucking in more fuel. The dirty tail pipe was another sign something wasn’t quite right.
These cars have a combined MAP/MAF, so I removed the original and it was quite oily. Cleaned that up with electrical contact cleaner and the CEL interval seemed to improve, albeit the idle was a touch uneven, though this sorted itself out.
Some more internet diagnosis suggested valve stem seals; with some Forte seal conditioner it seemed that the problem might be solved – until the oil was changed 2,000 miles later, when the light came back on. Fingers crossed some more seal conditioner in the fresh oil will help things…
- Check / add more oil!
- Read the codes for the CEL
- Give it a wash and vacuum
So it’s ignoring the CEL issues, the car is driving well, came up reasonably well, but as with any new car there are always some cosmetic bits that need sorting; the armrest top was broken and wouldn’t stay in place, front wiper blades were a bit knackered, the aerial was a broken stub, N/S scuttle had a broken battery cover clip, no book pack beyond the service book, BravoAuto number plates had been drilled by a blind man.
Anyhow this all provided opportunity to rekindle my relationship with the parts counter at my local BMW dealer for most of it and some new plates, rubber mats, wiper blades, and to scour eBay for the rest.
Rubber mats
“Sports” aerial to replace the broken original
Broken armrest lid
Front plate possibly fitted in a hurry
Battery cover scuttle trim
Making it talk to the iPhone for Bluetooth streaming
Returning to the mechanical concerns, the Carla app along with some Internet diagnosis didn't really seem to help (do not recommend), so I booked the car into the local MINI specialist for an oil change, coolant change (oh yes the coolant was black) and for them to try and diagnose what was wrong with the bloody thing.
I got the car back with fresh oil, fresh coolant and a new Lambda sensor. Was told that the clutch was worn but not slipping, and otherwise the car seemed ok.
The Check engine light stayed off for a while but would return.
Our local garage, having shaken their heads at my foolishness for buying a MINI, suggested that as a next step I should try running it on premium unleaded (rather than just cooking shell).
A tank or so of V power though, and the CEL was back, accompanied by P2196 on the Scangauge.
Both the specialist and the local garage (who also see their fair share of MINI’s) told me not to worry about it, that these cars are a bit sensitive when chucking up a CEL (which we’d seen with my sisters), but to keep an eye on the oil and use good fuel.
Unsurprisingly I was keeping an eye on oil consumption, which really didn’t seem high (would be maybe 1.5-2 litres over 8,000 miles – not great, but well within tolerance).
Obviously I couldn’t leave this alone, so kept digging.
The code relates to the first O2 sensor having a rich reading. This suggested to me some issue with the fuelling, my initial thought being a MAF reading more oxygen so chucking in more fuel. The dirty tail pipe was another sign something wasn’t quite right.
These cars have a combined MAP/MAF, so I removed the original and it was quite oily. Cleaned that up with electrical contact cleaner and the CEL interval seemed to improve, albeit the idle was a touch uneven, though this sorted itself out.
Some more internet diagnosis suggested valve stem seals; with some Forte seal conditioner it seemed that the problem might be solved – until the oil was changed 2,000 miles later, when the light came back on. Fingers crossed some more seal conditioner in the fresh oil will help things…
Engine woes aside, with my fears partially allayed given that people who know about these things seemed to suggest it was ok, this was supposed to be a fun project so it was time to move on to some cosmetic tweaks.
Before I’d got carried away with the bidding, we had thought that the colour would go well with orange accents for a “Gulf” theme.
It seemed like the easiest way to add orange accents would be;
I also found some new, unused Genuine MINI orange union flag wing badges being sold by a buyer in Guatemala, so snapped those up – I then discovered that the appropriate plinths were NLA, and were not the same as MCS wing plinths, so that took some more digging but eventually I found some.
I’d always liked the “7 hole” 15” Mini wheels so the hunt was on for a set of those (incidentally the Mini app suggests these should have been factory ::shrug:
I knew how firm Mini’s could be on 16-18” wheels, and given the new driver it seemed like more sidewall would be sensible.
I’m a fan of “pretty” brakes, but I don’t like badly painted brakes. Bought a set of used calipers from eBay, which were really good value, and went to strip them down. The fronts were a piece of cake, but these were the first time I’ve done rears with an integrated handbrake. What. A. Pain. Bought a set of circip pliers and got the grinder out to make them a lot finer than they were, and better able to access the recessed circlip.
The available powder coating shades ultimately also determined the shade of paint that we would use for the orange bits of trim.
The calipers would be blasted and powercoated by LSN at the same time as a set of 7 hole wheels that I’d sourced.
As ever, Jessops did a brilliant job with painting the various trim bits;
The powder coating was also excellent;
The wheels were fitted with some new Michelin Primacy rubber and new centre caps;
With the calipers back I rebuilt them with new pistons and seals, though this wasn’t entirely smooth sailing…
A couple of the calipers would have twisted their respective hoses so these needed removing and refitting in the correct orientation; of course one would not come off and knacked the rear line, necessitating a visit to the local garage for a repair section. With this done, everything was great except that the handbrake didn’t work. I hadn’t reseated either of the circlips properly. Arse.
A bit more messing about, some more grinding of the circlip pliers and we were sorted.
While I doing the brakes I also swapped the O/S/F wheel bearing which had begun to get a little noisy, pretty straightforward at to do at the same time, and took the opportunity to fit new Brembo discs and pads all round.
Given the colour theme of the car, and just how big the standard brakes look behind a 15” wheel, I figured this would be a really nice touch.
The pics are slightly misleading; my daughter and I fitted the wheels and trims, before doing the brakes a little later.
It was important to me that she knew how to change a wheel; we practiced with the car jack, and removing one of the old wheels with the wheel brace, before cheating and switching back to the trolley jack and impact gun. She did all 4 wheels along with air and pollen filters - granted not the most challenging but bitesize an d a step in the right direction.
All went well, and we were both really happy with the results;
This being a MINI though we still felt like maybe there was still something missing…
In truth the shade of orange is a touch more neon than I'd have liked, but I suspect most wouldn't notice.
Most importantly my daughter was so chuffed with how it was looking, and was enjoying learning to drive.
Before her birthday the little car got some use on the airfield where the MINI was more to her taste than my Boxster that she’d had a go in previously.
Once she turned 17 we started using the MINI whenever we could, with me doing the motorways and her the rest.
Before I’d got carried away with the bidding, we had thought that the colour would go well with orange accents for a “Gulf” theme.
It seemed like the easiest way to add orange accents would be;
- Mirror caps
- Lower grille surround
- Rear fog/reversing light surround
- Dash trims
I also found some new, unused Genuine MINI orange union flag wing badges being sold by a buyer in Guatemala, so snapped those up – I then discovered that the appropriate plinths were NLA, and were not the same as MCS wing plinths, so that took some more digging but eventually I found some.
I’d always liked the “7 hole” 15” Mini wheels so the hunt was on for a set of those (incidentally the Mini app suggests these should have been factory ::shrug:
I knew how firm Mini’s could be on 16-18” wheels, and given the new driver it seemed like more sidewall would be sensible.I’m a fan of “pretty” brakes, but I don’t like badly painted brakes. Bought a set of used calipers from eBay, which were really good value, and went to strip them down. The fronts were a piece of cake, but these were the first time I’ve done rears with an integrated handbrake. What. A. Pain. Bought a set of circip pliers and got the grinder out to make them a lot finer than they were, and better able to access the recessed circlip.
The available powder coating shades ultimately also determined the shade of paint that we would use for the orange bits of trim.
The calipers would be blasted and powercoated by LSN at the same time as a set of 7 hole wheels that I’d sourced.
As ever, Jessops did a brilliant job with painting the various trim bits;
The powder coating was also excellent;
The wheels were fitted with some new Michelin Primacy rubber and new centre caps;
With the calipers back I rebuilt them with new pistons and seals, though this wasn’t entirely smooth sailing…
A couple of the calipers would have twisted their respective hoses so these needed removing and refitting in the correct orientation; of course one would not come off and knacked the rear line, necessitating a visit to the local garage for a repair section. With this done, everything was great except that the handbrake didn’t work. I hadn’t reseated either of the circlips properly. Arse.
A bit more messing about, some more grinding of the circlip pliers and we were sorted.
While I doing the brakes I also swapped the O/S/F wheel bearing which had begun to get a little noisy, pretty straightforward at to do at the same time, and took the opportunity to fit new Brembo discs and pads all round.
Given the colour theme of the car, and just how big the standard brakes look behind a 15” wheel, I figured this would be a really nice touch.
The pics are slightly misleading; my daughter and I fitted the wheels and trims, before doing the brakes a little later.
It was important to me that she knew how to change a wheel; we practiced with the car jack, and removing one of the old wheels with the wheel brace, before cheating and switching back to the trolley jack and impact gun. She did all 4 wheels along with air and pollen filters - granted not the most challenging but bitesize an d a step in the right direction.
All went well, and we were both really happy with the results;
This being a MINI though we still felt like maybe there was still something missing…
In truth the shade of orange is a touch more neon than I'd have liked, but I suspect most wouldn't notice.
Most importantly my daughter was so chuffed with how it was looking, and was enjoying learning to drive.
Before her birthday the little car got some use on the airfield where the MINI was more to her taste than my Boxster that she’d had a go in previously.
Once she turned 17 we started using the MINI whenever we could, with me doing the motorways and her the rest.
Edited by FlashBastd on Thursday 12th September 21:04
Jobbo said:
I bought my stepdaughter an R56 Mini in 2021 - and had the valve stem seals all replaced within 6 months. Hoping that isn’t your problem…
Not unusual I fear.I suspect that may be something in the future, partly as the seal conditioner did seem to make a difference.
While we haven't got there yet in the story, I have recently replaced the chain which does seem to have made things better - old one was slightly stretched, timing was slightly out, we're only 500 miles in though!
During our first few months with the Mini our regular holiday hauler (2005 CR-V) was off the road, so the Mini was used for anything beyond the capabilities of the Leaf (i.e. requiring more than 60 miles or range), including airport runs, collecting eBay purchases, general running around, etc. Other than the occasional CEL and high (but not slipping) clutch, she was perfect.
Airport duties
As it’s a well used MINI it should come as no surprise that more jobs / learning / improvement opportunities would present themselves…
Around this time I replaced the original MAP sensor with a new Bosch item, just to rule that out for any more CEL events.
The 15” wheels aren’t run flat and to be honest I’m not a great fan – though do see the merits. Tracked down an original spare wheel kit and fitted that in place of the original undertray.
One of the jacking point brackets was broken, this was easily replaced with an aftermarket Febi Bilstein part.
The A/C had been working but not particularly effectively; the condenser was looking particularly droopy so I replaced this with a new Nissens item and our brilliant local garage regased the system. Problem solved.
Despite having had the coolant replaced it was still a bit black, so when I had the opportunity I drained and flushed the system and refilled with new coolant. Not sure why I didn't just do it myself the first time, I guess I just needed time to gain confidence working on this one, that and I think my CR-V was off the road at the time so I didn't want multiple non-runners / WIP.
The handbrake handle seemed to have a broken clip on the chrome end; I’d hoped this was just a new end but required a complete replacement handle – fortunately not scary expensive.
The steering wheel switches on these don’t wear well; the cruise control switch was particularly shabby so a replacement wheel was bought from eBay, the switch swapped and the wheel resold – I’ve later found that the switches can be bought on their own from Aliexpress – for next time.
The dipsticks on these are a plastic blobby thing which is awful to read, so this got replaced with a metal item that’s much more easier to interpret.
Airport duties
As it’s a well used MINI it should come as no surprise that more jobs / learning / improvement opportunities would present themselves…
Around this time I replaced the original MAP sensor with a new Bosch item, just to rule that out for any more CEL events.
The 15” wheels aren’t run flat and to be honest I’m not a great fan – though do see the merits. Tracked down an original spare wheel kit and fitted that in place of the original undertray.
One of the jacking point brackets was broken, this was easily replaced with an aftermarket Febi Bilstein part.
The A/C had been working but not particularly effectively; the condenser was looking particularly droopy so I replaced this with a new Nissens item and our brilliant local garage regased the system. Problem solved.
Despite having had the coolant replaced it was still a bit black, so when I had the opportunity I drained and flushed the system and refilled with new coolant. Not sure why I didn't just do it myself the first time, I guess I just needed time to gain confidence working on this one, that and I think my CR-V was off the road at the time so I didn't want multiple non-runners / WIP.
The handbrake handle seemed to have a broken clip on the chrome end; I’d hoped this was just a new end but required a complete replacement handle – fortunately not scary expensive.
The steering wheel switches on these don’t wear well; the cruise control switch was particularly shabby so a replacement wheel was bought from eBay, the switch swapped and the wheel resold – I’ve later found that the switches can be bought on their own from Aliexpress – for next time.
The dipsticks on these are a plastic blobby thing which is awful to read, so this got replaced with a metal item that’s much more easier to interpret.
Following a driving test pass (yay!) I would get to learn about the benefits of replaceable wheel arch trims, the relative merits of readily available and inexpensive door mirrors, and would be reminded of the reason I like powder coating rather than diamond cut for a wheel finish.
One morning, not long after the test pass, the car revealed a pool of oil when it left. Paranoid about the troublesome nature of these MINIs I was positively relieved to later identify that this was “just” a blown O/S/F shocker.
The inside of the wheel was so greasy!
Autodoc obliged with new Bilstein B4 struts, KYB springs, Bilstein top mounts, Sachs bump stops, TRW drop links. We fitted these together, a new electric ratchet proving very useful! Touch wood it all went pretty smoothly, perhaps a stuck drop link nut, oh and one corner where we (I) managed to forget about the springs compressors (whoops!).
The new struts certainly freshened up the ride and handling, it hadn’t felt too baggy before but this was definitely a positive change.
While it’s only a little car, I still think that rear parking sensors are a useful thing. The Genuine MINI retrofit kit is NLA and appears to have been both expensive and a bit complicated. Rather than going generic aftermarket (as I’ve done with the Boxster and a few other cars), I sussed out that the OE kit is from Bosch, I had most of an aftermarket Bosch kit in the loft, found a new unused genuine bumper trim with PDC mounts and figured I’d see if they were compatible. They were!
The downside being that these had been previously painted grey. Anyhow not hard to solve.
One morning, not long after the test pass, the car revealed a pool of oil when it left. Paranoid about the troublesome nature of these MINIs I was positively relieved to later identify that this was “just” a blown O/S/F shocker.
The inside of the wheel was so greasy!
Autodoc obliged with new Bilstein B4 struts, KYB springs, Bilstein top mounts, Sachs bump stops, TRW drop links. We fitted these together, a new electric ratchet proving very useful! Touch wood it all went pretty smoothly, perhaps a stuck drop link nut, oh and one corner where we (I) managed to forget about the springs compressors (whoops!).
The new struts certainly freshened up the ride and handling, it hadn’t felt too baggy before but this was definitely a positive change.
While it’s only a little car, I still think that rear parking sensors are a useful thing. The Genuine MINI retrofit kit is NLA and appears to have been both expensive and a bit complicated. Rather than going generic aftermarket (as I’ve done with the Boxster and a few other cars), I sussed out that the OE kit is from Bosch, I had most of an aftermarket Bosch kit in the loft, found a new unused genuine bumper trim with PDC mounts and figured I’d see if they were compatible. They were!
The downside being that these had been previously painted grey. Anyhow not hard to solve.
Edited by FlashBastd on Thursday 12th September 21:50
What a great first car, and I like the orange features!
Fair play to your daughter for getting involved with wheel changing too, even if fitting run-flats might have made that unnecessary.
I've always liked these Minis, and still remember Mrs Tidy picking her new R56 Cooper up in time for Christmas 2006. She still has it 70,000 miles later.
Fair play to your daughter for getting involved with wheel changing too, even if fitting run-flats might have made that unnecessary.
I've always liked these Minis, and still remember Mrs Tidy picking her new R56 Cooper up in time for Christmas 2006. She still has it 70,000 miles later.
Mr Tidy said:
What a great first car, and I like the orange features!
Fair play to your daughter for getting involved with wheel changing too, even if fitting run-flats might have made that unnecessary.
I've always liked these Minis, and still remember Mrs Tidy picking her new R56 Cooper up in time for Christmas 2006. She still has it 70,000 miles later.
They are great fun, she’s taking it to uni and honestly I’m a bit sad that it won’t be here for me to use.Fair play to your daughter for getting involved with wheel changing too, even if fitting run-flats might have made that unnecessary.
I've always liked these Minis, and still remember Mrs Tidy picking her new R56 Cooper up in time for Christmas 2006. She still has it 70,000 miles later.
10 year old Mini in 2023 seems a lot better than a 10 year old Fiesta 957 Pop in 1996!
Mr Tidy said:
FlashBastd said:
They are great fun, she’s taking it to uni and honestly I’m a bit sad that it won’t be here for me to use.
10 year old Mini in 2023 seems a lot better than a 10 year old Fiesta 957 Pop in 1996!
Or a 9 year old clapped-out rust-bucket MK2 Cortina in 1976. 10 year old Mini in 2023 seems a lot better than a 10 year old Fiesta 957 Pop in 1996!
Cars certainly last a lot longer than they used to.
carinaman said:
I love Ice Blue, there was a smoke grey blue/grey Mini in the family.
It's unfortunate original Kas rust. I've heard and read good things about them.
Cheers, it’s a great colour, and more interesting that so many monochrome cars.It's unfortunate original Kas rust. I've heard and read good things about them.
Fords of that era (Mk4 Fiesta, Ka, Puma) all drove so well, way better than anyone would have expected, brilliant fun.
Chucking a Ka into a roundabout way too quickly on 165/65R13’s but knowing you could easily catch it - and not actually going that fast, just brilliant.
Unfortunately they all rotted for fun.
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