New 2nd car… "That's not a Clubman?!" #manmathedition

[Jhonno]

So I recently sold my TVR Cerbera for life reasons.. I ideally needed a 2nd car as back up, as invariably any job on the E46 330i Touring daily encounters escalation/courier issues dragging out the repair requiring borrowing a car/grabbing lifts etc. In the mean time I need to get to work, gym, maybe take the dog somewhere etc etc..

I like a Mini, so I started looking at Mini Clubmans, as I am a "Wagon", (loose term in the Mini's case), fan and was looking at perhaps getting the slightly more fun version and getting a Cooper S..

So here is what I ended up with..













The decals will be coming off asap.. They are decent, but too much for my taste..



Ermmm...

Early 3.4, manual, LSD.

I've not actually even seen it in person yet.. I spoke to the seller over the phone, lots of pics/videos exchanged etc.. Then as it was in Darlington and I am in Essex and kind of busy currently, a couple of very kind mates went and cast an eye over it, test drove it, gave the go ahead and took it back to York with them where it sits waiting for me to get up there and collect..

I blame the Readers Cars forum.. They are a lot of car for the money also.

Plan is to remove the decals, fit some wheel spacers and drive it. Front bumper will be resprayed in the spring as it is more stone chip than paint. Maybe a chilled track day also.

Edited by Jhonno on Tuesday 12th November 11:15

[MBVitoria]

Very nice!

I sort of did the opposite to you. Had some money set aside last year to get my first Porsche however I ended up buying the wife the classic mini she's always wanted instead, doh!

Hope all goes well with this.

[danb79]

Congrats on the Mini

[Konrod]

Hmm, As a Mini Clubman I would say CBNC. Not sure what the Porsche offers over the Cerbera in terms of capability

[Jhonno]

Konrod said:

Hmm, As a Mini Clubman I would say CBNC. Not sure what the Porsche offers over the Cerbera in terms of capability

CBNC?

It offers absolutely nothing over the Cerbera, it's not a replacement. The Cerbera is/was a childhood dream car, the 996 an itch to scratch, but it's worth a lot less, and frees up funds for my '66 Mustang. In the meantime I've got a 2nd car to get me out the st, and it's fun, not deprecating, and relatively cheap to run. I'd owned the Cerbera 12yrs, and events came about that perhaps it was the right time to move it on, and me to move on also..

[Jhonno]

MBVitoria said:

Very nice!

I sort of did the opposite to you. Had some money set aside last year to get my first Porsche however I ended up buying the wife the classic mini she's always wanted instead, doh!

Hope all goes well with this.

Happy wife... I always wanted a classic Mini when I was a teenager.. I'm now a 6'4 lump, so they they just never happened. I spent many hours/miles in an ex's Mini One and loved it however..

We shall see.. A new experience all round really. Just a stop gap until my Mustang is nearer completion.

danb79 said:

Congrats on the Mini

Cheers!

[POIDH]

I knew Mini had a wide range of cars, but that beauty is a new one on me...

[Jhonno]

POIDH said:

I knew Mini had a wide range of cars, but that beauty is a new one on me...

Lesser known limited edition..

It's had some money spent on it by the previous owner..

Koni suspension
H&R anti roll bars
997 short shifter
Aftermarket LSD
Ducktail
Dansk exhaust
New clutch
New suspension arms
New discs and pads all round (uprated pads)
RMS seems to have been done - bone dry
IMS supposedly done
New PS4's all round
Air con system refurbished
GT3 delete
Sport wheel refinished by Royal Wheels
Painted/trimmed sports seats
Trimmed arm rest.

Possibly more, I need to have a look over it/through the receipts when I pick it up.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Jhonno said:

Lesser known limited edition..

It's had some money spent on it by the previous owner..

Koni suspension
H&R anti roll bars
997 short shifter
Aftermarket LSD
Ducktail
Dansk exhaust
New clutch
New suspension arms
New discs and pads all round (uprated pads)
RMS seems to have been done - bone dry
IMS supposedly done
New PS4's all round
Air con system refurbished
GT3 delete
Sport wheel refinished by Royal Wheels
Painted/trimmed sports seats
Trimmed arm rest.

Possibly more, I need to have a look over it/through the receipts when I pick it up.

My favourite shape of the new mini era.
Looks like the previous owner knew what they were doing. Did they track it?

[Jhonno]

Cambs_Stuart said:

Jhonno said:

Lesser known limited edition..

It's had some money spent on it by the previous owner..

Koni suspension
H&R anti roll bars
997 short shifter
Aftermarket LSD
Ducktail
Dansk exhaust
New clutch
New suspension arms
New discs and pads all round (uprated pads)
RMS seems to have been done - bone dry
IMS supposedly done
New PS4's all round
Air con system refurbished
GT3 delete
Sport wheel refinished by Royal Wheels
Painted/trimmed sports seats
Trimmed arm rest.

Possibly more, I need to have a look over it/through the receipts when I pick it up.

My favourite shape of the new mini era.
Looks like the previous owner knew what they were doing. Did they track it?

Mine too!

Yeah they have definitely spent money in the right areas.. Hopefully this will benefit me! I'm not sure if it has actually seen the track, I think it was mostly built for A/B road blasts.. I quite fancy doing a day, to help learn how a rear engine'd car behaves as much as anything!

[Jhonno]

My mate indulged his arty side and sent me this pic from his unit..



Even the decals look good there!

I want to fit a set of standard 17" Carrera "Twist" wheels to it..

[Jhonno]

Well, it's finally here.. 15mm spacers fitted all round straight away.









Anyone have any advice on fitting bucket seats? The seats in it are lovely, comfy and supportive, but my head is basically on the headlining.. I could do with sitting 25-40mm lower.. I'm also a large 2nd row build..

Edited by Jhonno on Sunday 24th November 21:03

[Jhonno]

It drives lovely.. Very tight. Steering is wonderful and communicative.. Very different to drive to a BMW, you have to drive it differently also. The way it digs out of corners is fantastic. Engine is characterful, not that fast, but enough to get in trouble, very solid.

[Dog Biscuit]

Get them there decals removed sunshine

[Jhonno]

Dog Biscuit said:

Get them there decals removed sunshine

I will.. Didn't get a chance to start on them today (it only arrived at 11:15 this morning).

[Dog Biscuit]

Jhonno said:

Dog Biscuit said:

Get them there decals removed sunshine

I will.. Didn't get a chance to start on them today (it only arrived at 11:15 this morning).

Joking apart - be careful and use enough heat to make them easy to peel

It's likely or entirely possible it will have had some paintwork in its life and any slightly unsound clearcoat can easily be removed

(detailing company owner of over 20 years - seen it many times)

[MrC986]

OP, if you want a standard type 911 seat, then I understand 997/987 seats fit easily in to a 996.

If you want a bucket type seat, there are plenty of options and it depends whether you want to have the ability to adjust the seat forwards/backwards or you want to bolt them straight to the floor? I have Cobra Nogaro bucket seats but they are on sliders and they also use the original seat belts for convenience Your budget is the main thing as to what you'd like to install and whether you want something that broadly matches the existing interior - the leather on mine is pretty much identical although we've added alcantara centres to match the retrieved steering wheel.

[Mr Tidy]

That's the best looking Mini Clubman I've ever seen!

I'd keep those wheels and the stickers too.

[Jhonno]

Dog Biscuit said:

Jhonno said:

Dog Biscuit said:

Get them there decals removed sunshine

I will.. Didn't get a chance to start on them today (it only arrived at 11:15 this morning).

Joking apart - be careful and use enough heat to make them easy to peel

It's likely or entirely possible it will have had some paintwork in its life and any slightly unsound clearcoat can easily be removed

(detailing company owner of over 20 years - seen it many times)

Thanks for the tips.. It's definitely something I am wary about doing for the above reasons!

[Jhonno]

MrC986 said:

OP, if you want a standard type 911 seat, then I understand 997/987 seats fit easily in to a 996.

If you want a bucket type seat, there are plenty of options and it depends whether you want to have the ability to adjust the seat forwards/backwards or you want to bolt them straight to the floor? I have Cobra Nogaro bucket seats but they are on sliders and they also use the original seat belts for convenience Your budget is the main thing as to what you'd like to install and whether you want something that broadly matches the existing interior - the leather on mine is pretty much identical although we've added alcantara centres to match the retrieved steering wheel.

I think I am leaning towards a bucket seat, given the retrim, I will probably have to do both front seats. I think I'll keep the passenger on sliders, and maybe fix the driver's to get the height.

Mr Tidy said:

That's the best looking Mini Clubman I've ever seen!

I'd keep those wheels and the stickers too.

Thanks..

The stickers aren't that bad really, but.. I just feel I prefer the clean lines.