Mini's

[typer0612]

Brother is going to potentially buy one tonight as his first car! it's a rover 1.3 classic shaped mini cooper with 44k miles on the clock.

Good condition to be honest from what he has told me, serviced and what not HOWEVER the price for this mini is £3500...

Bit much or? It's a N reg (He wants to go and get it now but i said i'd post this thread first and see what PHeaders think?

[U T]

typer0612 said:

Brother is going to potentially buy one tonight as his first car! it's a rover 1.3 classic shaped mini cooper with 44k miles on the clock.

Good condition to be honest from what he has told me, serviced and what not HOWEVER the price for this mini is £3500...

Bit much or? It's a N reg (He wants to go and get it now but i said i'd post this thread first and see what PHeaders think?

I think, compared to modern cars, they are a deathtrap. I wouldn't want a newly qualified son or daughter of mine in one. Wouldn't score half a star in a modern crash test.

For that kind of money you can buy something much newer where he might actually survive a crash above 20mph.

[typer0612]

U T said:

I think, compared to modern cars, they are a deathtrap. I wouldn't want a newly qualified son or daughter of mine in one. Wouldn't score half a star in a modern crash test.

For that kind of money you can buy something much newer where he might actually survive a crash above 20mph.

I did suggest my spare saxo VTS would be safer lol...

[Steffan]

Own four classic Minis always had at least one Mini throughout my motoring life of over 50 years.

Condition is everything with Mini's.

Every Mini Rots. That is the Achilles heel of the Mini.

Floors subframes sills boot doors A frames scuttle you name it it rots on a Mini.

Mechanically they are a big Meccano set.

Generally unburstable engine pretty good suspension and general mechanics.

If it is rot free buy it.

I doubt it will be but adjust the price according to the rot present.

If its a rot box look elsewhere.

[typer0612]

Steffan said:

Own four classic Minis always had at least one Mini throughout my motoring life of over 50 years.

Condition is everything with Mini's.

Every Mini Rots. That is the Achilles heel of the Mini.

Floors subframes sills boot doors A frames scuttle you name it it rots on a Mini.

Mechanically they are a big Meccano set.

Generally unburstable engine pretty good suspension and general mechanics.

If it is rot free buy it.

I doubt it will be but adjust the price according to the rot present.

If its a rot box look elsewhere.

So basically just rot to check? Should i ring the AA (i am a member and they can also check the car, along with HPI-ing it obviously)

[Steffan]

Any inspection you can make will pay dividends. The AA will certainly help.

Spend time looking over the car. Check the floor the sills etc etc.

If it has been bodged walk away.

If it is solid then its worth looking at,

On the safety point no Mini can compete with modern cars with airbags etc in safety terms.

However the Mini is an exceptionally strong robust small car.

I have rolled Minis in racing on a number of occasions. Walked away from every crash. The Mini rarely flattens its roof.

No small car can withstand heavy frontal impact as well as a larger car with more crumple zones. But the Mini with the mass of the engine in front of the driver withstands frontal impact as well as most small cars.

As you can tell, I like Minis. Best fun cars I have ever owned. Bar none.

[interloper]

Ignore the doom mongers, a mini is still safer than cycling or riding a motorbike and French stuff like the 106, Saxo hardly fair any better in accidents.

Check the thing for rust and get it HPI'ed, AAed etc, great cars, a proper intro into proper driving in my humble opinion.

[camelotr]

Put in a full roll cage and a good seat with 3+ point harness.

I would say it would be safe enough.

[U T]

interloper said:

Ignore the doom mongers, a mini is still safer than cycling or riding a motorbike and French stuff like the 106, Saxo hardly fair any better in accidents.

I doubt it's safer than cycling. Cycling tends to be a low speed activity, although it comes with dangers, especially on busy roads. But I'm sure driving a old style Mini is safer than motorcycling. Injecting heroin is safer than Russian Roulette but I wouldn't do it.

[Cooperman]

camelotr said:

Put in a full roll cage and a good seat with 3+ point harness.

I would say it would be safe enough.

Probably wouldn't be able to insure it with a full cage.

[DanGT]

It is correct about them in a crash. But look at what the insurance costs. They are a low cost, that means not a lot of them have crashes and as prople are more expensive than cars in the way of payouts it wouild also suggest that not a lot of people get hurt?

[annodomini2]

typer0612 said:

Brother is going to potentially buy one tonight as his first car! it's a rover 1.3 classic shaped mini cooper with 44k miles on the clock.

Good condition to be honest from what he has told me, serviced and what not HOWEVER the price for this mini is £3500...

Bit much or? It's a N reg (He wants to go and get it now but i said i'd post this thread first and see what PHeaders think?

Only suggestion I'd make if he's in the 17-19 bracket is aim for a 998 with no modifications, the insurance is a LOT cheaper!

As others have said, age, mileage etc are all a bit irrelevant on a mini (unless you're after a specific classic ) as the mechanicals are pretty simple, it's the condition of the body that counts.

[AlleyCat]

U T said:

I doubt it's safer than cycling. Cycling tends to be a low speed activity, although it comes with dangers, especially on busy roads. But I'm sure driving a old style Mini is safer than motorcycling. Injecting heroin is safer than Russian Roulette but I wouldn't do it.

i have had my Mini and driven it daily for the last 7 years, i have never (touch wood) had an accident were i have been hurt as a result of driving one (and ive been hit by a big LDV van in the past). in this period 3 of my close friends who are all experienced cyclists have all ended up in hospital as a result of being on their bicycles.

i think comparing driving an old Mini to injecting heroin is a tad unfair.

Edited by AlleyCat on Wednesday 23 November 16:31

[typer0612]

AlleyCat said:

i have had my Mini and driven it daily for the last 7 years, i have never (touch wood) had an accident were i have been hurt as a result of driving one (and ive been hit by a big LDV van in the past). in this period 3 of my close friends who are all experienced cyclists have all ended up in hospital as a result of being on their bicycles.

i think comparing driving an old Mini to injecting heroin is a tad unfair.

Edited by AlleyCat on Wednesday 23 November 16:31

Haha... comparing these two is a bit extreme i concur...

I have delayed the viewing to tonight, it is kept in a garage (good sign) and the owner's wife is a policewoman (another good sign) however considering it is the 1.3 classic rover mini with the england roof and is in the colour red being N reg, going for £3500 i am not sure spending that money on a mini is worth it? Do they really go for that much considering their age? It has had a new shell on the bottom regarding rust according to the owner, has 44,000 miles on the clock (i of course will check this online against the MOT database).

Roll cage is a no for my brother i suspect our dad wouldn't be impressed. However i told him to put a VTEC engine in it when he is older.

From what i have gathered, it seems like a perfect 1st car for him (insurance is £1600 though at 17 years old, only downside but he is prepared for this - been saving up ages for one of them apparently!)

[typer0612]

UPDATE - viewed the car, it has been previously restored (engine out and the full works).

questions posed now; is it value for money? £3.5k

Red rover classic mini 1.3i, 44k on the clock, no rust (the most i found was at the front of the engine bay a patch the size of a thumb print)

secondly; is it likely to lose money over time?

[Cooperman]

If properly restored it's well worth that price. Just check it very thoroughly for rust.
My grandson is 17 next Tuesday and we will go out in his newly restored 1997 1.3 MPI Cooper. That would be worth about £5500 at current prices for cars with absolutely no rust whatsoever and a fully re-built engine and gearbox, all new suspension bushes and dampers, new tyres, everything checked, serviced and/or replaced.

[Skyedriver]

Guru1071 might want to make a comparison between the Mini & the Saxo.
How are things Richy, while since we communicated?

[typer0612]

Engine has not been touched i suspect, 44k on oringal engine.

restored though, i can see some bits of rust but not many pieces... I'm not sure condition wise it is good and i am sure now its worth 3.5k but for 3.5k as a first car... half of me says no and give the VTS to him and let him insure that to drive in (granted a VTS is a bit much for a seventeen year old, but at least he would not be buying it)

I have my own everyday car so the VTS is just sitting there not being used.

Bit of a gamble i think it would be on that mini however the owner (ontop of what i have already mentioned) claims it is just serviced, MOT recent also.

[typer0612]

Cooperman said:

If properly restored it's well worth that price. Just check it very thoroughly for rust.
My grandson is 17 next Tuesday and we will go out in his newly restored 1997 1.3 MPI Cooper. That would be worth about £5500 at current prices for cars with absolutely no rust whatsoever and a fully re-built engine and gearbox, all new suspension bushes and dampers, new tyres, everything checked, serviced and/or replaced.

They really can be worth that much?! even if one had all that done i wouldn't pay as it would rust again quickly in a sense?

[guru_1071]

Skyedriver said:

Guru1071 might want to make a comparison between the Mini & the Saxo.

to be fair, i wouldnt really want to replicate the crash i had in my vts with a mini, but even after that im still happy to drive minis on the road with no worries of 'what if'

i must admit though, my everyday car is now a nice safe volvo estate....