Considering getting a Classic Mini for only car.
Discussion
Hi Guys, I've recently moved to London and my insurance has trippled. I was considering trading in my Car for something cheaper as a result but the only thing that I've found that I would want is a Classic mini.
I was looking at a 1.3 SPI 1996 Mini Cooper.
Is it mad to have a classic mini as your only car? I would need something fairly reliable as I sometimes require my car for work, but I only do about 7,000 miles a year.
If its not mad are there any models, years I should avoid? Are there any potential problems I should look out for?
I was looking at a 1.3 SPI 1996 Mini Cooper.
Is it mad to have a classic mini as your only car? I would need something fairly reliable as I sometimes require my car for work, but I only do about 7,000 miles a year.
If its not mad are there any models, years I should avoid? Are there any potential problems I should look out for?
Back in their day they were used every day, as was every classic car.
They need more maintenance and love than say your current Fiat,, won't be as comfy, won't be any more economical I suspect, but they will get loads of interest, and if kept on top of, shouldn't lose to much value. But they do rust faster than modern stuff so will also need regular rustproofing etc
Try one on a test drive and see if you can put up with the driving position etc.
ps where in Scotland you from?
They need more maintenance and love than say your current Fiat,, won't be as comfy, won't be any more economical I suspect, but they will get loads of interest, and if kept on top of, shouldn't lose to much value. But they do rust faster than modern stuff so will also need regular rustproofing etc
Try one on a test drive and see if you can put up with the driving position etc.
ps where in Scotland you from?
i love my minis and currently us a 1973 850cc automatic as my dailey. i travel from swansea upto yorkshire or down to shouthampton and bristol/somerset area throughout the week. never let me down! but they do require more maintenance than your mordern cars. but theres nothing to a mini so servicing can be done yourself.
cheap to insure and run/repair. comfort can be an issue for some but theres lots of ride and seat options to hep sort that. mines totally standard and original and i cover uto 450 miles some days and i dont find it an issue.
cheap to insure and run/repair. comfort can be an issue for some but theres lots of ride and seat options to hep sort that. mines totally standard and original and i cover uto 450 miles some days and i dont find it an issue.
OK, I'm going to go and have a look at a Mini Cooper 96 SPI tomorrow and give it a drive to see how I feel.
I used to live near Arbroath and my mum still does so to go home I'll have to be sure I'll be comfortable driving 500 miles in one.
If I were to get a Mini I'm not that great with mechanics, does anyone know how much it would cost on average to get a mini serviced? And does anyone know of any reputable garages near London where I could get it done?
Although if they are that simple to maintain I suppose it would be fun doing the basics and learning a bit more.
I used to live near Arbroath and my mum still does so to go home I'll have to be sure I'll be comfortable driving 500 miles in one.
If I were to get a Mini I'm not that great with mechanics, does anyone know how much it would cost on average to get a mini serviced? And does anyone know of any reputable garages near London where I could get it done?
Although if they are that simple to maintain I suppose it would be fun doing the basics and learning a bit more.
OK, so I decided to go for it and will shortly be the proud owner of a Red mini cooper 1.3SPI.
It looks fantastic, and has a few bits of pieces that the garage is going to do to make it look absolutely mint. It only has 33,000 miles on the clock as well. The only thing that I'm not hugely keen on is the radio is a non standard CD player but I may look into replacing that onto an original tape/radio if I can get my hands on one.
The garage has also said they would waxoyl the car as well at no extra charge.
After driving it I realised that the comfort level, although not great, still wasn't a million miles from what I drive at the moment. I also test drove it with four people in it (I dragged my mate and girlfriend along just to make sure I was making the right decision,) and, whilst its not half as fast as I'm used too, it wasn't the slug that I was expecting. The only thing that I wasn't 100% sure about was the steering. I've only driven a car without power steering a handful of times (my mum used to let me drive her soft top Golf GTI from time to time,) so its just something I'm going to have to get used to.
The only sad part of this story is that I'm trading in my Abarth and I will be so sad to see it go, as no hot hatchback out there comes close to the theatrical sportiness that they provide and I will miss it immensely.
It looks fantastic, and has a few bits of pieces that the garage is going to do to make it look absolutely mint. It only has 33,000 miles on the clock as well. The only thing that I'm not hugely keen on is the radio is a non standard CD player but I may look into replacing that onto an original tape/radio if I can get my hands on one.
The garage has also said they would waxoyl the car as well at no extra charge.
After driving it I realised that the comfort level, although not great, still wasn't a million miles from what I drive at the moment. I also test drove it with four people in it (I dragged my mate and girlfriend along just to make sure I was making the right decision,) and, whilst its not half as fast as I'm used too, it wasn't the slug that I was expecting. The only thing that I wasn't 100% sure about was the steering. I've only driven a car without power steering a handful of times (my mum used to let me drive her soft top Golf GTI from time to time,) so its just something I'm going to have to get used to.
The only sad part of this story is that I'm trading in my Abarth and I will be so sad to see it go, as no hot hatchback out there comes close to the theatrical sportiness that they provide and I will miss it immensely.
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