Running an old classic mini as a DD?

[Blades]

Hi all, first time post here.
I'm considering a classic mini as a first-ish car
(Previously bought a car to rive around private property/learn in, this would be my first registered on the road)
I'm not afraid of general maintenance, but I've never driven anything with a carb, so just wondering how it affects cold weather starting, also does an older A-series run happily enough on unleaded petrol without modification/additives?

[pherlopolus]

I did 18k miles a year in a 1990 cooper (this was 1994/5), the cooper was the RSP Carb version.

It was fine, if a little cold on the motorway at 3am when it was -12c

I would feel very vulnerable doing that now, it depends on what mileage you will be doing and where...

[smn159]

Lots of people ran these as daily drivers back in the day, I suspect that you'll be fine!

[Blades]

pherlopolus said:

I would feel very vulnerable doing that now, it depends on what mileage you will be doing and where...

In what way? Physical size/crash protection?
I do no motorway driving, whatsoever- I don't even think there's a stretch of motorway in the county.
At a guess I'd imagine I'll be 10-15k, mostly town/rural driving, with no real reduction in car use between summer and winter

[Cooperman]

Yes, it is quite possible to use a Mini for, say, 15k miles per annum. However, it must be realised that the Mini is a true Classic Car and it will be necessary to put up with using a 55 year old design on a daily basis and accepting all the limitations of that. Typically these include lower reliability levels than modern cars, less crash protection, a far less comfortable ride, very frequent servicing, harsh engine & drive line, low cruising speed and the need for lots of replacement parts.
But if you can put up with all this it can be a lot of fun. Just make sure you have a well-equipped workshop and all the necessary tools.

[pherlopolus]

Mainly crash protection...

It was in for a service every 4 months

I found reliability was fine, ride comfort was OK, snow was great fun.

New tyres every 8000 miles was a drag,usually wheel alignment issues.

I swapped it after hiring a 1.3 bubble micra over Xmas as a treat, and realised how much better it could be. Ended up with a pinto diesel next which felt like a limo!

[Wigeon Incognito]

One thing to consider nowadays is that the quality of parts available for Minis seems to have deteriorated now that new old stock parts have mostly dried up.

Aftermarket/pattern parts are built to a price which unfortunately means many wear quicker than they should if factory specification.

[Cooperman]

My Grandson did a very full restoration on a 1997 MPI as his first car. However, after about 6 months he got fed up with the constant 're-fettling' needed to keep it going well. Some of the new parts wore very quickly, the new swivel hub ball joints lasting about 5000 miles for example. One of the seats collapsed, tyre wear was high, and so on. So he has SORNed it for now and has bought, for £1000, a 2000 Fiesta 1.25 which is simply fantastic. No real rust, reliable, comfortable with power steering, air-con, proper heater, excellent suspension and no real faults. Oil change every 10,000 miles instead of every 2000 to 3000 miles. It does over 40 mpg and is just so comfortable.
A 55 year-old design is classic and fun - on a nice sunny Summer day.

[Skyedriver]

20 years ago a good friend of mine ran a garage specialising in minis.
People used to come asking about a cheap mini for their 17 year old son/daughter.
He usually told them to go out & buy a Nova!

[prg123]

I now drive a 98 mpi mini and its fine on cold wet mornings..... Loads more fun to drive than a modern car, but they are quite noisy & bouncy ( all part of the fun ) no problems starting ( injection mini ) go for it you won't regret it

Every time I drive it, makes me smile

- Pete

[mini1380cc]

I done it for a few years but it became tiresome. If the suspension was softer and the engine was standard it might have been better.

Reliability was no more of an issue than any other car I've had. A couple of exhaust manifolds when encountering new speed bump areas.

[pherlopolus]

one of the first things I fitted to mine was a Sump Gaurd (then LCB manifold etc etc etc)

[sprocketman01]

If you accept it will be a battle between man and machine,then go for it! If you want reliability then buy a K11 Micra
I've owned dozens of Mini's and used to do 20,000+ miles a year in mine when I were a lad,as a mechanic every lunch time was spent tweaking,fettling,improving or adjusting.
Totally character building! I loved every scuffed knuckle,and had more fun than any of my friends in Nova's,Escort's,Fiesta's etc.
Waxoyl,AF spanners and a grease gun are going to be required,and read Keith Calver's "How To" guides it will save you time and money.
For reliability,and cheaper running avoid injection go for Carbs!!

[molineux1980]

I ran a 1275 Mayfair as my daily for 10 years, and probably ended up spending around 4k on running repairs during that period including subframes and an entire front end due to rust. They do not like salty roads.

I do miss it, but when your not in the mood they can be a pain.

[amsuther]

Good question - but you'll be OK with the carb (fit an inline fuel filter, some of the ones I've had didnt have them, meaning crap gets into the float chamber and you'll wonder why its impossible to drive). Most of the earlier A series will either need modding or you should add a lead additive to avoid the valve recession problems I understamd. Certainly I have a bottle of additive in the boot. Be ready to fiddle - get a revcounter from ebay as that will help you tune the carb. Its easy, fun and might even be cool retro :-)