Talk to me about Minis.

[Gentleman Geoff]

It could be time to change the Defender for something rather different. I am thinking about another iconic British vehicle...

Unfortunately, I don't really know much about Minis. I quick search suggests that the main problem would be rust, and that this is often worse on the more recent examples? Are there many rust-free (i.e. restored) examples around? Any other issues to be wary of? If someone could point me in the direction of where to get more info, that would be ideal.

What are they like to drive? I am guessing heaps of fun, if not particularly quick. How about comfort on longer journeys? t looks like they could be quite 'cosy' inside. The other obvious thing to say is that I am 6'2" tall (but quite skinny) - is that going to be an issue for me?

Cheers!

[Cooper1999]

Geoff, there's plenty around, though not as cheap as they used to be, but you should find what you're after!

6'2" should fit okay - I'm 6'. Yes - cosy inside!

I have an MPi with long gearing, so it's quite acceptable on longer journeys. 70mph is easy (3300rpm). 90mph (4000ish) acceptable, just don't expect that on hills. If accelerations your bag - ask cooperman what gearing he's got (and buy ear plugs).

Not particularly fast - try turbominis.com

More info - try miniforum.com or minicooper.org or just google mini forums!
Have fun!
Graham

[Fatboy]

They're no S-Class in ride, but comfy enough - get some RS Turbo Recaros and they're great.

I'm 6'4" and 19 stone, and fit fine. Not much space behind me though

[Cooperman]

No problem for a 6ft 4in person like my son, who had a Mk 1 Cooper 'S' with Cobra seats.
As said above, the gearing on the later MPI is a bit high for good acceleration, but it's easy to change the diff ratio - once the engine & box are on the bench. For optimum performance my personal favorite diff ratio on a road car is either 3.:1 or 3.2:1.
Yes, rust is the enemy. If you can do the bodywork yourself it's not really a major issue, but if you would have to pay someone to do it, then it can be expensive. I was looking at a 1998 MPI yesterday and it is having £2000 worth of body work done. The guy who owns it brought it to me for advice on suspension thinking it had some minor rust marks. I sent him to my friend who specialises in bodywork and who only charges £30 an hour and the bill will be just over £2k.
My Grandson bought a 1997 MPI on Thursday for £1700. It has done 80k miles, but needs a front panel, 2 front wings, a screen scuttle panel, one new door skin and new apex panels both sides. However, we'll do it ourselves so it's about ££350 for good replacement panels, plus about £200 for paint and materials.
We will also completely re-build the engine and box, suspension and brakes. I reckon it'll cost us around £1500 with our labour free. However, for an outlay of c.£3200 he'll have a virtually 'new' Mini 1293 cc MPI.
I hope that helps you to decide on whether to get one or not.

[Gentleman Geoff]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys.

I'm interested but I probably need to choose quite carefully. I would definitely need someone else to carry out any welding jobs! I'll do some more research and post back here when I'm a bit further on with the idea.

[tinks v8S]

you would be welcome geoff what do you think of mine
its on s forum under tinks body put on by chris barks

you would love a mini as much fun as your s but a bit slower

[Gentleman Geoff]

tinks v8S said:

what do you think of mine

You mean this...





Mate, that is bloody gorgeous!! Is it for sale?

Your V8S is looking pretty amazing too - I don't spend much time on the S forum these days but I heard you had trouble with the outriggers. Looks like you've done a fantastic job getting them repaired and the rest of the car looks mint.

Hope you're keeping well?

[ginettajoe]

Gentleman Geoff said:

It could be time to change the Defender for something rather different. I am thinking about another iconic British vehicle...

Unfortunately, I don't really know much about Minis. I quick search suggests that the main problem would be rust, and that this is often worse on the more recent examples? Are there many rust-free (i.e. restored) examples around? Any other issues to be wary of? If someone could point me in the direction of where to get more info, that would be ideal.

What are they like to drive? I am guessing heaps of fun, if not particularly quick. How about comfort on longer journeys? t looks like they could be quite 'cosy' inside. The other obvious thing to say is that I am 6'2" tall (but quite skinny) - is that going to be an issue for me?

Cheers!

The main thing to be wary about is the structural part of the body work, and any "restoration" work that has been carried out. So many cars that can look good are really close to being scrap, .... sills, inner sills, door steps, hinge panels, 'A' panels, scuttle, rear wheel arches, boot floor, floor pans and the list goes on!! It is relatively simple to make a Mini look "cosmetically" good, but very, very expensive to repair properley. Make sure you have someone who really understands the structural side of a Mini to look at it before you buy! It could be a very expensive move otherwise! HTH

[pistonring]

I am 6ft 2" and I have to put my seat forward to drive the car! However the seats are not standard mini ones but with a few simple mods you can get ample leg room. As for long distance comfort it all comes down to what seats, suspension, engine and gearbox you are running. Again my mini is very comfortable on a long trip but it's not a standard car. As stated the later Mpi's have a long final drive ratio which makes them far more civilised on longer trips. As for rust even the newest classic minis are now 10 years old so you have to be very careful. There are however quite a few people importing Japanese mini's now that are mostly rust free. My car came from Japan and is 20 years old and never been welded and has almost no rust at all.


Some very nice rust free Jap mini's here http://www.newacrecars.com/


Oh and as far as fun goes it's only limited by your imagination, how much fun do you want to have?

[Gentleman Geoff]

pistonring said:

There are however quite a few people importing Japanese mini's now that are mostly rust free.

Interesting! This sounds like a reasonable route to go down, for someone that doesn't want to spend lots of money in repair bills. Are there any downsides to buying an import?

It looks like there are also a few companies that specialise in building a mini 'to order' using new parts where necessary. Does anyone have any experience of these? I guess the main drawback would be the likely cost compared to buying an already 'sorted' car...

[Tangent Police]

I bought a 66 cooper which was very original and had new sills for £1.5k

Bargains are there, if you are the first one there with your money.

Sadly, it has a 1430 now.

I'm 6'4 and the mini is no problem. Ask yourself, whilst it looks cool and you can out corner people, do you like a windscreen that steams up?

[Cooperman]

Screen doesn't steam up if you fir a Triplex gold-filament heated screen. About £200 inc fitting.

[pistonring]

I've not really found any pitfalls with buying a car from Japan other than all the bushes have needed replacing due to them being rock hard which I assume is down to the heat. As far as rust goes it's amazing, still looks like new underneath even though it's 20 years old. I didn't have any problem insuring my car either as it is a UK spec car.

[Gentleman Geoff]

Tangent Police said:

do you like a windscreen that steams up?

How bad can it be?? I used to drive a TVR.

[Tangent Police]

Gentleman Geoff said:

Tangent Police said:

do you like a windscreen that steams up?

How bad can it be?? I used to drive a TVR.

I had a mate with a Vixen which was amusing. Pools of water on the floor if you left it in the rain, back window would pop out if you slammed the door. Dodgy electrics, stink of oil from the heavy breathing engine....horrible valvoline squirrel piss. Was hell of a fast and scary though.

It was like being sat in a flimsy plastic bubble with the sound of engine played through headphones far too loud. Rear mirror vibrating, smell and noice building to a crescendo, overtaking 6 cars at a time..... awesome

[Red Riley]

There are also other options in the Mini variants, such as the Estates, Vans, Clubman, MOKE, and so forth. Here's the variant I have, the Riley Elf.

Edited by Red Riley on Wednesday 2nd December 04:58

[Mini1275]

Tip: If you want good handling don't put 7x13 wheels on like mine:


Also put some nice seats in and those Jap imports look like a good idea.

Edited by Mini1275 on Wednesday 2nd December 09:41

[Gentleman Geoff]

Tangent Police said:

Gentleman Geoff said:

Tangent Police said:

do you like a windscreen that steams up?

How bad can it be?? I used to drive a TVR.

I had a mate with a Vixen which was amusing. Pools of water on the floor if you left it in the rain, back window would pop out if you slammed the door. Dodgy electrics, stink of oil from the heavy breathing engine....horrible valvoline squirrel piss. Was hell of a fast and scary though.

It was like being sat in a flimsy plastic bubble with the sound of engine played through headphones far too loud. Rear mirror vibrating, smell and noice building to a crescendo, overtaking 6 cars at a time..... awesome

You've described TVR ownership perfectly there!

Thanks again for all the comments and photos on this thread, guys. The next step is to sell the Land Rover...

[Scrooloose]

Gentleman Geoff said:

You've described TVR ownership perfectly there!

Not strictly true ;-) My Cerb occasionally leaked, but goes like sh!t off a shovel!

[Gentleman Geoff]

Scrooloose said:

Gentleman Geoff said:

You've described TVR ownership perfectly there!

Not strictly true

I was referring mainly to his last paragraph. The last sentence of the last paragraph. The last word of the last sentence of the last paragraph!