I really fancy this ...
Discussion
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/43946.htm
Seriously thinking about getting rid of my 306 and buying a mini. I think my two little lads would love it. Never owned one or known anyone with one before.
Does anyone have any stories of the joy of mini ownership that they could share with me. Are they as much fun as they look ?? :D
Seriously thinking about getting rid of my 306 and buying a mini. I think my two little lads would love it. Never owned one or known anyone with one before.
Does anyone have any stories of the joy of mini ownership that they could share with me. Are they as much fun as they look ?? :D
wedge girl said:
My first car was a mini Stuck to the road like glue, park it in spaces too small for other cars. Cheap to run, 1000s of parts available, buy yourself a manual and you should be able to keep it fettled yourself.
Yes, that's what we're hoping we could do - keep the husband busy tinkering ! Are they relatively kiddy-safe ?!
You know you want to.Totally different experience to everything else in your profile but it will make you chuckle for other reasons (spares prices and servicing costs to name but a couple).
Kids love em cos they can see out of the windows, no big blind spots and can put their feet on the floor. I wouldn't exactly vall em kiddie friendly from a safety point of view but I know plenty of parents who are more than happy to transport their little uns in hteir Minis - the Spi will have seat belts in the back by the way.
Kids love em cos they can see out of the windows, no big blind spots and can put their feet on the floor. I wouldn't exactly vall em kiddie friendly from a safety point of view but I know plenty of parents who are more than happy to transport their little uns in hteir Minis - the Spi will have seat belts in the back by the way.
I learnt to drive in one and I have owned one ever since (the last 13 years). They are an icon. Real hoot to drive, as people have said, excellent handling. Parts are cheap (although they have got a bit more expensive in last 5 years). Lots of Mini specialists about. Mini owners are a very friendly bunch, so waving at fellow owners is obligatory.
Bad points? They rust. Everywhere. If you are uncertain what to look for, take someone with you who knows Minis. You have to remember you are buying a car with 1950s technology, hence things like the heater is crap. They aren't economical by modern standards. Expect 35 mpg from a 1275cc that hasn't been tweaked.
If you want a car to use a lot, then one like the ad in the link would be good. One of the mid-nineties 1275cc cars is best. Preferably a Cooper. They have 63 bhp compared to the 50 bhp found in the Sprites/various limited editions. Good news is of course they are very tuneable. For well under a grand you can put a decent cylinder head on with the associated manifolds/breathing and achieve a useful 80 bhp, but still keeping the bottom end standard, and keeping the car efficient and driveable.
I could prattle on about handling tweaks and all sorts, but buy a copy of MiniWord or Mini Magazine.
Go for it!
Bad points? They rust. Everywhere. If you are uncertain what to look for, take someone with you who knows Minis. You have to remember you are buying a car with 1950s technology, hence things like the heater is crap. They aren't economical by modern standards. Expect 35 mpg from a 1275cc that hasn't been tweaked.
If you want a car to use a lot, then one like the ad in the link would be good. One of the mid-nineties 1275cc cars is best. Preferably a Cooper. They have 63 bhp compared to the 50 bhp found in the Sprites/various limited editions. Good news is of course they are very tuneable. For well under a grand you can put a decent cylinder head on with the associated manifolds/breathing and achieve a useful 80 bhp, but still keeping the bottom end standard, and keeping the car efficient and driveable.
I could prattle on about handling tweaks and all sorts, but buy a copy of MiniWord or Mini Magazine.
Go for it!
it does seem that you TVR people all have had a mini at one point or still have a mini, i wonder why that is?
anyway i love my mini good to work on hasn't let me down yet (touch wood) is great fun to drive it ticks all the boxes including raspy fruity exhaust note
my mini has done only 45,000 miles since it was built in 83 but last year it did LeMans, my daily commute of bristol to swindon. the trip to silverstone LMES race etc etc it just kept going
anyway i love my mini good to work on hasn't let me down yet (touch wood) is great fun to drive it ticks all the boxes including raspy fruity exhaust note
my mini has done only 45,000 miles since it was built in 83 but last year it did LeMans, my daily commute of bristol to swindon. the trip to silverstone LMES race etc etc it just kept going
ive not driven a mini on the roads but i have driven my mums racing mini on a couple of track days. seriously fun! i know its not the same cos it is fully kitted out for racing, but you can have similar handling fun in a standard mini.
i very nearly had one as my first car but my parents decided that it would be easier for me to have a new car with warranty etc. which it has been, but a little bit of me still wishes i had a mini. so iconic and anyone can drive them.
chris
i very nearly had one as my first car but my parents decided that it would be easier for me to have a new car with warranty etc. which it has been, but a little bit of me still wishes i had a mini. so iconic and anyone can drive them.
chris
pdV6 said:Yep.
Are they as much fun as they look ??
More.
I replaced my Caterham with an Esprit, My Esprit with a Griffith and my Griffith with a Mini.
No prizes for guessing which is most fun.
If you do much motorway work, or need to carry loads, then a Mini is worse than useless, but otherwise they are iconic, classless and fantastic to drive.
I have owned seven Minis over the last eighteen years.
I was out today in my 1275GT and gangs of young lads stop and stare just as much as they did when I had the TVR.
The reaction of motorists, pedestrians and other Mini owners is invariably positive.
On the camera bedecked roads of today, Minis make more sense than ever. All the fun is to be had at 70mph or less.
I am sure that before long I will buy another semi exotic car, but I am not sure that I will ever be without a Mini.
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