The Bomby Knocker Kid

Hello Guys!

I'm interested in buying a Rover Mini as my first car....my budget is £1500 - £2000 or there abouts. I've heard that they can have many problems and need to know what to look fo when buying one. First thing i have been told to look for is rusty rear subframe but thats all i know and i dont know much about that. Can anyone help before i have to listen to everyone else and buy a VW Polo which i dont want

I look forward to a response.

Thanks Guys!

oO*Jen*Oo

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

If you want a Rover Mini then you'd best prepare to become an extremely competent mechanic in a very short space of time as sooooo much goes wrong with them. I knew nothing about cars when I first got mine and by the time I sold it I'd learnt to fit a new head gasket, do a full service, change the alternator, distributor, all electrics, remove and clean the carb, upgrade the headlights, add additional driving lights, fit full ICE inc two amps etc, rewire all the lights, upgrade the battery and alternator remove and refit radiator, fan, water pump, brake pads, earth strap, engine mounts, bushes, thermostats and finally to fit new engine Actually there's about a million other things I had to do to it over time as well but they're just the things that came to mind quickly

The first job I ever tackled was the head gasket which I'm pleased to say was a complete success. I used a Haynes Manual and read it cover to cover first

I also had to have the gearbox replaced which I didn't do myself and had done under warranty. The car was 4 years old and had 62000 miles on the clock when I got it and about 5 years later needed the sills replaced and some welding underneath. By the time I sold it it was 10 years old and needed reshelling

If you love cars and have a comprehensive toolkit which you are prepared to carry around with you at all times (I even carted a trolley jack around in the boot) and want to become a mechanic then the Mini is the car for you

I absolutely loved my Mini to bits and really, really enjoyed learning about it and got an enormous sense of satisfaction from doing everything on it myself. I've since gone on to work on Discovery engines and even Impreza engines Now I get a man in as it spoils my nails...

Oh and I also managed a car parts shop at the time so parts were *cough* cheap

Sal

WRX_Rich

iTrader: (5)

see I keep telling her to buy a polo

jonny gav

iTrader: (1)

you will have to spend a lot of time down the gym before you will be able to do that

i'll get one end you get the other

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

get a polo

no seriously, get a polo

JoeyDeacon

Totally agree....

My brother has spent the last 10 years racing mini's so I have stripped a few down in my time.

First thing to look out for would be Rust. We have bought cars that looked fairly solid only to find they are complete rust buckets as soon as we have started stripping them down. Look for rust everywhere, but the usual problems are the A pillars, Floor, Sills, Boot floor etc. As has been previously mentioned it is not unusual for a mini to need new sills after 4 years which is unheard of in a modern car.

The Gearbox and Engine share the same oil so oil changes need to be pretty regular. The engines are actually pretty reliable but a common problem is the car cutting out after driving through a puddle due to water getting into the distributor.

Also don't forget the Mini was designed in the 50's so crash protection is pretty much non existant. Put it this way, without a full rollcage being fitted there is no way I would ever drive a road mini.

Dracoro

However, the mini will be far more fun than 95% of cars on the road, if that's what you're after.

XT

get a mini and don't worry about it, what's the point in having a hassle-free car?!?!?!

Mini, the only car to give you at LEAST one new sound every day


BTW, I have a 1973 Mini 1275

I'll post pics in the evening

Pastor

Unfortunately your budget puts you slap bang in the middle of problem territory. Even a good 'un is going to need some TLC.

Mini's are Trouble with a capital 'T' and Fun with a capital 'F'. I've had a few and all needed major work over time, problem is unless you can do it yourself then you'll get shafted with labour charges which are pretty extortionate these days.

Not a practical choice but a stylish one. Go for it but keep your eyes wide open and be aware it WILL require work on a fairly regular basis.

Alternately buy a Polo/Ibiza and have less problems but be bored stupid.

WRX_Rich

iTrader: (5)

polo polo polo

SupaMiniCupa

Totally agree! I was lucky enough to run a brand new-ish 96 Mini from the ages of 18-24, through school, uni and a job. Its been garaged and cherished, but has still needed recent rust repairs and a gearbox rebuild (currently 30k miles).

My experience of a Mini of a daily driver is a good one - but would I like to rely on a £2k mini as everyday transport? No - There are some unreliable examples out there compared to mine.. Give me my boring Honda Civic anyday...

RobinSherwood

Mini's you either love 'em or hate 'em!

Everyone's right you should be vary wary and have any Mini comprehensively checked by someone who really knows what they are doing. Look through the Mini Magazine and Mini World to see the variety of cars available for your budget.

Have you driven a Mini yet? If not if you know anyone with one get them to let you try it on an extended drive - then you will have a better idea if you can live with one.

Personally I love them, learnt to drive in a 'real' Cooper S and had a 91 Rover Cooper from '96 until about a year or so ago. Started as standard ended up as a 125hp monster . Mini's can be addictive, my old car is now owned by the builder of the 'Super Mini' Keith Dunstan and is one of 9 he owns at the moment - oh and I wanted to sell it so much part of the deal was I have first refusal to buy it back if Keith ever decides to sell it.

So I would say if you REALLY want one buy one, but take note of everyones warnings and take great care in doing so.

Some other friends of mine had a Mini which his wife loved, when it failed the MOT (in a big way) they went out to buy another one to replace it, they looked at a car on a gloomy wet evening (yes I have told them they are muppets), bought it and when they got it home and had it checked over discovered that underneath the shiny exterior it was even worse that the one they had just scrapped - so there is a cautionary tale for you. (PS They now have a Polo which his wife hates )

Kind regards,

Robin

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I nearly bought Robin's Mini off of him, after a good few years of non-Mini ownership I still hadn't shaken off the bug and Robin's was for sale at the right price and I needed a new car...

I went to look at it and was sooooooo tempted, it was very, very nice Eventually sense (and the memories of all the things that went wrong with my previous Mini) prevailed and I bought an MX-5 which I've never felt as passionate about as my Mini.

In fact I still haven't shaken off the Mini bug, I'd love one of the late classic shaped Coopers but only as a fun, second car...

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

106 rallye

XT

My Mini.... From This...









to this








6 months in the making, well worth the wait imho

JoeyDeacon

The 3rd picture down brings back lots of horrible mini related memories and highlights the main reason why you shouldn't get one!

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

P ants
O ff
L egs
O pen

IanWatson

Maybe you should considera Pug 205 Gti instead - for that money you'll get a tidy one...
Fully galvanised so rust shouldn't be an issue.

If insurance is a problem, get an XS instead - which is probably still quicker than a standard Cooper S

DazW

iTrader: (1)

Learnt to drive in a City E ...& then got a Cooper! ...also bought another City for the Ex missus to learn in.

Cracking little cars

Only things that went wrong:

Rust! Subframes, A panels & Sills ...& a split radiator hose!

Still miss my cooper now for feel & involvement!

RobinSherwood

Thanks for that Sal

At least it found a good home in the end and as I said I have the option to buy it back in the future. Having met you and seen your enthusiasm I am sure you will give in at some point! I know I will have another Mini (or the red one back) just a question of when (and having the funds and space of course!).

Oh yes and another good point about Mini's is you meet lots of nice people, one of the many things where there are similarities with Scooby ownership.

Regards,

Robin

Speedmeister

I had two 1275GTs (wrote off the first one-oops!) and loved them. Both needed a new clutch which I did myself but otherwise were mechanically unproblematic apart from fiddling about with the points and plugs etc.
However, they were both rust buckets. The old design causes water to accumulate where it shouldn't. Doors, sills, wings, floor and rear valance.
They are also archaic to drive if you jump into one from a modern car and v. unrefined but lots of character and fun handling.
Our '85 Polo that we had until 1998 was the most unreliable car we ever had- wouldn't work in the rain but was v. strong with no rust at all.
Your best bet for reliability/ robustness is Japanese. Dare I suggest....(sharp intake of breath) a Micra?
I'll get me coat!

Mini_Man

XT that's a nice looking Mini, here's mine

http://www.minispecial.com/features/f91-index.asp

WRX_Rich

iTrader: (5)

Cheers guys your helpin me out here, this car is for my GF Jen ( bomby knocker kid)

still am a bit worried she will spend her hard earned pennies on a car that spends more time off the road than on - and I spend to much time on the scoob never mind a mini as well

she really really wants this mini, and to be fair I can see why... just out of interest how much do you think she need to spend for a good one

Rich

SupaMiniCupa

I'd have a stab in the dark and say about £5k for a decent one maybe..? That would get you a nice Sports Pack model...

Although spending more than the £2k isn't alway as a guarantee of trouble free motoring as the gearboxes are made of chocolate and the bodywork out of cardboard...

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I typed you out a massive reply with loads of tips and info and the BBS went down and I lost the lot

It sounds like your gf isn't going to get this out of her system so...
Briefly I wouldn't personally be looking at anything under 5k and I would be looking for one of the last fuel injected Sports Pack Coopers (which had side impact bars) or a fully restored and seriously modded older car with full photographic record and/or history.

I'd look in Mini World, Mini Magazine and on the forums http://www.miniclassic.co.uk/ http://www.britishminiclub.co.uk/forum/ http://www.minicooper.org/links_comm.htm

Bear in mind that it will be difficault to find a standard car as most will have had something done to them and this will have insurance implications. You'll need to get clued up on models and mods and make sure the owner tells you about all the mods and preferably has a list and paperwork for them all.

Take a small bolt with you when you go to look at a car and get underneath it and tap all around the subframe and sills for rust and holes. Also lift mats and carpets if you can to have a look underneath. Look at the bottom of the doors, they are really prone to rust as the drainage holes in the bottom get blocked.

There a zillion mods you can do to a Mini, my first one was to upgrade the rubbish headlamps to a Wipac Halogen set (mine was originally a '90 G reg 1000cc) as the standard are useless.

I also upgraded the rubbish brakes to Metro Turbo 12" vented discs and four pot calipers, it stopped on a sixpence after that

I eventually upgraded to a 1275cc engine too as the 1000cc was a bit pants

The electrics are prone to getting wet and cutting the engine out but there are splashguards you can buy that fit over all the vulnerable bits and they do work, I know because I had one

The older Mini's don't have power steering and are surprisingly heavy to park etc. I'm not sure about later models.

They are awful on motorways and long journeys but great fun for zipping about in

There are lots of meets and outings to go on and a really lively scene to get involved in. There are a lot of people out there with a staggering knowledge of the cars. There are also loads and loads of lovely shiny bits you can buy to make your car look very pretty and you can end up throwing stupid money at your car which you'll never ever get back (like Scoobs) and trust me, you will want them all - I know 'cos I used to sell all the shiny, pretty bits

I will definitely buy another Mini sometime but only as a second fun car to play with. It's something you never grow out of, eh Robin?

The best bit of advice I can give you is to do lots of research and be very, very careful before you buy

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Have you heard of Neil Burgess who drove Mildred the Mini on Rally GB last year? He's now a bit of a star in Mini and rallying circles and knows lots and lots and lots about Mini's and is also registered on here, I'll have a word..

Diablo

Ah..minis

Fantastic memories of the best handling car I have ever owned

Mine was a W reg, black 1000 HE. Shell was very good for its age, floor and inner sills were sound A pillars were also very good

Over the course of 2 years and nearly 45,000 miles I did the following:-

Interior

Rear seat re trim in black
2x Corbeau GT8 buckets up front
Installed rev counter
Replaced steering wheel
Changed all door cards, etc from brown to black
Changed brown carpet to black
Replaced gear ****
As an HE it had tinted windows anyway, so left alone

Exterior

Complete de-chrome
Wide arches
10 X 6 alloys with yokohama A509 (I think?) tyres
rear valance replaced
outer sills replaced
new front panel (bumper fell off )
Threw away headlight units and bough something that would take decidedly illegal halageon bulbs. Required uprated alternator and battery
Paint was remarkably good, and I guess I had a lucky one without any surface rust

Brakes

Minifin drums
Mintex brake shoes
new pistons, hand brake mechanism, and levers

Exhaust

Approximately 5 different systems before finally finding my holy grail , a Janspeed LCB and single box complete exhaust.

Engine

New short 1100 cc block
Cooper S head machined for MG metro valve set (huge), ported and polished.
Double valve springs
kent 286 camshaft
alloy rocker arm set
Weber 28/36 dcd downdraft carb and alloy inlet
K & N pancake filter

Suspension

2 rear subframes
replaced all cone "springs" and bushes
Spax adjustables all round
at least 6 sets of rear wheel bearings

Required accessories

1x haynes manual
1x trolly jack
4x axle stands
1x complete socket & spanner set
15 gallons WD40
1 Large hammer
basic mechanical skills


Cost me a fortune, went like stink (for an 1100 cc car) and could out corner practically anything.

Brakes were still ****e, but that was all part of the fun

Have never regretted one moment of it

D

RobinSherwood

I'll put in another vote for £5k, the later shells have much better rust protection, my '91 Cooper mentioned previously was re-shelled into a '97 shell (after an altercation with a farmer and a pick up truck, involving a hump back bridge and said pick up ended up being parked on the Mini's bonnet). I still see the car regularly and apart from some corrosion round the rear windows the shell is still in good order (it has been checked over at Gladwins recently to conform this) the rusty bits are the doors but they came off the original car and are going in classic Mini style along the botton edge.
So get as late a car as possible as this will minimise the rust problem.

As Sal says they are not good on longer journeys though in the future a 5 speed gearbox can be added. These are expensive (about £2k) but are fantastic, I had one in mine (from Jack Knight Developments) and apart from the obvious benefits it is probably the best gearchange I have ever used, just dont go for a fully straight cut one like mine as you will need ear plugs on the motorway which kind of defeats the object of the exercise!

If you do look at Mini's and look at modified ones be aware they can be VERY expensive to insure. My Mini which as you may have gathered was quite extreme cost me more to insure than my MY98 Turbo with PPP etc.,.. and it's new owner who is a 'little' older than I am (sorry Keith if you get to see this) is paying a similar amount as I am now paying to insure my WR1 - So get a quote before making an offer an a seriously modified car.

If it is modded, again as Sal says, make sure the owner has the details, there are a lot of bodged cars around that sound like a good spec but that just don't work. It is easier to start with an unmodified car than sort out a badly modded one where you don't know exactly what has been done. Don't believe power outputs unless they have been verified, preferably by someone like Pete Baldwin - there is probably more rubbish talked about Mini outputs than there is about Scooby ones....

I could go on and on and on..... so i'll stop there

Oh and no classic shape Mini has power steering as far as I know.

Good luck whatever you decide to go for

Robin

Mica Blue

Here is an excellent mini forum for anyone interested:

www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums

I race Mini's

Neil Burgess

Aww you just have to get a Mini!!

Sal told me to look at this thread - how can you liken the Polo to a Mini?!?!

There is nothing more fun on the roads - ok so modern cars are more competent at lots of things but for grins per mile, nowt can beat a Mini!

In reality though, no matter what the year of the car, they are still basically a 50's / 60's design, sso you have to treat them as that. Looked after well they will do you proud - my 1000cc has covered over 150k miles and only let me down once apart from whiz bang "make your car go better" parts that didn't work!

I stopped using a Mini for every day use as doing 160 miles every day, it needed a lot of TLC and competing in the British Rally Championship did not leave me with any time to look after it.

Spend as much as you can, look at several and take someone that knows which bits to poke for rust (and don't be afraid to poke hard). Ideally you want one that a grannie has kept tucked away in her garage for shopping trips!

Most of all though, keep on top of them and they will serve you well.

Long trips? Well should not be a problem, I'm 6'2" and have toured Europe about 10 times in them (including a trip to the north cape of Norway) with mods to the seating position.

Go for it

Neil (completely unbiased - honest guv!)
www.manicminis.com
p.s. I would not get a Sportspack Mini unless you particularly like the looks)