BS: driving minis

Subject: BS: driving minis
From: *Laura*
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 12:13 PM

I'm getting my first car soon (squeal squeal in squealish excitement!) and I'm planning on getting a mini (an old style one of course - none of this new-fangled new-mini nonsense! :-p ).

What are they like to drive?
Obviously if I'm getting an old one I'll have to do a car maintainance course ha. ha. ha. But I've heard they are relatively cheap to run. Is this true?
And what are they like to drive?

Any advice/info/general comments on how GREAT minis are would be greatly appreciated!

xLx

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 12:21 PM

It depends what Min you get - My old Mum used to have a Mini Countryman Estate which I drove a few times - Smashing little car - Stuck to the road like You Know to a What ! Later I drove a 1275GT
that scared the life out of me at speeds over seventy MPH . I have a
mate who had several including an Original Mini Cooper and swore by em all ! Dont buy without a test drive and advice from someone who knows what they are doing !!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Blissfully Ignorant
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 02:44 PM

I want one too, once i can get my poor befuddled brain around this driving business....don't think i have the co-ordination for it, really. Which is why i want a mini; there's less of it to crash...although bigger cars are safer if you do crash...

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: pdq
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 04:06 PM

A first-time driver, especially a woman, should look for three things in a car:

    1) Power steering

    2) Automatic transmission

    3) Disk brakes (at least in front)

Style means nothing if you can't control the darn thing.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 06:04 PM

Get yourself a Citroen 2CV instead, Laura. Much more fun and perfectly safe on the roads. Take it to your newly found sport. If it was to hit a fox the wings would fall off...

:D

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: *Laura*
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 06:47 PM

I doubt a mini would do much damage to a fox either :-p
and they're so cute!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 07:10 PM

Used to drive a Fiat 128 - very similar to a Mini, but more controllable, especially when you took your foot off the gas at high speeds in a corner... :-) You could steer your way through a tight corner that way, switching between understeer and oversteer - a bit hard on the front tyres though... :-)

I also found driving by minis could be very distracting - especially if the legs are nice.... You may not have that problem Laura... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: open mike
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 10:19 PM

i have heard they have trouble getting licensed to sell them in the U.S.
due to lack of safety features...for a new driver or car owner i would highly recommend something that is much safer...with more reinforcement
and more metal between you and whatever is coming at you. As an emergency responder who sometimes cuts accident vicitms out of cars, I find the structural strength of the chassis and body important to safety.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: DougR
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 12:06 AM

I drove a Mini Nissan in Ireland for a couple of weeks this fall and loved it. A joy to drive.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 01:42 AM

When I lived on an island in Greece for a decade, I had use of a mini. This was in the mid-to late 70s, though when I got the car, it wasn't new.

BEST car I ever owned! I wish I could have put it in my pocket (one almost can) and taken it with me when I left, but sadly, I had to leave it behind with it's owner.

I just can't say enough good things about this car. Unless you're over six feet tall, it's just about a perfect vehicle.

I'm sure many will disagree and tell you otherwise, but for me, and the money it might cost to find an older one that has been well-kept up, I'd sell my soul (and several of my friends') for another one!


Preferably Bright Red!

..xx..e

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 02:41 AM

To sit comfortably in the back seat of a Mini when you are very tall, I discovered the trick is to cross your ankles - this gives you lots of room for your knees.

OK, kiddies, keep it clean, this is a family show!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 03:47 AM

Our first car was a mini, about 1975, great for parking, poor for carrying passengers and luggage and you feel very low down and intimidated by other larger road users, especially on motorways. I now drive a Ka after several Metros, and though it is also poor for luggage and passengers (I usually only carry me & one other, we use Sheila's Fiesta for holidays etc) it is very nippy, so far reliable (6 years now) and you don't feel so vulnerable. IMHO.

RtS
(always a reluctant driver, usually designated drinker)

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 04:01 AM

Once had a Mini van. Great fun and quite capacious but very,very noisy. Had a friend who fitted a supercharger to his mini - it lasted 4 miles before the engine disintegrated - and another who put in a bored out 1400cc motor. That one went through front tyres in anything from 600/1000 miles!

One of the major things to check is the integrity of the rear sub-frame and its mounting points, also the sills. Major points for rust.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: jonm
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 06:29 AM

They stick to the road like glue, which is perhaps as well, the brakes aren't up to much.

Mechanically very simple, so when they go wrong (and they do), they are easy to fix. No problem with spares availability. Subframes and bodywork very susceptible to rust, some of the mechanical components (particularly those exposed to the weather through the grille) self-destruct regularly.

Low on power, so any options like power steering or automatic transmission to be avoided.

Very little rear seat room, minimal luggage space. Don't leave anything of value anywhere in them - you can get into either the car or the boot in second without tools if you know how. Starting them without the keys is also a doddle.

You sit very low (can be off-putting). Lorries and big vehicles will intimidate you.

Don't ever have an accident in one. They are among the worst cars on the road for crash protection.

Models with increased horsepower give increased speed and increased fun, plus increased terror when you find the brakes haven't been upgraded.

Take an expert when you buy, have it inspected by the AA if possible; nearly all of them have been subjected to bodged repairs by now. Don't buy anything modified. It has certainly had at least a minor accident.

The more "collectable" the mini, the more problems you are likely to have. "Woody" Countryman estates look lovely and just rot away, older models are more vulnerable to the ravages of age etc. Some people believe all minis are now classics and will price them accordingly. There are cars with the same degree of driving pleasure for less money and you might survive a prang.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Beast of Farlington
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 08:25 AM

I had a Citroen Dyane once (like the 2CV, only squarer). One night we hit a wild boar at about 50 miles an hour an an autoroute (French Motorway).

The Boar was stunned but lived and staggered away. The car was crumpled but lived and staggered away. Don't buy one (the car, not the boar. Boars taste great in stew)

And I had a Mini Cooper, one of the new BMW ones. It's incredible how like the old mini it is, in terms of disadvantages. Underpowered, uncomfortable seats, hard ride, cramped, terrible in the winter, windscreen like a letter-box. But apart from that it's great.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 09:13 AM

But jonmmmm it's a minnnniiiii (she whined).

Nah, he has a lot of good points. Maybe having it on an island that was about three miles across made having a Mini perfect. No highways, no place to have to carry much more than the shopping and occasional friend.

But in my memory, it was perfection.

..xx..e

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Metchosin
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 11:42 AM

I owned a Mini in the late 60's and it was a pain in the ass. As mentioned, the brakes were problematic and whenever it rained hard, I had to wrap a plastic bag around the distributor, which was mounted just behind the grill or it would cease to operate while driving down the highway in the wet.

It was cute as a button, but didn't belong on a public road here, even way back when. If you have the mechanical expertise and a pocket full of money, by all means keep it as a collectors vehicle, but to consider it a form of safe, reliable transporation in this day and age is IMO suicidal.

Now on the other hand, there is an old 72 BMW 2002 sitting out in our driveway in want of some TLC and a new home......

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: *Laura*
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 02:14 PM

Thanks guys!
Well whatever car I get is going to be dangerous isn't it! I'm a first time (woman - but don't you dare!) driver with limited funds!

And what other car would you be able to have a union jack on the roof without looking ridiculous?!?! :-)

xLx

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Spot
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 03:13 PM

Hello...
       My 2nd car was a minivan in 1960 summat. It would only run on 5* petrol with the choke out fully and worked on a total loss system for lubrication...ie. in at the top and straight out the bottom!!! It was maroon with a white roof an a stonkin great padlock on the backdoor(worth more than t'bloody van!) Our Mother(83) just sold her '90 Mayfair with less than 4000 on the clock.....!! I had a lot of fun with mine (and a lot o' lasses!!)
                   My wife has a new Cooper....just not the same, somehow....!!
                   There seem to be quite a few old uns on the go...good luck..!!
                   Regards to all....Spot

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: NH Dave
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 04:27 PM

Contrary to the above reports Minis have been imported to the US for quite some time, but the secret is in knowing who did the importing. Company imported cars, cars purchased new from US dealers have been upgraded at the factory to meet the US sfety standards, while those bought used from individuals may not contain all the upgrades. It all depends how carefully the vehicle was inspected when it was brought into the country.

I can't speak to the power of a Mini or Mini Cooper, although the new Mini Coopers are reputed to be quite hot. I can say from personal (vicarious) experience, a Mini Cooper, no matter how hot, will NOT outrun a Ford Police Criser. Had one try it, just in front of my gas station, to the driver's despair.

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 06:45 PM

... but when the Mini Cooper S first came out they could drive circles around the big heavy fast 3 litre racing cars on a wet track - until the big cars got even bigger motors - not bad for an 1100cc motor... (OK, 1310 bored out!)

A lady friend told me that minis were great and cool to drive in - no matter what car you were in.... :-0

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 07:15 PM

Old Minis handle better than anything else, ever. Not even cars with three times the power will stay with a well driven mini on a bumpy twisty English back road. That was the "dry" ones (very very old). The very very early ones with leading trailing front shoes really did not stop at all. The early fuel tanks were only 4 gallons (UK). Horrid driving position.

Hydrolastic ones less rigid suspension, still handle very very well.

Many coopers and clubmen had disc brakes (mostly the 12" wheel ones) and those brakes were fine but you do need to know how to adjust a handbrake. The drum ones need hard linings, minifins (finned alloy brake drums), and a fair-sized remote servo. Getting the drum ones to stop straight can be hard.

Mingulay is right about the rot. They also tend to leak - it's partly the sill structure. Watch out for the swinging arm bushes too.

The electrics are not a problem if you use a proper rubber cover over the distributor, and use lots of vaseline (or fit an optoelectronic distributor with a remote "brains"). And at least everything can be dismantled so it can be fixed - none of this computerised "fit a new one" rubbish.

Even the 1275S is slow today. The 850 had a top speed of 72 and a 0-60 tme of 22 seconds.   But did 50 to the gallon on unleaded. A supercharger would fix that, and most did not blow up as a result. I had a tuned 850 estate that was slow away from rest but would do a steady 95, if you had earplugs.

Many are going to need modification to run lead-free. Early heaters are crap, later ones not very good, apart from the Clubmen with the cortina-style dashboard vents. Heater hoses can leak on your feet.

It would be possible to modify a 1275GT today with modern turbocharger techology to do about 125, at astronomical revs. It would wreck clutches and gearboxes on a regular basis. It would be uninsurable. But the brakes and handling would not be the problem. Even without a turbo or supercharger it should be possible to get tha engine out to 1440 cc and about 120bhp at 8000 revs - but it will be expensive and very noisy, and a bit sudden to drive(!). It should also be possible to drop a metro turbo engine straight in (pretty much) if you can find one.

Much of the DIY requires a well trained python. I knew one guy who swore the best way to change the bypass hose was to take the head off. Usually engine and gearbox out to change the clutch. Another mate of mine used to undo everything at the front, and then lift the car off the engine and subframe.

But if you can get a standard nice 1275GT, or if you want to carry a fullsize toothbrush, a 998 non-woodie estate, it should be perfectly usable today.

Fit Cibie headlamps if you want to see after dark.

The car magazine you want is "Practical Classics".

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 04:28 AM

Richard Bridge's post brings back memories. I remember having to change a water pump once and for some reason now forgotten did not want to remove any other part. I did manage it with blood dripping from the knuckles and covered in gunge. Oh callow youth where have you gone?

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 07:10 AM

Knew someone with a Porche - 911 I think. Used to race it. Was a Garage owner, so he used to take out the engine/rear end to change the spark plugs - a 15 min job that would turn into four hours if you left the engine in.... :-)

The Fiat 128 was better than any mini - stuck to the road like pigeonshit (if you'll pardon the expression!) - was seriously underpowered though - a 2 litre V6 would have made it better - and unregisterable, most likely... the Arbarth Version gave the 5 litre rear drive big guys a run for their money at Bathurst one year, but it didn't rain...

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,Noreen
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 07:21 AM

LOL- such memories!
Yes, regular spraying with WD40 to stand any chance of starting in the damp; uncomfortable seating- the steering wheel was offset from the centre when seated in the driver's seat... (never realised this til I drove a different car afterwards!) and NOISY at any great speed (850cc engine)- but we didn't do much motorway driving in those days.

Easy to work on though, and readily available parts- I got a headlight replaced at a local village garage one Easter Sunday morning after an accident on the way to church!

Wouldn't contemplate one now, though it was lovely at the time.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: jonm
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 08:52 AM

Richard above and I seem to be in consensus:

Buy the mini, spend three times the purchase price on tuning and modification, then take it racing.

On a circuit, there are run-off areas for when the brakes don't slow you down fast enough (yes, even the later disc brakes). There won't be any issues with luggage or passenger space.

You are never more than about a mile from the breakdown crew in the pits. If you trailer it to the circuit, you've got it made!

If you only race in the dry, it won't rust (much).

Like driving a rocket rollerskate, but sitting so low you get gravel rash on your @r$e! Feels like 70 when you're doing 40.

Bear in mind that every part you replace is one which is less likely to break, but every part you modify increases the likelihood of a breakdown. Every part you spend money on increases the differential between what you've spent and what it's worth.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: *Laura*
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:12 PM

i saw about 7 minis today. the people in my town have good taste.
(apart from deciding to live in my town - but that's not the point)

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,Bagpuss
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:43 PM

STOP IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

You are making me cry. We swapped our third mini for a "proper car" when I was pregnant.

I miss them soooooo much. (but trying to fit a baby and baby seat and all the accessories that go with it, in a mini would have been impossible :-( )

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: KateG
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 12:29 PM

If you don't want to go broke, buy an old Honda Civic hatchback. Not quite as teensy as a Mini, and very reliable. I went through a slew of them when I was commuting a 100+ mile round trip each day. Bought them for about $2,000 with 100,000 miles, put another $500 in to bring them up to snuff and drove them for 2 - 3 years, ie 60 - 70,00 miles. When they needed something major, I dumped them for another one. The best one cost me $1,400 and I put 90K miles on it before the engine blew. Didn't owe me a dime.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 05:00 PM

The dogs bits with small Fiats was quite different.

A member of my parents' car club, the Circle Car Club, one John Beckhart (not sure of the spelling after all this time) co-owned a small car manufacturing company called Tornado. They made some silly things (a Ford E93A based special/bodykit called the Typhoon) and one very nice GT car called the Talisman - with a 1600 Ford engine it had about 200 bhp per ton and in the early 60s in the UK that was huge, and John's personal one had the 2 1/2 litre V8 out of an SP250 in it, like Mike Chittenden's amazing Morris Minor of about the same period) but the alarming one was the Tempest GT. They took a Fiat 500 (the tiny 500cc rear engined one) and put a 1200 Ford in instead. Then they decided that was too slow, and put in the 1600 GT Cortina engine instead. Then they got seriously mad, and put in one of the ford-block racing engines of the period, the 1870 Martin engine - detuned to produce about 150BHP at 7,000rpm. The whole car probably weighed about 11 cwt. I have no idea how the transmission was held together, but Beetle/Porsche hybrid is a possibility. This was a road car (honestly - he used to drive it to meetings, and do the shopping in it on Saturdays), with weight distribution about 30 front 70 rear, and the rear tyres were about a foot across the tread, which made them almost wider than high. He could start in second, change direct into top (4 speed box) and still beat an E-type jag (the early 3.8, the quick one) to 70, 100, and 125. Cornering was easy in or backwards out.

Not for amateurs. But the mini was very safe and friendly, no matter how hot you made it or how insanely you drove it.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 06:53 PM

Seem to remember a Fiat Arbath (600?) with similar sort of specs, that was deemed to be illegal - they changed the rules to make it so - in US Racing - forget the name of the Formula - there was a picture of him near the front of the grid with all those huge 5 litre grunt machines all around him... seem to remember a web page from around 1996, but have lost the URL.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 07:17 PM

Yeah, the Arbath of that era stretched the 600 to 650 and put it in the 500 bodyshell. Bore it any bigger and you were left with assorted large washers.

In full track trim the Tempest went up to about 200 bhp naturally aspirated, petrol, and the weight down to under 10 cwt - about the equivalent of 700 to 800 bhp in the Nascar machines, pound for pound.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: John Routledge
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 07:44 PM

Nostalgia has got me

In '68 I bought a '64 Wolsley Hornet - a mini with a minute boot added. It had a 998 engine producing 38bhp as opposed to the mini which had an 850 (34bhp) engine in those days. The Cooper was around 60bhp if I remember correctly.

Not quite the performance of the Tempest etc but great fun!!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: *Laura*
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:16 PM

getting closer - i'm looking around now! it's so exciting!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: gnu
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:25 PM

Ahh, the Mini. I had a Bug and Mike had a Mini Cooper Special. We used to play tag in the snow. We used to race around the university campus and dare the security guards to catch us in their big truck. There was one hairpin turn on a downhill where Mike could put the oil pressure guage to ZERO. Thirteen inch Pirelli's and everthing possible done while still stock. And when we got stuck, I could lift the arse end and get us out. What a piece a' gear !!!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:27 PM

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: gnu
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 04:34 PM

FORD - found on road dead, first owner refused delivery, fix or repair daily, etc. Me, I'm getting the rear heated bumper option next time. Don't need gloves when pushing it in cold weather.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Davetnova
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 03:33 AM

I had a mini pickup. It was amazing, you could get six people sitting in the back there was a fountain came up between the front seats when tou went through a puddle and the brakes didn't matter too much 'cause you could go round the schoolbus on the verge.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Gurney
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 05:19 AM

The Mini is not a car for a beginner, unless she is sleeping with a mechanic.
I've had three - the old ones- and one was a Cooper S and I loved them all, but here is my take.

CON>   The old ones are OLD. That = unreliable. They are subject to rust, mechanically they are pigs to work on, and the available power is very moderate by modern standards. If they are not greased by a specialist, you are likely to lose the back subframe, and various seals on the front subframes wear out and let the grease out and the water in. As several people have said, you have to make a brassiere to keep the rain off the distributer and leads. All of them smell of rotting carpets, for good reason, the floor is likely to rot out. Other cars run into the back of them, I suspect because they are smaller than nearly everything else and to imperfect eyesight look further away. You see a lot with dented bums. They mostly have electrics by Joseph Lucas, which seems to be a synonym for Walt Disney. They are uncomfortable, noisy, your bum is only 16" from the ground, and the brakes only work when they are cold. The rear brakes need freeing up at every service. The main oil seal eventually leaks onto the clutch, more clutches are replaced through oil than through wear. There are about 10 more problems which I won't go into because they are a bit technical for a beginner.

PRO> They are more fun than any other car, bar none. Everyone looks at them, They will go around corners faster than ANYTHING, frighteningly fast,- PROVIDED YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, and they run on the smell of an oily rag. A lot of them is easy to repair, like glass and lights and things. They are pretty sturdy when not rusted, the steel is about twice as thick as is generally used today, and doesn't dent so easily. There isn't much of it, though.

Anyone who buys an old Mini for reliable transport is living in cloud-cuckoo land. It will break your heart in that department. As a hobby car, yes, go for it, but don't expect reliability. For reliability in an oldish car, I'd go for a Toyota.

Sorry to rain on your parade. I've built them at the factory, owned them, driven them, and fixed every part of them, body and mechanical.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: oldhippie
Date: 03 Feb 08 - 06:26 PM

The Mini and the Typhoon were cool cars, but couldn't match the Berkeley for sheer fun!

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Feb 08 - 08:52 PM

The last time I had anything to do with Minis was more than 30 years ago and, at the time, it was great fun. Perhaps I was in a dry part of the country and the vehicle was still (relatively) recent and thus was spared the problems described above.

The only extra thing I'd suggest Laura check out (if she's really serious about one is the idler pulley in the timing chain. From memory, this pulley had its bearing mounted in a pressed metal sleeve that was just inserted into the relevant part of the engine block and, over time, the mounting would wear an irregular hole in the cast block; the irregularity would prevent any "proper" adjustment of the timing once it had appeared.

A mate of mine made a fair income from developing a jig into which he could place all models of Mini engine block and mill out a precisely located and durable bearing mount for the idler pulley, thus reconditioning the motors for a much extended life.

But you can't see this from the outside.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Rowan
Date: 03 Feb 08 - 08:54 PM

Guest above was me; my cookie seemed to have dropped away.

CHeers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: EBarnacle
Date: 03 Feb 08 - 09:55 PM

The Fiat 128 is one of the safest cars on the road, since they are in the shop so much of the time.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 03:06 AM

I simply cannot believe that here are any Fiat 128s left on the road.

I think they hold the world record for rate of rusting, with the only likely challengers be the FIAT 3200 coupe, and possibly the mid 60s Vauxhalls on which Vauxhall experimted witha new type of underseal - it bonded chemically to the metal, but if scratched (doh, it's on the underneath) the rust of course travels through the metal.

The 128 3p Berlinetta was good looking, and quite brisk for its engine size, and the 128 estate was a good small estate - until the tinworm got them.

Minis are great, and all the main parts are easy to repair (once out of the car), but yes the rear subframe and subframe mounts do rust out after a while. Replacing the subframe is not that hard (but not that quick) and you need the specialised reamer for the swinging arm bushes. Welding teh bits for the subframe mounts back together is very fiddly.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 03:38 AM

We had a mini van back in the 70s. Coming home one night, Madame driving, she turned into the drive where we lived- and the car kept on in a straight line. Managed to park it on the road with great difficulty- the spline at the bottom of the steering column had completely stripped off. Aye, we 'ad fun in them days.

As for "easy to repair"- you CAN change the steering rack without removing the whole engine/ subframe assembly- but the language used in the process blistered the paint on the bodywork. And the procedure for changing the bottom radiator hose was written by Joseph Heller. To access the hose, you need to get the radiator out. To get the radiator out, you need to access the hose.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 06:45 AM

Dear Laura,

From your last response you are obviously not reading this thread. You need to re-read or at least take these two very significant facts into consideration:

1-You're considering buying something to drive that meets the criteria for being an antique.

2-The fockin' thing is British.

Next case. Nothing more needs to be said unless you're a total psychotic. Although I gather that none of this means diddly shit to you, it will when your lights quit working in the middle of narrow, decreasing radius, off-camber, curve on your way home from Grannie's at midnight......and they will.

They were great fun in their day at the tracks, all tricked out with the best of what Paddy Hopkirk et al could provide. We used to have great fun watching them rollover, flipping off Turn 4 at Nelson Ledges.

Get a grip.......you'll need one because Girling never had a clue as to what they were doing. Go buy a real car.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Midchuck
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 09:02 AM

Does anyone remember the mythical British car that Road and Track created?

the Denbeigh Super Chauvinist.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: EBarnacle
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 01:59 PM

They also created the Thrashwell Snailby, their own takeoff on the Citroen 2CV, a much maligned introductory vehicle.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 02:34 PM

Most things will beat an old mini hands down, Laura. The decent old ones are also overpriced because of the nostalgia value. Try an old model Renault Clio or Nissan Micra if you want a cheap reliable old car. If you want cheap and British the Rover (or better still MG) 25s are going for a song now because of the lack of 'support' - But they are still very maintainable because all the spares are unipart anyway!

Good luck and stay away fom cheap Minis - they will put you off for life!

D.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Rowan
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 05:01 PM

If small size and reliability are the top criteria, I've only owned two pre1970 vehicles that could cut it. The 1954 Morris Minor (first of the overhead valved motors) panel van I had was the only vehicle in Melbourne that could guarantee an armchair ride; there was one, still on its castors, in the back. These days they are officially veterans, I gather, so you wouldn't really use one as a runabout. Although I still own a 45 vinyl record with separate tracks indicating how to diagnose the various faults you could expect in such motors.

The Corolla KE10 was unbeaten (well, after 450k miles the only "normal" panel on it was the one between the windscreen and the bonnet; kangaroos keep panel beaters' kids at the best schools) and never left me at the side of the road until one day I was the front vehicle where two others behind me couldn't stop as quickly as I could. I had wanted to get it to 500 thousand miles with nothing done to the drive train but its career was shortened, terminally, by 6" and 50k miles.

These days you'll find better and cheaper cars that are much more recent.

But, have fun!

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 06:35 PM

The 1098 Minors were better all round than the 803s.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Greg B
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 09:46 PM

Not to rain on the parade, but let's talk of safety, shall we?

With the smallest of the wee cars now safer than the largest of
the saloon cars were two decades ago, think about where the original
Minis were in that respect.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 03:44 AM

Safety- safest way is not to crash the thing. Knowledge that you will probably die keeps the mind alert. One Paris motor show featured safety, and when all the other makers brought concept cars built like tanks, Citroen showed one with a body made of glass, with a 6 inch sharp spike in the middle of the steering wheel.

Subject: RE: BS: driving minis
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 03:52 AM

We used to call the ability to dodge the crash ("swerveability" if you like) "dynamic safety". IMHO the mini is probably the best thing ever in which to dodge an accident. But yes if you do get hit by a truck you are probably meat jam.