2003 BMW mini now bought

[forddeliveryboy]

So the Baleno's only 3 or 4 years older than the Mini she's thinking of buying? She could be in for a shock, once the novelty has worn off.

[Pillock]

I would. I nearly did in fact, but my sensible head saw a Focus with the same engine, newer, for less money. Mind you I'm a sucker for a blobby car and would also like a new Beetle at some point.

If you like nice things though, there's worse things to buy. I could tell you that I've seen three in the past two days, broken down at the side of the road - but then what I've not counted is the hundreds that were working absolutely fine.

 

If I was buying, early supercharged Cooper S for the whine. I mean win. But also whine.

 

Those concept ones probably are more "mini" in terms of following the idea of the original, use of space etc. However I can't see them being plastered with estate agent stickers or bought by dizzy rich bints, and I can't help thinking that sometimes.... just sometimes..... what you need is a successful product. And the New Mini is such.

[Matt]

I was fancying a Mini Clubman a little while back but having read online and advice from a friend who works in the parts department at the local BMW Mini dealers basically put me of the idea, they are meant to be shit and a utter nightmare to fix, I remember a mates ex having a cooper and the gearbox shat itself at 60k and cost £1800 to fix.

 

I've also heard the Clubmans being described as a bit of an anti-tardis; big on the outside, cramped on the inside. I quite liked the whole retro car revival thing when it all kicked off but boy am I tired of it now, MINI and Fiat are really taking the piss now. At least VW hasn't turned the Beetle into a crossover.

[D Spares & Tyres]

I know of two of these:

 

Firstly my aunt has one. Turbo Cooper job.I had a drive. Nice car. Checked levels after. NO OIL at all.Reply when I told her: ` didn`t think modern cars needed their oil checking`

 

The other one is owned by a mates mum. It has been so unreliable she actually bought a 1996 Polo as a back up car.......

[forddeliveryboy]

Yeah a modern, competitive small car that is produced in huge numbers in a completely refitted factory right here in the UK and exported all over the world, thatsd fun to drive and loved by the car mags, and which can be seen by the dozen on every street taking people to work/college/on holiday/whatever whilst being driven by people who in general deliberately chose it cos they actually liked it and wanted it. Oh and not forgetting it makes a healthy profit and therefore is a sustainable product that is likely to carry on doing its good work for its owners, manufacturers and suppliers, for the foreseeable future. HOW DID IT COME TO THIS??? I DESPAIR

 

Many economists would agree with you completely - if something's profitable, what's not to like? In days past when we still had some pride, we'd have been outraged that a foreign company was employing British labour at a fraction of the cost of its own, to build a worldwide-marketed product which has gained a reputation for being fault-prone and over-priced.

 

The Mini is the definition of style over substance and such things can rub off on a country's perceived image. So you try and sell your genuinely good British product to a foreign company and the MD says, "so how do I know this isn't as crap and as much of a rip-off as my wife's Mini was?"

 

See how Ryton was closed, even though it was more productive than France's own factories.

 

The Germans can make as many style over substance, crap quality, impractical and rip-off cars as they wish, but selling them as British gets up my nose.

[EssDeeWon]

I know of two of these:

 

Firstly my aunt has one. Turbo Cooper job.I had a drive. Nice car. Checked levels after. NO OIL at all.Reply when I told her: ` didn`t think modern cars needed their oil checking`

 

The other one is owned by a mates mum. It has been so unreliable she actually bought a 1996 Polo as a back up car.......

 

Changing the subject slightly away from BINI's but this only backs up my theory of avoiding 'OH WOW YES l@@K ONE LADY OWNER' 

 

My female neighbour (about 50ish) had the bonnet up on her 54 plate 206 the other week, I asked what was up and she said its been cutting out so she proceeded to pour a jug of tap water into the expansion tank. I asked how long she has owned it and she said she bought it new in 2004............I then asked when was it last serviced......

 

She just laughed and replied 'Oh no idea hahahaha'

[Mr_Bo11ox]

No MD ever dismissed a product because it was from the country where minis are made FDB!! Even by AS 'everyhting modern is shit' standards thats beyond ridiculous. If he is a sound business man he'll appreciate the minis buiness model and profitability.

[forddeliveryboy]

Not at all - I've a customer who regularly sells his products around the world and he has to compete with other nations selling similar stuff. He once lost a big contract when his customer's British wine merchant pissed him off big-time. Nothing to do with him, just a perception of British service and products. More often than not, he has orders placed because he's British and told that being so suggests more integrity and honesty.

 

Read the Indian car forums and Audi and Skoda are virtually swear words, quite often someone will state they refuse to buy anything else which is German.

[alf892]

Style over substance ?

 

Is that not the case with any car then? If all people wanted was basic transport most of the vehicle assemblers would soon go out of business..........

 

I have unwittingly specialised in hated cars it seems but look on in quiet amusement when people who profess to have no interest can pontificate at great length about how shit they are from the size of their wheels to the way the production teams function.

 

Minis/Audi/BMWs/other stuff you don't like or want exists and sells. Get over it and enjoy your shite

[RoadworkUK]

Britain would be a much better place if we went back to building old shit that nobody wanted.

 

At least BMW could have done the decent thing and released the MINI in Sandglow.

[Stanky]

mrs_stanky had one and it sprung a leak from the radiator, it was about 7 years old at the time so not terrible. I chap I worked with had a cooper (not s) and I think his went through 3 heater matrices and 2 head gaskets in about 9 years, though the HGs may have been a result of losing coolant. 

 

I think they look different, and probably aren't that bad. Not very comfortable on a long journey but neither were the original minis. Overall a bit of character and slightly iffy in the coolant department. Oh, yeah, if you find out where coolant is supposed to go, do let me know. I puzzled over this for a good few hours before giving up and telling her it'd probably be OK to get home effectively air-cooled. 

 

She did sell it soon after. poor buyer...

 

Oh, they are pretty good at holding value too. a bit like new beetles.

[Bear]

I think his went through 3 heater matrices and 2 head gaskets in about 9 years, though the HGs may have been a result of losing coolant. 

 

See?! See! They ARE a Rover after all

[Ghosty]

I don't agree on the long journey point, one of the few plus points of a Bini is that the rear passengers actually get a decent amount of space. I'm 6' or thereabouts, and I usually have trouble in the back of small hatcbacks, but the Bini is good. The only thing I've found that's better is the back of a 95-01 Civic 3 door.

[Vince70]

She bought the mini in the end and it doesn't drive bad actually as I had over a hundred mile drive home with it..

 

It's a very high spec one with heated leather and the harman kardon stereo upgrade and climate control etc with only 49000 on the clock which was an 04 and had full history and a long ticket for £1995 it's only problem was it was a Cat C last year and has been vic checked and a new mot since but I've had a good look over it and it looks like it had a repaint on the front wing but to a very good standard and steers nice and straight.

 

I was getting a bit paranoid about the midland gearbox though as I thought I could hear a very faint whine when decelerating in 5th but not sure if I was imagining it and the box has a good gear change with no play.

 

The only real downside is those horrible run flats over potholes but The fronts are getting quite low so I'm going to change the backs and the fronts around then hopefully that way she can get all 4 tyres renewed all at once with a decent set of midrange normal tyres when the time comes.

 

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171788606261

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sounds a good buy to me. Nice one!

[forddeliveryboy]

Style over substance ?

 

Is that not the case with any car then? If all people wanted was basic transport most of the vehicle assemblers would soon go out of business..........

 

I have unwittingly specialised in hated cars it seems but look on in quiet amusement when people who profess to have no interest can pontificate at great length about how shit they are from the size of their wheels to the way the production teams function.

 

Minis/Audi/BMWs/other stuff you don't like or want exists and sells. Get over it and enjoy your shite

 

 

Purely personal views - don't take it too personally. If we were all the same this forum would be like all the others...

 

Pleased the car seems ok Vince70 - worth recommending she has the box oil changed, perhaps?

[Vince70]

I've just been online and it seems the best medicine for a midland gearbox is change the gearbox oil every 30000 so I've told her to get it done sooner rather than later..

 

The shame is if the car was a few months newer it would of got a getrag box which I believe is supposed to not suffer from the problems that the earlier box has.

 

I've now got the task of giving her new and old cars a good clean.

[twosmoke300]

Check the coolant expansion tank for cracks and leaks too

[bub2006]

A friends dad has the wanna be estate. Clubman is it? Cooper diesel model with the 2.0 to lump. Top spec with sat nav,I drive lookalike thing, keyless entry and start and by God it goes like hot snot. I can't fathom why it has one rear door and that's on the drivers side.

[stripped fred]

A friends dad has the wanna be estate. Clubman is it? Cooper diesel model with the 2.0 to lump. Top spec with sat nav,I drive lookalike thing, keyless entry and start and by God it goes like hot snot. I can't fathom why it has one rear door and that's on the drivers side.

The door is on the driver's side as it is correct for left-hand cars and they couldn't justify the cost of putting it on the correct side for the UK.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Style over substance, crap quality, impractical and rip-off prices.

 

 

That statement aptly describes all modern German motors....have you seen the profits posted by BMW for the past financial year? It's in the billions.Astonishing..somebody is having a larf and it's not the consumer. Cheaply built with a veneer of finish...and charge the customer full whack. Binis are just the tip of the iceberg. My mother in laws 59 plate 320d has just lunched it's autobox after hardly a tyresmoking 70k. And yet the press...check out this week's Autocar BMW lovefest... consistently keep licking their backsides...I just don't get it at all. Yes their good to drive....yes Binis keep Brit workers in employment but get real..as private ownership prospects they are no more than average in durability and reliability. Owning a Bini is just proof of that fact.

 

True. Whilst they drive (very) well and have great showroom appeal, the real 'how can we make this last 20 years' quality has gone. The current range is the worst, no different to a Peugeot or a Ford. Increasing numbers of timing chain issues now (petrol and diesel), failed synchromesh in manual boxes, logos worn off switches and column stalks after 70k and stupid things like horns failing.

 

They're just another mass produced car now that you really wouldn't want to own outside of the warranty.

[sierraman]

Completely agree as above. German cars now are no better built and possibly worse than the equivalent Ford. Its a status symbol these days to shout to the world 'I'm a Parasite', Years ago it stood for you had a bit of class and taste.

 

Its a sign with people these days they don't want middle of the road, its got to be better than next doors Golf or A4 or whatever.

[babydriver]

My sister in law has just got an 02 plate and has a few problems, few gremlins with weird electrical problems which turned out to a knackerd battery which was cured with a new one, worst thing was she has had to replace the clutch which cost an eye watering £700.

 

Good luck with yours Vince 70. Looks nice

[dieselassist]

I have a good few parts for these... well a lotta random parts, but all brand new in boxes - got em all in exchange for 'lockup rent' off a BMW mechanic mate who got slung out by mrs one Saturday morning.... he had nothing else to part up with.... No real gearbox bits, unfortunately...

 

lots of random bits; cam/adjustment units, a taillight, seat belt recievers, MAF's etc etc... I have a list somewhere.

 

These seem to be perpetually expensive here; shagged or near shagged ones are just broken for parts, due to laziness, so decent road goin n 'fit' cars command a premium - same with a lotta cars here, in comparsion to UK - no 'middle ground' in the market...

 

...anyhow, best of luck with!!

[babydriver]

Here in Manchester there seems to be a few garages that sell nothing but German cars and they seem to have a good turnover of cars so they still seem to have a bit of a prestiege tag on them. Have you seen how much a Mercedes rusts these days...........Ford too.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Completely agree as above. German cars now are no better built and possibly worse than the equivalent Ford. Its a status symbol these days to shout to the world 'I'm a Parasite', Years ago it stood for you had a bit of class and taste.

Its a sign with people these days they don't want middle of the road, its got to be better than next doors Golf or A4 or whatever.

Last Sunday I had to change the rear pads on my 5 Series and front pads on the family bike Fiat 500 . Both 59 reg,Fiat has done 46,000 BMW 170,000.

The quality of the Kraut car is obvious in everything you touch from the locking wheel nut key onwards. The Fiat nuts and bolts all feel as if they might snap or the heads round off before they come undone, the nasty pin and bent bit of wire reminded me of my Mk2 Cortina , Surprised to see calipers that weren't bolted properly top and bottom. Everything just working properly meant that it only took me 20/25 mins to do the BMW but twice as long fucking about with the Mickey Mouse Eytie.

I occasionally have to drive modern shit cars , I'm was disappointed with the horrible quality trim recently in an Insignia,Sharan, Focus and 1 Series BMW ( probably all built in Germany,I know) there is still a big leap in quality to proper* Audis,BMWs and Mercs ie above A4/3er/C class

[forddeliveryboy]

Last Sunday I had to change the rear pads on my 5 Series and front pads on the family bike Fiat 500 . Both 59 reg,Fiat has done 46,000 BMW 170,000.

The quality of the Kraut car is obvious in everything you touch from the locking wheel nut key onwards. The Fiat nuts and bolts all feel as if they might snap or the heads round off before they come undone, the nasty pin and bent bit of wire reminded me of my Mk2 Cortina , Surprised to see calipers that weren't bolted properly top and bottom. Everything just working properly meant that it only took me 20/25 mins to do the BMW but twice as long fucking about with the Mickey Mouse Eytie.

 

 

Is it such a shock that a car costing 2, 3 or 4 times what a Panda costs is made better? For as long as I've had anything to do with cars, the more upmarket  in a manufacturer's range and the more expensive, the better the materials and the build.

 

Years ago I was surprised when I felt the difference in quality between a top spec Audi 100 2wd and the quattro equivalent - it deinitely wasn't all down to a multilink rear end and four driven wheels. To exaggerate to make the point, one felt like a big Mk2 Polo and the other a mini Bentley. A 2cv was made more casually than a Dyane often with slightly poorer components when possible, but it cost almost half even though fundamentally the same car. I've seen many makers reduce material quality for the last two or three years of a longish production run, too.

[wuvvum]

These are proper girls cars so check for decent service history, dont fall for all that "its had a lady owner so it must be well cared for bollox"

 

In my experience birds are the worst people to buy cars off, and 97.8% of these would of been owned by at least one.

This.  Fit bird at work has a Bini Cooper.  She's actually a reasonably sensible lass with some degree of practical sense, but she'd never bothered to check the oil or coolant in the car until she had to call the AA out for a jump start and the patrol found both below the minimum levels.  I dread to think what mechanical abuse some of the more bimboesque Bini owners must inflict on their cars.

[face]

Is it such a shock that a car costing 2, 3 or 4 times what a Panda costs is made better? For as long as I've had anything to do with cars, the more upmarket  in a manufacturer's range and the more expensive, the better the materials and the build.

 

Years ago I was surprised when I felt the difference in quality between a top spec Audi 100 2wd and the quattro equivalent - it deinitely wasn't all down to a multilink rear end and four driven wheels. To exaggerate to make the point, one felt like a big Mk2 Polo and the other a mini Bentley. A 2cv was made more casually than a Dyane often with slightly poorer components when possible, but it cost almost half even though fundamentally the same car. I've seen many makers reduce material quality for the last two or three years of a longish production run, too.

 

Although I have no first-hand experience, the RenaultSport models are supposed be far bet screwed together than the standard jobbies.

[Vince70]

I got her to book the car in for a gearbox oil change next week just for piece of mind and the real problem I've got is changing the wheels over from front to back to wear those horrible run flats out as I don't have a spare to chuck on the car while I change the tyres around but apart from that it all looks ok so far..

so I might go on eBay to find a cheap secondhand wheel