New daily

[Faker]

New run about. Cracking wee car, and a lot of fun. Opinions... I know it's a girls car, but I like it.

[Junkman]

Meh.

[twosmoke300]

Modern meh !

[philibusmo]

I quite like them. Out of interest,how reliable are the Eaton M45 superchargers on these things? I quite fancy seeing if I can get one to mate up with aa Ford 1600 X-flow.

[BorniteIdentity]

^Really? Is that the currency?

 

Here was me getting a semi over a Dacia Sandero Access.

[Cheggers]

Nice futureshite

[twosmoke300]

Really ? Far too popular to be futureshite surely ?

[Lukas]

Mrs. Lukas´ brother had one. It was the worst car he ever had. A lot of problems. But a lot of fun too. 

[purplebargeken]

I would like to try one. I quite like the look of them but I don't like to admit it. Oh arse. 

[willswitchengage]

Was expecting a photo of an IVECO van. disappointed.

[dollywobbler]

A bold statement posting one of those on here. I sadly agree that this really is not Atoshite, now or in the future. Too many people like them. A bit like my 2CV really. The only way I made that halfway acceptable was to gain an MOT advisory of 'body corroded all over.'

 

That said, given what a blobby mess BMW have made of the BIGI since, these early ones really do have a certain charm about them...

[Roverageous]

I really quite like the early MINIs. I know I shouldn't because BMW etc... But I do. I can't help thinking what a good line up Rover would have had in the early 00s if they had culled the 25 and 45, and had a range consisting of: MINI, Rover 75, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover. They could have spent some time bringing an excellent 400 replacement (rumour has it the 1 series was a Rover development y'know) to market and then they would have been WINNAHZ.

 

Yes I know funding etc...

[doobietoo]

it is pretending to be something it isn't, it is as fragile as a quails egg and is perceived as a girls/ estate agents car..... gold plated Shite as far as I am concerned....Don't take any notice of our older members they think a mk4 Cortina is too new for autoshite....

[Cheggers]

Really ? Far too popular to be futureshite surely ?

A bit like Cortinas, Granadas, Omegas, Bluebirds etc...?

[dollywobbler]

A bit like Cortinas, Granadas, Omegas, Bluebirds etc...?

 

I think he means popular as in gaining a credible following. As far as I know, there's no Bluebird owners club. We love the white goods that other people would rather forget. And we like Cortinas as long as they're not too nice. That Trigger fellow needs sorting out.

[scruff]

What a load of pompous bollocks, with all due respect n' that. I like them too and it will be interesting to hear a shiter's perspective and not loads of whinging about how massively popular these British built cars are. 

[Cheggers]

A day will come when someone posts a picture of one in a spotted thread and we'll all say "Where did they all go?, they used to be everywhere..."

 

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

[mrbenn]

It appears to be an early ish model, which is good IMHO. The later ones just look bloated.

 

Partners mother has had a succession of these, ranging from an early model One, to a cooper S. I think the early basic one was the better car. Latest one is a 2013 cooper. Outside, it looks massive. Inside, tiny. I whack my head getting into the thing. And good luck storing more than a bag of peanuts in the boot

 

That's a Cooper S isn't it? Pretty decent in gear acceleration from what I remember, and a nice whine from the supercharger.

 

Enjoy

[MarvinsMom]

i will admit to thinking about a base one of them BINI things- the one? is it?

 

one with the 1400 engine, and plastic hubcaps.

 

cannot find one for sale, i'm pretty sure that they did one...

 

its all friggin Bloopers and the like.

[Rocket88]

Driven a couple.................................a bit low geared and bouncy, but they do grip well..............fuel mpg not great on the pez ones.................

[Uncle Jimmy]

Rong forum M8.

[cort16]

I'd lick a cooper-s no bother. They're quick, make a great super charger noise , are shit in fuel and have a reputation for flakeynesd . What's not to like?

[Craig the Princess]

I think if they were not called a MINI then they would have been alot more popular with weirdos in the internet, but less popular with the general population.

 

I'd like to abuse one for a few months.

Aren't the gearboxes made out of filo pastry and cheese?

[Felly Magic]

Early ones were unbelievably fragile, and they do still have reliability woes. They do not fair very well in the likes of JD power surveys either. Clubfoot estates have rust issues too, factory backlogs meant that shells were left outside to the elements.

 

I saw a 5 door base model the other day in grey on steels, and it looked utter shit, some idiot had clearly signed their life away to drive something utterly miserable, when they could have been driving something classy*, for less than 3 months finance payments

[Lacquer Peel]

The first BINI's styling has definitely mellowed in my eyes after the weird parade of successors that look like bloated Chinese copies of the previous model, and I know they're a good drive, I'd like to try one.

 

My sister's fiance has a Paceman on tick, it's a hideous thing that hasn't even caught on with its target market, unsurprisingly people don't want a BINI with reduced rear headroom - 2050 shite.

[dave21478]

I like these. Nice enough in most driving circumstances.

 

A giffer I work for has a gold Cooper complete with gaffer tape round the sunroof, all four corners knocked in and the last time I saw him he was happily wanging a handfull of chipboard screws into some loose bit of interior trim.

[mercrocker]

I think if they were not called a MINI then they would have been alot more popular with weirdos in the internet, but less popular with the general population.

 

 

^^^

That's my main problem with the things - the way BMW tried to re-write history and remove the name from general after-market circulation in respect of the earlier cars.

 

 

A day will come when someone posts a picture of one in a spotted thread and we'll all say "Where did they all go?, they used to be everywhere..." "

 

 

^^^

Not to mention if BMW never happened, the project was still-born and the only example in Gaydon prompted shouts of "Why, oh Why did they not build these? Blah.blah...."

 

In a nutshell, I am glad there are people with jobs in Cowley cos of these. I accept the original Mini was well-overdue for the chop but cannot accept these cars as Mini. Whatever the Mini was replaced with would have been no interest to me anyway. Good luck to the future Autoshite-ness of the early Bini but they can shove the evolutionary bollocks with a shitty stick.

 

[Vince70]

I had a look and bought a cheap very low mileage 04 cooper for a friend of mine about 6 months back for under 2 grand and must say their a hoot to drive and quite nippy for a car with only 115bhp but I think it's most probably detuned so as not to shat the over stressed gearbox as up to June 04 the cooper and the mini one come with the chocolate Midlands box but I think the S came with the much stronger Getrag box from day one.

 

Obviously ditch the runflats as it transforms the ride and the car seems to be squeak free and is quite well screwed together motor.

 

We had the gearbox oil changed at around 48/49000 miles and it was well overdue with the amount of swarf that was stuck on the magnetic gearbox plug and I believe that's one of the reasons most minis need a new gearbox at around 80000 as its supposed to be a sealed for life unit so it's worth doing.

 

Also I think I've read somewhere that the power steering motor is a week point on them.

[Timewaster]

Was expecting a slaging off of an IVECO van. disappointed.

fixed.

[overrun]

New run about. Cracking wee car, and a lot of fun. Opinions... I know it's a girls car, but I like it.

 

Brilliant cars.

Yours could only be improved by a black roof etc. imo.

 

The early ones are a total bargain.

 

I just flogged this one;

 

 

Cooper D, which my sister swapped me, for an Alfa I had repaired and was selling.

I used it for work for a few days.

Heavy controls, but a brilliant chassis. So chuckable.

 

I would have a <2005 Cooper S, with no hesitation.