just had my first lesson...

Blackhawk47

Blackhawk47

Blackhawk47

Soldato
Joined
17 Sep 2007
Posts
11,117
Location
West Yorkshire / Market Bosworth
and i love it ! turned 17 today (yay me), had first lesson today for 2 hours. cant wait till i pass the test, did loads of driving today only stalled 3 times which he said was pretty good.

now...i have a bit of a dilema. i (i say i but its not really mine) have a mini cooper 1997 , all wood and leather inside, show room condition, in the garage. it hasnt been used for a while (as a main car) . now im thinking about using it to learn in and then taking it over when i pass my test. or should i wait till i get a job and then get like a corsa (which im learning in). the mini is great, but ive only just started driving and thats a PAS car, so whats the difference, is non pas that bad as people make out ? (mini has never broken down - only done 10,000 miles)

im going to see tonight and ask my dad if he will take me to a car park in it and let me try.
 
Turn the engine off in your PAS car and let it roll down a small hill, then try steer it. Thats how my instructer showed me what no PAS feels like anyway.
 
Just think - if the Mini was undrivable without PAS, how would people have ever driven it? Only women and those with thin arms find it difficult.
 
Camalot said:
Turn the engine off in your PAS car and let it roll down a small hill, then try steer it. Thats how my instructer showed me what no PAS feels like anyway.
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No don't do that. Cars with PAS are geared differently, so a car with PAS will feel a lot heavier with no assistance than a car that didn't have PAS to start with.

Minis weight about as much as the two PostIt Pads on my desk, so you shouldn't have any difficulty ;)
 
People who find cars without PAS a problem are just pansies and gayers, the lot of them :p

<runs>

And yea, you'll enjoy driving the Mini. Until you stove it into something, or it corrodes in front of you :D

Hell, when I was learning to drive it was in a 'modern' Lanos (manual, PAS, etc). My 'daily' was an automatic, unassisted everything Triumph. Didn't do me any harm.
 
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Once moving power steering isnt really needed, its if you try parking in a tight spot where you might feel the strain. ;)
 
I wouldn't honestly reccomend a car that is in "showroom condition" as a first car. I have a classic mini cooper lined up as my first car (although it is actually MINE), and mine is in no way mint, there's chips, scratches, bits of rust, and the like.

A classic mini in such good condition is worth a rather large amount of cash, probably pushing on £3750 or maybe a bit more, and personally I'd rather drive something that won't devalue so greatly as I put a bit of wear and tear into it.

Just my opinion though mate, I'm sure the mini is damn tempting, they'll probably be a tad quicker than 1.2 corsa or the like as well, as the BHP/tonne is about 90, rather than the corsas 70~.
 
hmm had ago today, but it wasnt really my cup of tea, i know for starters thats its a bit bumpy, sure its a head turner (racing red, union jack, john cooper stripes, racing wheels, racing spotlights, fat wheels, and 1.3 to boot) however also has a bumpy ride and other "first car" flaws like being so different to newer cars. so making it uncomfortable unless its on a motorway + insurance is a lot compared with my friend on his 1.0 corsa. so when i get a job, ill hopefully be driving there as quickly as possible (so as soon as i pass) so i might as well spend only a few grand on a corsa, as we got the mini valued and could be sold for £7000 :O and my parents could do with that, definatly help with the extra insurance to pay (for me on a car to learn in-which will be a smart forfour :rolleyes: cant say i love it but hey , its got aircon :cool: )

thanks for the commenting guys.
 
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Not having PAS isn't a problem, it's a bit heavier than a PAS car when parking in a tight spot, but other than that is fine. When you're on the move, it feels no different.

RE: Camalot, and trying to turn the wheel in a PAS car with the engine turned off - that's not a fair comparison. As essentially, you're turning the wheel and trying to move a hydraulic ram with it at the same time. When turned on, it's fine, when turned off it's next to impossible. A non-PAS car has no ram, and is miles easier.
 
Minis are great fun to be in, the ride is a bit bumpy but the sensation of speed is incrediable compared to new small cars.

Good on you though, I'd never have a 7k car as my first.

My mini is currently sitting drying in the garage, as we correct a previous owner or garages seriously poor welding job which consisted of welding over a rusted panel, and welding over a drainage hole, causing the panel welded over, and the one under it, to rust even more! Ah well, 4 months to get it roadworthy ;)
 
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Hxc said:
Minis are great fun to be in, the ride is a bit bumpy but the sensation of speed is incrediable compared to new small cars.

Good on you though, I'd never have a 7k car as my first.

My mini is currently sitting drying in the garage, as we correct a previous owner or garages seriously poor welding job which consisted of welding over a rusted panel, and welding over a drainage hole, causing the panel welded over, and the one under it, to rust even more! Ah well, 4 months to get it roadworthy ;)
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yeah i know, its in the garage, not used in bad weather anyway, no one else has owned it so should get a could price for it. i know, in mini 30 seems like 60/70 compared with jag xj 3.0 :eek:

thinking of getting a corsa , something cheap, friends have them and they are fun, cheap, not going to give me a telling if bang it ;)

cant get this song out of my head now :p
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JYZNSyP9v9M&feature=related
 
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