Mini's are awesome!

Can we just have one Mini thread that gets resurrected every time somebody wants to slate or vouch for British Leylands baby? ;)

A couple of points.

Firstly, the venom with which Mini owners and fans respond to criticism never fails to astound me. I don't think I've ever known a fan base be so fierce in their defence of a car. At least Beetle and camper drivers are willing to admit the faults with their cars, as are most "bands" of car fans. Guys, your Minis are not perfect, they are not flawless, they are not exempt from criticism on the merit of being "cute"

Secondly, I've driven and been driven in quite a few Minis, both standard and modified. They're good fun. Very good fun! They are raucous, unrefined, bumpy, harsh...but fun. I won't dispute that for one second. I just don't think they are "all they're cracked up to be"
I personally find other 80's hot hatches to drive, but that is just personal preference.

Thirdly, having a go at Dons and regular posters specifically for voicing there opinions will NOT be tolerated - it stops now.
 
i never said they were perfect :) and finally it wasnt about posting opinions but how its conducted and carried out. ah well. wouldnt mind hearing a bit more about westys ride out
 
mini's have always confused me...... id be lying if I said I didnt admire people who have concourse cars, its amazing, and ive seen some cool mini's (that black one with purple wheels that had a 2.0 turbo engine from a calibra AND the 4wd setup... yummy ! however .. they arent this performance madcar that people make them out to be.... and they do have some pretty horrific flaws :)
 
Well i bought my first mini a few weeks ago, always wanted one

just love them without question

gonna be a complete rebuild job :( :) recon the 998cc block (hopefully change to 1275cc later), lots of chrome, new shocks, 12"x 5" i think ill go for (do 5 1/2" need body mods?) SS twin dtm exhaust, K&N, maybe make it a GT in the future (*twin carbs) gonna get a complete respray (i dont like silver!) 4 Spots etc etc etc

:D
 
Is there anyone who has bought a classic Mini on here that actually worked and didn't need a complete rebuild before it would pass an MOT? :D
 
Although i can see the fun in a mini, i will never ever set foot in one in my lifetime.

Reason being, one of my best friends 16 year old sister was killed instantly when the mini she was passenger in (back seat) hit at tree at about ~40 and basically disintegrated (it was actually in very good condition before the crash as well). The lad in the passenger seat was also killed. :(

The driver wasnt being wreckless, just misjudged the corner.....very sad.
 
The same can happen in a Ford Ka, Suzuki Swift, almost any small car that impacts a tree.

Trees are VERY unforgiving when you try to go head to head with them in a car.

I've seen what was left of a full sized American Ford F-350 Super Duty 4X4 that tangled with a tree at 40mph. Let's just say the ONLY thing that saved the guy was the airbags and he was drunk (reason for the accident in the first place).

I'll see if I can find the pics of the American version of Fox's Mondeo that only CLIPPED a tree at 30mph around here. It DESTROYED the car. Completely!! The impact was on the passenger's side, and yet The Jaws of Life were required to get the driver out of HIS door!! :o

Saying a car is unsafe because someone died in one due to impact with a tree is a little much. Even a Volvo's occupants will receive serious injuries with a tree collision.
 
Surely at the end of the day its down to the drivers enjoyment?

If a bloke down the road enjoys driving his Nissan Micra or Mini then fine let him be - i think a lot of people here are severly dis-illusioned between voicing an opinion and personal preference - and being just plain arrogant and pompous.

Adam.
 
Mickey_D said:
The same can happen in a Ford Ka, Suzuki Swift, almost any small car that impacts a tree.

Trees are VERY unforgiving when you try to go head to head with them in a car.

I've seen what was left of a full sized American Ford F-350 Super Duty 4X4 that tangled with a tree at 40mph. Let's just say the ONLY thing that saved the guy was the airbags and he was drunk (reason for the accident in the first place).

I'll see if I can find the pics of the American version of Fox's Mondeo that only CLIPPED a tree at 30mph around here. It DESTROYED the car. Completely!! The impact was on the passenger's side, and yet The Jaws of Life were required to get the driver out of HIS door!! :o

Saying a car is unsafe because someone died in one due to impact with a tree is a little much. Even a Volvo's occupants will receive serious injuries with a tree collision.
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I still personally believe that if she/they had been in a different car they would've survived.

I think if you can dig out crash tests for the Ford Ka/Suzuki Swift, etc against a mini (old mini, not new bloated mini) you'll be shocked.....they are a lot smaller and a lot less "impact resistant" than most superminis.

This accident was also offset, not head on....so not quite as bad as it couldve been, yet two people were killed.

Like i say, i can see the fun in a mini......but they are well known for being unsafe in accidents and after my personal experience, you wont get me in one.
 
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