Who here owns a Mini?

It looks like the aero kit but also like they have added the same arch trim as on my GP that has the indicator strip on it. Looks like it has an after market exhaust too.
 
Thanks for the information, I thought I had spotted the indicator strips before :) Yeah I spotted the exhaust, I actually quite like the kit on it, intriguing..
 
commited said:
I forgot to post specs, the pic makes it look like it could be a tarted up city E:


I've won a heap of stuff in it and generally had some good fun over the years.

I've had loads of Minis over the years, they are great little cars, here are just 2 of them:
Mini.jpg

6.jpg


My girlfriend has one mothballed at home but it'll need a reshell and full resto when we get back (it's already had a full mechanical rebuild)
Click to expand...

These are proper mini's to me. The BMW Mini is just a a small car, a good one but nothing that other small cars of the same size can do. The original Mini was small and could take on far larger cars.

Can anyone answer this for me, the new Mini's carry the Cooper badge. Did John Cooper develop anything for that range? That is a serious question.
 
Thats what I was thinking, the kit must have surely cost a small fortune. I have no idea if you can buy a replica one or not but the car certainly looks clean in the photos (we all know this means nothing!!)
 
Third Opinion said:
These are proper mini's to me. The BMW Mini is just a a small car, a good one but nothing that other small cars of the same size can do. The original Mini was small and could take on far larger cars.

Can anyone answer this for me, the new Mini's carry the Cooper badge. Did John Cooper develop anything for that range? That is a serious question.
Click to expand...

Keep saying it enough and maybe someone will care.

We get it, you don't like them, we heard you the first time.
 
rare said:
Thanks for the information, I thought I had spotted the indicator strips before :) Yeah I spotted the exhaust, I actually quite like the kit on it, intriguing..
Click to expand...

The reflectors on the aero kit are due to it being a US spec version, I imagine someone added the kit to the car at a later date and it didn't come out the factory like that.
 
Howard said:
I really, really like these (the BMW ones, that is, not the awful old ones (sorry :p ) )

I have a few questions:

How reliable are they?
How fast do they really feel, with 170bhp? What are they "comparable" to in this respect?
How much does it cost to get more power?
How comfortable are they on the motorway?
Will it feel as fast as my old 165bhp MX5?
Click to expand...

They aren't overly reliable, things do go wrong and when they do they usually cost quite a bit to fix. For example my clutch bearing was making a noise and to fix it BMW wanted £1000. There are however a lot of good specialists now who will charge a lot less.

They are nippy but the power is linear so no great surge of power anywhere in particular.

To get power initially isn't too hard but beyond 210-220bhp you will have to start spending more. 1320 Mini do a basic power upgrade at a reasonable cost (http://www.1320.co.uk/category/138-1320-r53-mini-cooper-s-performance-engine-packages.aspx).

They aren't that comfortable especially with run flats, the suspension is hard. Most people will say ditch the run flats anyway just for the handling but this also improves the comfort. It never really bothered me before but I never did big miles.

No idea how it would feel compared to your mx-5, best way is to go out and test drive one :) They can be great fun to drive but aren't the quickest in a straight line.

The main forums for information are:

Mini torque
Mini2
Total Mini
 
Tombles said:
They aren't overly reliable, things do go wrong and when they do they usually cost quite a bit to fix. For example my clutch bearing was making a noise and to fix it BMW wanted £1000. There are however a lot of good specialists now who will charge a lot less.

They are nippy but the power is linear so no great surge of power anywhere in particular.

To get power initially isn't too hard but beyond 210-220bhp you will have to start spending more. 1320 Mini do a basic power upgrade at a reasonable cost (http://www.1320.co.uk/category/138-1320-r53-mini-cooper-s-performance-engine-packages.aspx).

They aren't that comfortable especially with run flats, the suspension is hard. Most people will say ditch the run flats anyway just for the handling but this also improves the comfort. It never really bothered me before but I never did big miles.

No idea how it would feel compared to your mx-5, best way is to go out and test drive one :) They can be great fun to drive but aren't the quickest in a straight line.

The main forums for information are:

Mini torque
Mini2
Total Mini
Click to expand...

To amend this I would say:

The issue isn't run flats on coopers and cooper s, its stupid big wheels, its a small car with stiff suspension and lots people insist on sticking 17"s on them and it destroys the ride.
As for how fast they are, just read any online group road test, the R56S will hit 60 in 6.5 seconds and stock cars have been known to be chucking out 190bhp as standard when they have been on a dyno.

There was tensioner problems that BMW fixed on a recall.
Some people find the dip stick difficult to read and run the car low on oil (causes tensioner problems) or out of oil.
People run them on standard fuel and on short distances, so they get coked up.

It's a pretty sound car, but lots of them are run by women who treat them and drive the same as a 1.2 corsa, never given a run, run on the wrong oil or the oil isn't checked every week, cheap tyres stuck on them etc etc and the car doesn't like it.
 
The reflectors on the aero kit are due to it being a US spec version, I imagine someone added the kit to the car at a later date and it didn't come out the factory like that.
Click to expand...

Thanks:) Going to look at the red one I posted on pistonheads later today.
 
rare said:
Thanks:) Going to look at the red one I posted on pistonheads later today.
Click to expand...

Good luck, looks like a good example, maybe a tad over priced for the year but the condition may reflect this.

atpbx said:
There was tensioner problems that BMW fixed on a recall.
Some people find the dip stick difficult to read and run the car low on oil (causes tensioner problems) or out of oil.
People run them on standard fuel and on short distances, so they get coked up.
Click to expand...

Also, power steering pump and steering rack failures are fairly common. By now though a majority of these problems (if they occured) should have been fixed by now.

As atpbx says a lot are owned by women not knowing how to take proper care of the car.
 
Last edited:
Good luck, looks like a good example, maybe a tad over priced for the year but the condition may reflect this.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I was thinking, though it does look extremely clean. I will wait and see!
 
My gf has a BMW Mini Cooper and loves it. I actually find it quite fun to drive but it has suffered quite a few problems and I want her to sell it as soon as its out of warranty.

I drove it to work one day and got called gay by virtually everyone.
 
Skeeter said:
Try driving with Hello Kitty seat belt covers, tax disc holder, air freshener and a little Hello Kitty figure hanging from the sun visor! :p
Click to expand...

Did you bring that to a southern meet once, back in like 2009? I have vague memories of someone bringing a car festooned with Hello Kitty crapola
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom