BMW mini what are they like

[fowler]

as above really as a friend of mine whats to buy one
does anyone have any info about them when looking to buy
Any info would be greatfully recieved
Regards
Ben

[Rosc0PColtrane]

[fowler]

yes iknow but what are they like drive etc faults ??

[Rosc0PColtrane]

[daimlerman]

A big car pretending to be a small car...

[Jhonno]

i drove one about for a couple of weeks.. was the most fun ive had driving in years! i didnt even miss the power of my 328i (it was only a Mini One..) Nothing went wrong or even sqeaked in that period and it was a convertible

Sorry cant offer much more than that

[darkchild]

Only ever had one as a courtesy car but no complaints from me. Handled superbly and went well enough even though it was the base model. Interior trim wasn't BMW standard but then they're a fun hatch not an exec mobile.

[320Touring]

Great fun to drive- similar to orig mini but much more refined.

Definate 4 seater-quite tight in the back.

not aware of any major recalls.

[darkchild]

not aware of any major recalls.

IIRC there was one connected with the fuel filler as there was a 0.00000000000147% chance that something could spark and blow up car, owner and a small village Pretty sure it was only the very early cars.

[saqi]

drove a mini cooper once and to be honest they are quite nippl little things build quality is ok but to sum it up there fun to drive

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Cooper S is supposed to be good fun around a track. Until it comes across a Fabia vrs in it's rear view mirror....

[fowler]

thanks gent that the sort of info i am after

[E30BeemerLad]

drove a cooper s at a trackday at croft twice now, good fun in the handling dept, reasonable amount of shove

think i'd still save a few bob and buy a clio 172/182/trophy and have some more fun though

[hammoj28]

They are ace.

Out of all the new hatch backs id have a cooper S.

Im into my old minis quite a bit and my mate has a new mini One. its been taken up to 130bhp and has eibach/bilstein suspension. Handles like its on rails and is great fun to drive. They are great cars. The interior is so nice too.

[Morat]

If you're 6ft4 you can't sit in the front passenger seat without your knees being crammed against the dash. I never tried to drive it.

[Maxus]

We had a Cooper a couple of years ago. It was one of the few modern cars that makes you smile. Drives superbly, nicely finished, plenty of room in the front (I'm 6ft3), goes well enough.

Try and get one with a chili pack as this has lots of nice bits in it. Sports suspension can be a bit harsh.

The gearbox on pre-facelift cars can be a weak point. I think it's a Rover unit that crunches into reverse. A friend is having to replace the gearbox on their 51 plate car with c60,000 on it.

[Jhonno]

If you're 6ft4 you can't sit in the front passenger seat without your knees being crammed against the dash. I never tried to drive it.

my mate did ok.. and he's 6'7!

[daveburke114]

two of my friends have one, one has no problems at all, and the other only a few issues. one is the gearbox crunches everytime she puts it in reverse which seems to be a common fault on pre--facelift models. aparently they used rover gearboxes which were crap, and replaced by getrag in 2004...
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/to ... 0&t=298596

the other is a minor issue with the cd player being tempremental, so no big issue!

apart from that they both love their minis with a passion!

hope that helps

dave

[stuartgallafant]

They're gay badly built pieces of sh!t. They rattle like f*ck, the gearboxes are w4nk, the engines have to revved right up to get anything out of them... i could go on. Im sick of seeing the b4stard things. We get more MINI's in now than BMW's

The new ones however, are a lot lot better. Getrag gearboxes, better engines, slightly different suspension and actually built more like a BMW

They are fun to drive, i'll give you that. But im assuming your mate is a fella and not a bird?! They're definately birds cars mate. Every time i see a bloke in a MINI, Cooper S or not, i just cant help but think TWAT... Sometimes i actually shout it!!

[uzdubmwe30]

Rear callipers seize up along with pads, so pads and discs dont last long, have changed two sets of callipers on the same car at my place over two years, plus they sound like remote controlled cars.

[SamiS]

Great cars. Have owned 2. Both coopers, with the second being a JCW.

Very nippy and will out do alot around the bends.

Managed to go through a gearbox and a driveshaft in the first one! But BMW provide an amazing warranty. Also the servicing is very cost effective if you buy the TLC pack (something like £500 for 3 years of servicing).

Any questions let me know, i know them inside out. All about options as well.

They don't have to look to bad either, here's my old one.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Skoda Fabia Vrs

[ChrisBarns]

Make sure its got electically adjustable seat heights other wise your rear seat passengers can't put their feet under your seat.

[Morat]

If you're 6ft4 you can't sit in the front passenger seat without your knees being crammed against the dash. I never tried to drive it.

my mate did ok.. and he's 6'7!

Well, either the guy who owned the car I was in had something stuck behind the seat or your mate takes XXXXXXlong jackets and has a 32" inside leg


I think mini is the marmite of cars. You love em or hate em. Personally, I'd have them all scrapped.

[JONUK]

I think mini is the marmite of cars. You love em or hate em. Personally, I'd have them all scrapped.

I'm with the yorkshireman

[fozzymandeus]

Clio 172/182 is better, even though the build quality lacks.

[e30bmlover]

+1, i @ucking hate the little $hit heaps! i will NEVER......... EVER accept them as a bmw, no doubt there are some judas's on here that love em.

[o22ie]

like my e30, i have it because its a classic, i dont like the new ones...

same applies to the mini, i love the old ones (had a 1275 cooper s) the newer stuff just dont appeal to me weather they are made by austin, bmw or rays autos

[jbh]

my wee brotheer dosent like them one of them made an awfall mess to his first car



amazingly he walked away from that after a head on smash with a new mini copper s

[BMracing]

As most people saying they are a great handling front drive car.
They're not too bad but nowhere near as well made or reliable as a BMW. From what I saw when I worked for BM...

The bonnet insulation caught fire on early models (all recalled and no one hurt but laughable nevertheless), noisy/poor power steering pumps packing up (they're noisy enough when working properly), lots of knocking steering racks replaced, occasional gearbox problems on pre-getrag models - needed replacing, clutches are weak too, the airbag light comes on if you slide the passenger seat back sharply on most models, saw many headgaskets replaced on all the engine variants (chrysler piece of sh*te). Look out for signs of water ingress as well - on hardtops or convertibles - that was a common problem, windscreens chip/crack quite easily because of how upright they are.
This is all from the top of my head, it was a couple of years ago now.

Don't get me wrong i'm sure there's plenty of people that haven't experienced any of these problems, but some things to look out for there!
I wouldn't risk buying one out of warranty from what i've seen but they are good fun and have a lot of character.

[bloom_meister]

I've had 3, all from new, 2 Mino One's and one Cooper S cab. They are all totally brilliant, sure they have their quirks (no rear visibility on cabs) but wow do they handle. All mine were pre facelift so the cooper S was the supercharged not turbo and I can (and have) reccomended them to loads of people, all of who have loved them.

They are so FUN to drive, like a big safe go cart they just grip and grip and grip and then progressively understeer.

Resale values are great too plus they are all FSH as the TLC pack is a amazingly cheap option with new cars so everyone takes it.

Buy one, you wont regret it

Tim

[tommye30]

I have taken a few of them apart and found them not to be anywhere near as well built or easy to work on as an e30

[wiledw]

One word woefull! Slow, over priced badly made and you look like faggot driving them!

[fowler]

cheers folks we went to see a few and they are all shite. she got a 206cc instead still gay but the roof goes down and in her words " it makes me look sexy" i said B*****ks.
so thanks for all the information.
Stuie you will all ways look gay in any car LOL

[oakey]

206cc