If you can find one, consider buying an earlier carb Mini that has been properly restored and maintained. You should get reliabiltiy and classic status, simple mechanicals and a bigger grin factor than any modern Jap/Euro box will ever provide.

I used a 1310 Mini as daily driver for over 20 years and it was tremendous fun, seldom broke down and was very quick point to point city driving. Only downsides are you have to maintain them, especially regular oil changes as both the engine and trans use a common sump, unlikely to have aircon, and they have become a target for thieves (and not hard to steal).

Crash wise, they may not have all the high tech safety extras of modern cars, however it's easier to avoid crashing a Mini in the first place because they're so manoeuverable, stable and agile, and the earlier ones were made of decent thickness metal unlike many of today's counterparts.

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Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

I'm with Slide... with a few quibbles. I suggest my Mini is as easy to steal as a modern Toyota.

I have commuted in the Mini for over 30 years... its been to Hay (with a trophy to prove it), had two bodies (got tired of stacking hay bales in the S), a couple of engines, interiors (found better seats)... but its the same axe.

And... I have a deal for you.... or anyone else interested.

A 63 997 built by a local petrol head (Jaguars, Swallows, Cobras, TRs) to basically new. This is not a standard car - but its a get in, turn the key and go (quickly:) car built new from the ground up. I drove to Hay a few years ago in it - and around town more recently. PM me and i'll put you in touch.

Basically the reason I'm into Minis is that they will do exactly what they did 45 years ago (when I had my first).

Cheers, Ian

[quote=mini's like most cars are only as reliable as you make them. the jap imports are quite cheaply made like a lot of japanese small cars only built to really do 100,000k's as people trade them in at 60-70,000k's[/quote]

I would imagine some research would help in understanding that the japanese imports are UK built, the parts that go into resoring an older mini are the same or vary on the build age, be they austin, morris, bmc, leyland or rover.

Owing a classic Mini what ever the badge, requires love and regular care. Find a car you like and enjoy it.