my gf had a toyota camry that she drove around for 6 months with the oil light on. Never gave us any trouble before or after that. If I could buy any car for a first car or solely for reliability it would be a toyota. If you put taste and street cred aside toyota small cars are IMO the best option.

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Your G/F was incredibly lucky that it was only an oil pressure switch (or some other electrical fault) that failed. If it had been a failed oil pump or simply out of oil then a big bang with a rod out the side of the block was only minutes away.

yes, I agree, If I was going to put a teenage daughter into a car it would be a small toyota sedan costing up to about $5K. Toyota's, like any other car, can be clapped out and unsafe but selective buying should get one that is a good first drivers car and reliable (within reason).

If buying a S/H Toyota, look inside the cam cover/rocker cover and disregard the grotty ones.
I periodically trawl the loclal wrecker, divesting RWD Corollas of their rocker assemblies for transplanting into A series motors.
You would not believe the crud I find, many Toyota owners obviously have no idea that a motor likes an oil change every decade, if not sooner.
One had so much crud in there, the head bolts and everything else seemed covered by black grotty seagrass..

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

One of my brothers mates had a absolutely crap Hyundai or Dihatsu (or something) and he owned it for about half a year and he couldnt get the bonnet open because of a dint in it.
He said that the oil light was on for the last 3 or so months, soo we managed to pry the hood open and checked the oil levels and there was what looked to be no oil

So we found a random bottle of oil (probibly been sitting out in the sun for about 5-6 years) and poured all of it in, and he says that its 'quite noticeable' how much it made a diffrence.


On topic:
I was considering a mini as a first car...but as just about everyone has been telling you they are'nt cheap, and yes they where reliable back in the day but not now .
Mini's are fantastic little buggers...but maby later in life as a weekend car or something .

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Quoat: Mick
"If drugs tell you that a society has too much money, then burnouts in commodores tell you that tyres are too cheap."

The same thing would happen with a Hillman Imp GT, a Toranna GTR or a Prince Skyline. Each of those were as good as they come for their time. Now they all suffer all the symptoms of a series of drivers that loved every thing about them and enjoyed spririted driving.

My point is just realise what the minis are - they are period car and they are forty years old. Buy them as a toy, dont compared them to an Excel. Its just not a good comparison.

Definitely don't compare a Mini to an Excel - Minis aren't known for having the welding in the front suspension disassemble itself
My 20 y/o sister's looking at a first car. It made me look into the cost of it all for her. The cheapest insurance she can get for a base model Barina made this century is $100/month! Add that to a loan to get the car, fuel, tyres, rego... Owning a car is flat out expensive, no matter what it is. And anything can (and will) break down. The car you own will show your priorities. Whatever car you own, though, it's going to cost you folding stuff...

Im not comparing a mini to a excel.
Its just that from what people have been saying in these threads im getting the impression that if i owned a mini and drove it every day not thrashing it, just driving it, it will have many problems and break down just about every week...sorry but thats what it sounds like.

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Quoat: Mick
"If drugs tell you that a society has too much money, then burnouts in commodores tell you that tyres are too cheap."

My sisters friend came over one day with the oil light on in her lancer - checked the oil - nothing on the dipstick, so we jacked it up and cracked open the sump, got one drip into the tray.

This car is still going strong - 2 years on.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

Dark Fool - go the Mini! I wouldn't want to buy a modern "first car" - like Dr Mini said, the odds are that they won't have had the oil changed, or, like Mini Mad said, they might have leaked/burned all their oil out before the warning light came on. It might be fine now, but I wouldn't want to be the next owner of that car! Buy a Mini, check all your levels regularly, keep everything lubricated, fix whatever breaks (every car breaks occasionally), and enjoy the car. It's like owning a pet - the extra work will help you appreciate what you've got, and set up good habits for the rest of your motoring life. The odds are that the previous owner will have cared for the Mini, whereas Japanese cars are showing that their reputation for mechanical infallibility is contributing to their downfall, from people who don't give them the (tiny) bit of attention they do need. Or people who assume their mechanics give them the attention they need - which is fair enough, and the mechanic should, but "modern" mechanics can be like modern car owners, in that they don't always remember the way things used to be, and do the extra checks. Mechanics trained at dealerships nowadays just read the code and add the required fluid... Engine problems? Replace it under warranty... 20 years ago they would've fixed what you had, hopefully in a manner where the problem wouldn't occur again. What I've said is a bit general, no offence intended to those who are "modern mechanics". I'm sure there are good ones out there, it's just we can't be sure where you are!

Cheers Tadhg! thanks a bunch for helping
Soo basicly...as said in another post when buying one just dont get a $2000-$4000 priced mini aim for about $6000-$8000, check out that its legit (its in the condition the owner states) and some routine checks?(every sunday or couple of weeks)

Sorry to be a bit of a downer and be a bit confusing before, just seemed to be two sides to the story...one was people on here saying that its not the best first car, and the other saying that it is. Oh well dont worry.

Thanks again Tadhg cleared ap a fair bit.

Cheers
Dave

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Quoat: Mick
"If drugs tell you that a society has too much money, then burnouts in commodores tell you that tyres are too cheap."

Price is not the best indicator of a good car - if it looks good and drives well then it probably is a good car but there are no guarrantees. It is possible to make a lemon look good.

Best bet is to take a mini expert with you or simply take the car to a mini expert for a better look. If the seller is genuinely sincere then they wont mind.

But all minis are going to have some faults - just how serious are the faults that matters.

Mike's right - price isn't an absolute indicator. The best bet is to take someone with experience with you when you look.
When you have a car, do the weekly, monthly, and quarterly checks (fluids weekly, if you get drums, that includes adjusting them every few weeks, and you should look at going around the car with a grease gun every 2-6 months), and things will run fairly smoothly. It means that, when something breaks, it most likely won't be as catastrophic, and you might spot something before it dies, which saves you a break down.
Another really, really good idea is to join a club. Even before you buy a car. They'll steer you in the right direction, and there might be someone who can look over cars with you when you're buying. They'll definitely be able to give you tips as to what to avoid.

Thanks, yeah there is a mini owner in Eltham and im sure theres more around that is willing to help.
What i ment about the price range is that i would have a better chance at picking up a gem at around $6k-$8k.
Ill stop worrying about the do's and donts, until when i get one (about a year away )

Cheers
Dave

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Quoat: Mick
"If drugs tell you that a society has too much money, then burnouts in commodores tell you that tyres are too cheap."

Another idea is to inspect and drive every single mini offered for sale. Don't be tempted to buy the first one you see or drive. Some will be better than you will ultimately buy and others will be dogs. But you will get an idea of what minis should and shouldn't be.

All of us hate test pilots and tyre kickers but I guess its cost of sales.

This way you will buy discriminately. Who knows you may even get the "barn find" - the $8,000 car for $2,000 because grandpa is never going to drive again.