hello everyone, This is my first post here on ausmini!
I dont own a mini as yet but I recently saw my cousin's morris van mini & thought "i want one" almost as soon as i layed eyes on it.
but before i buy one i thought i'd ask a few questions first from people who can probably answer them best.

~i'm wanting to buy a mini of any discription ( PREFERABLY a morris, not leyland, but i'm not really fussed) are there any models known to cause more grief & have more known downfalls than others?

~i'm not adverse to fixing cars myself & dont mind reparing them (having owned a 77 Corolla in days past ) but I'm wanting a car that isnt going to break down every second weekend, am i barking up the wrong tree looking at minis?

~ i recently took a Clubman S (1L) for a test drive & was a bit dissapointed at its soggy brakes & its overall Grunt going up hills, was this a bad example? Do the coopers generaly go better with the 1275cc as i've heard they do & do the Cooper S's leave the others for dust?

Any other advice for a first time mini buyer would be muchly appreciated!
cheers

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"why am i sticky and naked? did i miss something fun?!" - Philip. j. Fry

welcome rohan,

mini's are just like any other old car....if you look after it, it will be reliable and serve you well, if you dont look after it, it will spit the dummy. The soggy brakes you speak of could have been anything from un adjusted drums, to air in the lines ....the lack of grunt is down to the fact that it was a 998cc......almost any other mini motor will have more grunt than a 998 has...but yeah 1275's are a lot nicer (especially with some work done). Almost all minis with 1275's will have (read: should) disc brakes and hence stop much better also..........

but just remember, the best part of driving a mini is the handling!!

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Welcome RohaN, lets start with ALL Minis can be tempramental...but the benefits of getting one running and handling sweetly far outweigh the downside.

1275 engine or bigger certainly helps but is not everything....Disk Brakes are a big help!!

Not averse to fixing cars?? man you will fit right in to the Mini community.....the sweet little 1100 Corolla will seem like a walk in the park!!

To stop breaking down every second weekend you need to service the Mini regularly....they are not the sort of car you can just drive and hope for the best.........having said all that......get into it, you will love it!!

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"Show me the Mini!"

Have to agree with the above....... Slidey is my first mini, and i must admit i knew absolutely nothing about them before i bought one, but in the following couple of months of owning him i have learn't the basics of what to look for and basic maintainence routines........
You have come to the right place, Ausmini has been invaluable to me and i'm sure you will find it is helpful for yourself as well........... just don't be afraid to ask questions, cos you're not going to learn if u keep quiet!!!!!!!

Hope it all goes well in the search and look forward to seeing pics of the purchase whenever that happens

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I got nuthin......................

welcome to the board!
Im sure everyone here will give you the answers to all your questions (they have been really helpful to me!)
Cheers Stef.

A cooper S is very nice but a good example is upwards of $10k.

With your first mini the most important thing is the fundamentals - its really important to get a good example from a good owner which has been driven regularly. It might sound obvious but when you look at it the price of an average mini which has been fairly recently restored and that of one fixed up 10 years ago but driven once a year since wouldnt be too different - but in terms of reliability the 10yr old resto would have had 10 times more chance of stuff begining to brake\deteriorate\rot. Also if you're buying a car for daily driver and dont feel like doing a full restoration get one that is currently being driven daily as the owner would have been much more motivated to resolve the miriad of small reliability issues and make his car a practical everyday transport.

Basicaly in any mini in any condition you become a driver in the old sense of the word - ie automobilist, amateur mechanic, enthusiast (and with many an aspiring race\rally driver). Regardless of the mini you'd have your hands full with either fixing or "improving" it. So with your first one you atleast wanna reduce the load by buying a good straight reliable car to begin with - and inevitably paying more and spending much more time looking and researching - or the actual ownership experience might become overwhelmingly frustrating. You'd still have more than enough stuff to fix in the car if you wantr to but atleast you'd be able to a) drive it every day and b) avoid the more difficult and unpleasant tasks

Well thanks all for the advice!
i'll let you all know when i buy one, in the meantime i'll continue to build the ol' knowledge base up meethinks.

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"why am i sticky and naked? did i miss something fun?!" - Philip. j. Fry

Welcom Rohan to the mad house
As someone has mention above just keep asking questions and you will go far....At least with Mini's you can fix them your self with the basic tool set not like newer cars of today. I now have one mini which is a daily drive (wifes) and and another which is my project. When wiffie's Morris is off the road my wife is not happy as then has to drive my car (alfa75) to work, more grunt but not as my fun. Yep my wife is a dedicated Mini Driver
Have a look in the forsale section for a ausmini Member car, Trading post or Ebay. Let the fun begine and good luck

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

Welcome to ausmini.

The question you have to ask yourself is this. How much work do you want to do to the car initially? There are 3 different calls of action in this area (I recon). 1 - Your basic "total restoration Mini", which needs rust repair, respray and mechanical. 2 - Good body/bad mechanicals. 3 - Nothing to do.

It's all depending on what you want from the car. If you want something that is quite fast and reliable, then maybe the 2nd option is one for you. Get a good base that doesn't need a repsray or any rust work done, and spend the attention on the mechanicals. The way I look at it, you will then know exactally whats on you car, and the condition of it. There are plenty of people (thats a complement to some of them! ) from Sydney who can help you out.

If ya just want a hop in and go Mini, then get the 3rd option. The bad things will eventually fail and get replaced, so you will end up with a good reliable car in the end.

Anyways, just my 2c.

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Welcome Rohan and have fun both with this forum and with your Mini - when you get one - notice I didn't say "if"

Mate, whichever way you decide to go, you will have a ball as Minis are fun to drive and are something of a head-turner sort of a car. They stick like glue in the tightest corner which will allow you to catch up on your mates in their Commodores etc even if they have pulled away in the straight. It also pisses people off no end coz they underestimate what a Mini can do .

Just get one and enjoy the Mini experience which includes getting your tools out on a regular basis; the fun of driving one far outweighs any hassles with the old sockets and spanners.

ENJOY and spend some money

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Rod
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v607/Rodney/

wait till you get to the shoppingcentre car park. you would not have seen that many teeth before. and finger pointing will be used for good not evil

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

lol....you're right gaf.....and the amount of 50-something men that come up and say "i used to have one of them when i was a kid......great fun" you can tell they all wish they still had one

and if they dont say that, you often overhear them telling their kids who have been pointing "it's a mini.......i used to have one"

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hey rohan if ya want i'll gladly look at cars for you and there are a few others here that will help you
makka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

Rohan

welcome to ausmini. good luck in finding the right mini. you know its out there.

If you want a look at a variety of minis this friday night, we are trying to get as many as possible turn up for the Mini Car Club christmas general meeting. Quite a few members of this board will be there and the variety of their cars will give you a good idea of whats out there. Check out the details of the time and venue at www.miniclub.com.au

you don't need to be a member to turn up and chat to us, hope to see you there

michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

That's hilarious!! Is there really such a thing?