At least in an 1100 you can open the rear doors for more leg room.

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Miniworx Centre 0883741299
Sooperdooperminicooperexpertengineering
Online BMW Mini Shop

No, no , no.....hats and tissues on the parcel shelf as it's about 30cm deep, touring maps go on the shelf under the dash...and the picnic 'case' (if you're being true to the 1960's) will slide under the front seat from the back or, gosh, go in the boot with the other 9 1/2 cubic feet of essentials...

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1969 Morris 1100 S Automatic

ahhhh......the interior smell of an old British car....

stop it now Chris

you're only going to drive the price of "our" cars up - we all know about the Morris 1100 S tax

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'62 Morris 850 (Marion)
'65 Mini Delux - sleeper 1275/S discs (Ms Plum)
'69 Vanden Plas Princess 1300
'71 Wolseley 1300
'74 Austin 1300 Countryman
'94 XJ6 Sport 3.2
'04 Rover 75 CDTi

Parts for minis are cheap, and you can get nearly everything for them if you are prepared to search. I don't know of any other popular classic car that is so cheap and easy to buy parts for (possible exception of the original mustang but what you save in parts you spend on fuel). Anyone who says mini parts are expensive or hard to get should try getting parts for any of the following cars, any 60s or 70s italian cars, 60s british fords (body parts), or datsun fairlady roadster. Sorry if this sounds a but blunt but minis are cheap. Minis are also some of the best fun you can have in a car (cloths on) and are simple to work on which I think makes them a great entry to classic motoring.

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Lindsay Palmer
06 Mazda SP23
80 Alfa GTV (weekend toy)
86 626 Turbo (daily drive, now stolen)
71 cooper s replica
69 cooper replica
76 clubman
62 english 850
68 Mini Auto

I love my car. It's my daily and it's reliable. With that said I am a big believer in preventative maintenance. I have driven to coffs harbour and back and to brisbane a few times in it. Goes great, only have to fill it with fuel and top up the oil (all A-series engines use oil at high rev's).

They can be expensive if you don't work on cars yourself and you are paying someone else to.

If you are prepared to have a go they are a great car! And you can fit more stuff in a mini than what you reckon

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

If you want reliable, buy a Honda or a Corolla. If you want a reasonbly affordable, work on able(ok, that ain't a word), parts accessible classic, get a mini.

The other thing is, get into a forum like this and there is a wealth of help on tap.

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

I agree the cost of parts are cheap - however if you are not mechanically adept there will be huge servicing costs just for general maintenance and whenever they break down. Also for what they are, they are an expensive little car now.

If you've already got one and can do maintenance yourself sure they are cheap to keep on the road. IF you have to buy one and pay someone to do all the work for you they are hardly a cheap option.

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

True....

But Olli is automatic and while people will still do unspeakable things to get to his heart, he is a little safer than if he were a manual....

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1969 Morris 1100 S Automatic

ahhhh......the interior smell of an old British car....

Yeah im not to good with repairing things myself, i can do unscrewing of things and replacing them but i really have no idea what iam doing

I guess it depends on what we're comparing to.

Parts are easily available and fairly cheap, due to the massive enthusuiast community.

In 2.5 years of running our MY2000 Mitsubishi Mirage, servicing costs including brakes, tyres and 3 pink slip inspections at a local garage added up to about $1500.

In 2.5 years of running my 1990 Rover Mini including a new clutch, new brake cylinders/pipes and self-servicing the easy stuff (plugs, leads, oil & filters), my costs have probably been about the same.

My mate has a nearly new Subaru Forester, a car which most people would consider a good solid, reliable car, in one major service at the main dealer it cost him $880, and there was nothing wrong with it, just service parts and consumables in addition to the rip-off labour. (Yes, and that's the first and last time he's taking it ot the dealer!)

I think the thing is that spending large $$$ on servicing for a car that people think isn;t worth much in the first place feels like throwing money away, when in reality a well kept mini will hold or appreciate in value, whereas any other (non-classic) car is plummeting in value from the moment it's bought.

The way I see it servicing and parts for a mini is maintaining it's value and worth every penny

Stevos....

Welcome to my world....

I pay someone to do most things partly because...

-if you stuff it up it costs more to put right
-we have no room to do these things at home -can't even get up on a ramp for an oil change..
-I like it done properly the first time...

On the other hand, some things such as changing the accelorator cable, I'm happy to do....

If you have a passion for an older car, such as a mini or Morris 1100 (can't help it), then you should do it....but buy in as good as a condition as you can afford to help prevent problems and then you can learn on the way...as I am....

Also, consider getting one of the mini repairers (each capital has one that knows the cars) to do you a thorough check over....

Finally, if you buy a standard, non modified car, you will be more likely to get it insured (if you are young), be able to get it fixed more cheaply and buy parts for it.....

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1969 Morris 1100 S Automatic

ahhhh......the interior smell of an old British car....

Yeh neither did i... get a couple of good mini (or m1100) manuals and you've always got someone on here which has certainly had the same problem somewhere along the line....

its a great community... though once your hooked.... it stays with you...

buy as best as you can afford, a good one with rego is a good start if your not to great with a spanner... and be expected to fill a garage with spare parts

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Here am I sitting in my tin can far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...



“A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.” - Jeremy Clarkson

If you are a bit worried, once you get a mini you could always organise a 'garage day' at your place. There should be some ausmini'ers willing to show you what to do.

Mini's are pretty simple to work on but things seem to take longer i.e. and oil change isn't just an oil change because there are grease nipples that need greasing, points & condensor that need changing, brakes that need adjusting etc.

The garage day is a great idea. You'll get knowledgeable people around to show you what to do and all you have to do is supply some beer and a BBQ etc

If you have a search on here "spaceboy" put up a thread about how to change the oil on a mini with a spin on oil filter.

My mini is coming up for a service in the next couple of hundred miles. I was even toying with the idea of doing up a how to for noobs for a cartridge style oil filter.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

standard minis are very slow, and they have bad brakes!

but they are very strong, solid and mechanically reliable

but you must maintain them alot to keep them that way

boy what a fun car tho

talk to some nice people in your area, (where are you at ?)go for a drive in one.
beg, grovel ,sell you younger sister, do what ever to get a drive of one.
try and wipe the grin of your face and when you have bought it tell everyone what it was like