If you're going to sell your Lada Niva, Daewoo or Renault Megane and buy one, then yes they're reliable.
A mini would be as reliable or better than most cheap imports when they're 50 years old, atleast you'll be able to fix it with wire and race tape.

I'd rather be broken down in my mini than driving round in one of those homebrand quality asian cars.

so Atm i drive a 2000 wrx.... plastic coming out of the wazoo. I dream of the day i get to drive my mini for the first time. ive never even been in one except mine and its never been moving lol.

so when i get to the rebuild of the engine the things i want to spend the money on are
1. alternator (replace generator)
2. Dizzy (make waterproof, can drive in rain)
3. disk brakes (stopping is kind of important)
4. fuses/fuse box (to a sealed unit for water protection)

anything else super important? Im not going to be racing it. i just wanna drive around looking awesome im my neat mini and have a little fun along the way..

Alternator upgrade if it's generator model (real old) or bigger alternator if you wnat to run amps etc or drive at night and see where your going. Dizzy swapped for electronic ignition so you don't need to do points etc, leads cap are fine in wet if you do 'jag' mod. Disc brakes are better and no adjusting required. Get set from MS. Fuse box is fine, rain won't affect it if you just make sure fuses arn't junky tin one's that rust and just give it a spray with WD or the like.

The other very important thing is wide wheels, fat tyres and extractor exhaust, these are essential for safety.

The generators are very reliable. They just don't put up enough power to run a lot of gadgets. I still run one in my 1100.
Dizzy waterproofing, I got a plastic ice cream tub and hacked it a bit so it slipped over the dizzy. Never had a problem with the standard dizzy and I now run a Pulsar dizzy. If everything is clean you can run a hose over the dizzy and not have a problem.
Disc brakes would be my first priority after making sure that the rest of the car was up to scratch.
Fuse box, is not a problem till someone messes with it. Keep it clean and it is fine. They don't need to be waterproof.

M1100's right, the dizzy works fine if it's in good condition and kept clean. It's just poor old worn out ones that fail. I have a spi dizzy in mine, even better than pulsar one.



here's what you can do if your ignition system is good, bear in mind this is a car with carby and normal type distributor system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lk19wEdsh0

Everything said above.

I have replaced just about everything in my mini with high quality parts.....Dizzy with electronic points, plugs, leads, coil, starter motor, alternator, brakes, suspension, you name it and I have replaced it. It has been very reliable for a while now then 3 days ago coming home from work at 0300 the crank pulley decided to separate at 100 km/hr.

The point is there are still parts on any mini that are approaching 40 years old, most likely older than that, and they don't last forever. For me just when I think there is nothing more that can go wrong I get surprised.

However none of that takes away the fun and enjoyment I get from driving my car every day, and the reactions I constantly get from other motorists.

Accept the odd breakdown, Join the RACQ or your states equivalent, and you will enjoy your motoring in your mini. I do.

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2000 Ford Festiva 'Trio' - 26kw ATW

Get a proper cast impeller water pump, and a good condition or new radiator, and make sure your cooling system is in great condition. Mine used to make me worry all the time, but now I can wait in stop/start traffic and not worry about it.

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Until the Hummer changes lanes beside you

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"Show me the Mini!"

I used mine as daily drivers for years, including my hotted up Cooper S which I drove in city traffic everyday in Melbourne and made regular blasts to Adelaide and back, up to Canberra and Sydney too. Apart from the occasional punctures and broken fan belts they seldom broke down, even though it was on points.

You need a better than good cooling system for the summers. The clutch also needs to be spot on, as does the charging and starting systems. If they're built right and you lay off the burn outs, gearboxes and diffs can last well.

At least if a Mini does break down it's easy to push to the side of the road and usually equally easy to fix. Try doing that with a 1400kg computer everything modern day creation.

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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)

The most unreliable part would be the new crap parts that seem to be all you can buy now. Thanks China!!!

Ash.

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----------1984 Mini Mayfair with not much 1984 Mayfair left of it!-----------
----------1968 fake Cooper S that messed with a tree -----------------------------

They were relieable when they built and driven all round the country. So as others said if they are looked after and maintained they are reliable.

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I drove a Mini van as a daily for about five years. Yep, I had problems with it. But as others have said, you need to keep up the maintenance on it.

I replaced that van with a 1980 Corona Liftback. A real granny special, very tidy, low km. All it ever needed was oil and filter changes. It was comfortable and quiet but it bored me to tears and nobody looked at it.

So I put my thinking cap on and considered what I could replace it with that would combine the best elements of both. That is, be reliable and also have character without spending a fortune. I decided to buy a VW Beetle as they have a reputation for reliability. (Plus I'd always wanted one!)

My bug came out of a shed in Bendigo and was pressed into daily service pretty much straight away with only the brakes fixed up and electronic ignition added. Quickly I found issues. The rubber window seals were all perished. Intermittent electrical faults were traced to a furred up fuse box from the leaky old windscreen seal. The headliner fell on my head. Oil leaks developed. A wire in the engine bay loom broke and killed power to the coil in the middle of a roundabout. The carburettor was worn out, so I replaced it with a new chinese repro. That was total rubbish so I threw away and replaced it again with a rebuilt genuine part. Ditto the chinese fuel pump. The main seal leaked, so the clutch died. I am on my third fuel cap in four years as none of them seal properly fuel leaks out after I fill the tank when going around corners. The gearbox is starting to whine. A baffle came loose in the exhaust. It's noisy, it smells and it's slow.

Sound familiar? So basically remove cooling system issues for the equation, my 40 year old Beetle is pretty much just like a 40 year old Mini!

I go through the same thought circle in my head so often. "Maybe I should buy a new car and just pay someone to service it so I don't have to fiddle with the Beetle all the time." "No, that's a waste of money, it will just get old and unreliable anyway." "Then maybe I should pay someone to service the VW for me." "No, that defeats the purpose of having a simple old car!" Then I drive the Beetle. "Hmm, I love driving this car. It has character and makes people smile."

Classic VW people are proud of the reliability record of their cars. But talk to them for a while and they will admit their cars have niggly faults too. Just like Minis.

I guess what I am saying is that any old car is going to have issues. Only you can decide whether the charm, character and fun factors outweigh the issues of running one daily.

Cheers,
Brett.

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Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

Think about upgrading the headlights too. I've got Wipac ones (with new relays fitted) and well worth it. I also have a extra brake light wired to the rear screen so other people have more chance of seeing you slowing down. Maybe work on the motorbike principle: they might not see you but at least they can hear you and fit a louder exhaust.

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"Beware the lollipop of mediocrity: lick it once and you'll suck forever" Brian Wilson

Maybe work on the motorbike principle: they might not see you but at least they can hear you and fit a louder exhaust.[/quote]
don't forget the airhorns as well

but make sure the wiring is up to the demands you put on it

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65 panel van Sprog
73 panel van Iggy

If you do fit things like H4 headlights and air horns you can expect wiring, switch and fuse box problems unless you fit them properly with relays and heavy duty wiring.

There is no point fitting things that make the car less reliable and more likely to leave you stranded in the dark.