Hi All,

First post, a newbie to the forum. A little about myself, My first car was a Morris 1500, next was a Mini Deluxe, with Hydrolastic Suspension that when hot would point me to the moon. numerous other brands that I'll not mention

Ok! so that out of the way, I'm look to get myself a mini again as with the kids moved on, its just me.
I wanted to pick the brain trust here and ask what would you recommend I should look to get( been 30 years since i hit the spanners on a mini), I will need something fairly reliable as this will become my daily driver.

The budget is 20k and it would have to be v.v.good for me to fork out that much. So a fully restored mk2 cooper s is out of the question.

Has anyone had any experience with the JDM wide body cooper imports? 1275, AC, Spi etc.

Please feel free to help me along, I'm in no rush, as I want the right one for me.

Cheers

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Maelgwn No Mini Yet

where are you situated ??

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65 panel van Sprog
73 panel van Iggy

I'm in Hornsby, Sydney, Australia, the big continent down-under.

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Maelgwn No Mini Yet

Yer the imported ones are very nice and reliable well i know my dads is with its aircon

20k should get you a LOT of Mini if you exclude the Cooper S taxes, which you accounted for.

I had a 1999 MPi Mini for three years when i was in the Netherlands and it was my daily driver at least six months of the year. I only ever had two problems with it - a failed coil unit and the front subframe mounts were knackered. I replaced all of that and it never missed a beat. The 13" wheels are not nearly as good a ride as the 10" wheels or even the 12", so if you are after more comfort, then it might be better to get one without the 13" wheels.

Having said that, for 20k you can have a very reliable Deluxe or K. It is all about spending money on the stuff that makes it reliable.

cheers
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

I would NOT get a "JDM wide body".....

I would recommend a Rover as they are really nice, i just wouldn't buy it from Sydney.

There are some places that do not have a good reputation.

Hope you can put all that together, as we are not allowed to publicly defame a business. If that doesnt make sense pm me

My father has a Rover mini and aircon and quiet and just all round nice car. modern car feel in an old car look.

Depends what you are after.

Have you tried j-spec imports?

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Has anyone seen this car or know about it, it lives in the cliftleigh (2321)area. The pictures look nice is the owner in this forum?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/maitland ... 1101327199

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Maelgwn No Mini Yet

If it's to be a daily you want something reliable, torquey and fun. Not sure about the later injected Minis here, but in the UK they seem to suffer a lot of gremlins with sensors, electrical connectors and gearboxes, and premature rust (but then maybe all that's a direct consequence of the climate there).

I like my Minis to be light, fast and simple. Single SU, electronic dissy, 7.5 discs up front and 10 inch wheels. May not suit everyone these days when other small cars offer the last word in high tech luxury (and complexity) but basic Minis provided daily transport for millions over the decades, including me.

Have you considered a van?

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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)

slide the uk mini issues are because of the chemicals they put on the road to deice .......
jap spec imports are good cars you just need to look around and not buy the first car you come across have a look around.
the delux you put up imho is a bit over priced it dont look that clean have a look on the forsales on here people will not put up stupid prices because here we know what there worth

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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".

Thanx for all the input guys, will keep looking.

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Maelgwn No Mini Yet