A few questions ...

[swisstoni]

My wife has decided she'd like a Mini convertible to commute to her new job and I have been tasked with getting one.
We've decided to spend an absolute max of £15k and would probably be happier south of £10k.

I know very little about Minis at all so are there a few golden rules? For instance are there a type of engine to be avoided and is there anything particular to watch out for on the convertibles?
That kind of thing.

Any info appreciated.

[swisstoni]

Well, glad nobody troubled to respond because we test drove one at the weekend and both thought it was a bit crap.

[CarsOrBikes]

I see a lot about, the visibility is hopeless, the roof anchorages break at the sides which people don't notice until wet. It depends on the age of the car you're after, I suspect the Cooper S is what many like. Timing chains are a potential issue on I think 09 on cars, as the ones before were still supercharged I think until 08 even though the saloons went to turbo in 07. The supercharged engine is better in my opinion, but thirstier unless altered. (I now get 37, was 27 ave).

[swisstoni]

Yep visibility was no good and there was a lot of noise with the roof up. Things improved greatly with the roof down but not enough to outweigh the shortcomings. Looking at Audi A4 cabriolets now.

[eatcustard]

Goto mini2 forum for the best advice on minis

[CarsOrBikes]

A4 quite a different prospect, nice car, if too big how about 1 series convertible?

[SydneyBridge]

Have a look at an Audi A3 convertible