I would say it is more about either doing your own research on the potential problems, or taking someone who knows minis when viewing a car.

A friend who swaps cars regularly uses eBay, the classic car magazines and gumtree. The mini magazines are probably worth a look too

Perfect first car for someone who wants to learn a bit about tinkering with cars.

Well, the absolute newest cars are 12 years old now so they are all going to need a little more maintenance than your typical Fiesta / Corsa / stbox but not excessively so. Fantastic handling, terrible comparatively in safety terms.

In your shoes I would be looking at a 998cc and ignoring age and mileage - buy on condition alone. Steer clear of rotten shells - eg a post, scuttle corners, footwells. The oily bits are much easier to fix than bodywork IMHO.

OK that's understandable, are all the minis of that age in roughly in the same condition or would you say there are a few that are in decent condition? In terms of safety what about the coopers and their airbags? or is it best not to trust them? OK thank you for your advice,

Would you be able to send me the link for your item please?

Horrible little things - I test drove a late model Cooper just after I'd passed my test and it was like driving a post box with that little windscreen.

Add to that the ancient A-series engine, 4 speed gearbox and all the suspension travel of a hardtail chopper, and you have a very disappointing driving experience. This is before starting on the seating position and steering wheel which is at the same angle as that in a National Express coach.

Then they rust. Rampantly.

I can almost see the point in one as a toy - and I've seen some really rapid examples at track days.

As a daily driver and first car. Forget it.

You won't get classic insurance on one and you can forget insuring a Cooper until you've got a bit of NCB behind you.

My point being - its not worth worrying too much about safety if you stand a chance of being squished to that extent!

Have you driven one?

I suspect you'll no longer want one, especially if you drive it back to back with something more modern!

I detect some conflict between the two of you, everyone is entitled to their opinion though, I won't know if I like it or not unless I drive one in the first place

I may be biased

casbar,

Is there any other reasons why I should steer clear of the MPI's? Also how did you get it insured for £800 on fully comp? I did some quotes and was getting around £1900?!