05 Cooper - Electric Blue - What decals?

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Evening all, just helped my mate buy a 2005 Cooper Hatch with Chili and a few other bits. He's trying to decide on decals, dealer has someone who comes around once a week to fit them, he's been pointed in the direction of the MINI Accessories Brochure and MINI-Designs.com. The car is Electric Blue with body-coloured roof and chromed mirror caps.

Matey is thinking about a chequered roof or Union Jack, either in colour or the black/silver/grey they do. Stripes are also on the cards, but which looks better? White or black?

Anyone else with an Electric Blue R50, facelift or not?

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Clivey said:

Hi Tom,

Electric Blue with chromed mirror caps? In that case I'd go for a silver roof decal or the silver / grey union jack. White will look at odds with the chromed caps (but if he really wants white, he can always fit matching caps anyway).

- Just my 2pence.

Precisely what I was thinking chap, will put this to him in the morning. He did mention the full-coloured unionnjack too, but I reckon itnwould look awful, monochrome is where it's at I think.

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Cheers for that, leics is a bit far away though... Dealer prices didn't seem bad, something like £150-£200 I think for a monochrome union jack...

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Hartge210 said:

Sadly Phil had to close down Mini-Pirate earlier this year, a great loss to all things vinyl for the MINI, good to get some ideas for your mate looking through his work though...

How about something different for his roof? I've got this one


As for the bonnet stripes, personally I'd leave them off, maybe a bit too much with a roof decal..

Knew you'd be along, was actually talking t my mate and the MINI Salesman about your roof.

I have mentioned about the stripes etc, not sure what he's thinking now, but as someone with a fairly keen eye for design and a bigger MINI fan than he, I'd hate to see him make the wrong decision.

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I think he decided yesterday evening to keep in as it is for a little while as he can't decide. May go for a plain White roof, may go for a monochrome union jack around Christmas...

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Because he's 20, doesn't really want it any quicker. This is his first own car. He's shared since 18. Tuning would be I'll-advised!

This is the car:

Edited by Waugh-terfall on Saturday 1st October 12:22

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Clivey said:

Waugh-terfall said:

Because he's 20, doesn't really want it any quicker. This is his first own car. He's shared since 18. Tuning would be I'll-advised!

You make it seem as if he's irresponsible and will probably crash the thing...? It looks nice as it is - I'm not sure decals would improve it.

Naah, he's not the most attentive (I've saved him from ploughing into a few things in car parks), tends not to brake until he's in the car in fronts boot and is too forceful with the gearbox. Ie, rammed his Dads Focus into 1st at 20+ on a roundabout instead of 3rd... One of the main reasons he wanted to buy his own car was to start building some No Claims.

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I fully expect to receive a punch if and when he sees this. He's only had one crash, over corrected in snow after avoiding an out of control granny, spun it up the Kerb and into a fence. Car was off to scrap age later than month anyway. Bent the fence post back into shape, kicked remaining half a bumper into place and off we went.

We're both from the Haslemere area, both ended up at the same Uni in Canterbury...

He should take good care of it, he's fairly good with his stuff, he's thinking of buying a cover for it as both his drives here and at home are surrounded by trees. He will soon learn my incredibly anal ways of car cleaning.

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Hartge210 said:

hyperblue said:

Cheeky, did you get in the 14s?

...

If your mate is into the forum side of ownership Tom, get him to try www.surreynewmini.co.uk

Nice friendly local bunch on there, very active with loads of meets/runs etc

He's been to several Sunday Services in my passenger seat, he's registered on here, but has yet to use it, have pointed him in the direction of MINI2 and will do the same for that!

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It's here! Took matey to pick it up this morning, think he's really chuffed with it. We took it for a good run around the Kentish countryside this morning/afternoon, fairly hard riding but meh, it's a sporty hatch, not bothered, seats are comfy, visibility is great, the engine sounds nice, it pulls hard, overtaking is a doddle, it's faster than it feels, sticks like st to a blanket too. Seems fairly long geared?

Think he's decided to just leave the roof as it is, but a special semi-integral Garmin SatNav system will probably be added by the dealer around Xmas.

A couple of quick phone pics at the dealers and next to my seemingly rather tubby Frenchy.

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Yup, it's a Jan 05 on a 54, facelift indeed. Thank god, been out in it most of the day and he's still really forceful with the box and almost always in too higher gear! Midland 'box came up a lot on my research...

Yeah, the last one Jonny, Dean and myself put together went really well, but I've been watching the news stuff really closely on it. Hopefully by the time we're back for Christmas in early December things will have calmed down up there and we can sort something out. I'm only about a minute or so from the Hindhead Cross-roads or the Hazel Grove Junction!

Couple of quick snaps I took today:


DSC04274 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr


DSC04285 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr


DSC04304 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr


DSC04306 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr


DSC04313 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr


DSC04330 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr

Check out the face in this! Took it harder/faster than he meant to...

DSC04316 by Waugh-terfall, on Flickr

ETA: There is one decal going on, update in a few days...

Edited by Waugh-terfall on Thursday 6th October 01:26

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Hartge210 said:

Excellent photo's

Trying to work out how to fix my little camera inside the wife's Z4M, then that will get a quick run through the tunnel, a couple of other MINI owners want to try the accoustics out down there too, one of them is running 270bhp (300 ft/lbs) in his R56, should sound nice. I've already told them we'll be taking things easy either end of the tunnel, don't want to upset the lady in the dressing gown ;).

Thanks, need some more lenses though! 270! What's Hyperblue's running these days?

I'd absolutely love a Clubman JCW next.

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Hartge210 said:

Think he's somewhere around the 260 mark (in his BRG car, affectionately known as the Green thing).

The more I see the JCW Clubbie the more I like them, one of the Dutch guys who's on Mini Torque owns this beauty

Frickin' love them!

I test drove a standard Clubman Cooper last year and that was pretty good. I'm not overly keen on those wheels, I'd kill for the one I've had as my laptops background since they appeared on the scene. Courtesy of the configurator and a little photoshop...

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Clivey said:

Nice car (your friend's - not those naff 'Clubmans' ). Is he the one that used to have the old Polo? If so that's one hell of an upgrade!

Yeah, see his garage

mmmger

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1 week in:

How soft are the alloy wheels?!?!?!?!!!!

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Jesus. I scuffed the rim of my 207s NSF the other day when parking to the kerb, wheel dropped into a subsided drain, not obvious unless you look. Matey has managed to take a properly great, obvious, deep physical chunk out of his without even noticing!

ETA: Just noticed I have proof he did it in the photos above. Reckons it wasn't him, but eagle-eyed me gave the car a thorough going over before purchase and all four wheels were immaculate!.

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Make that two Near Side wheels...

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Actually, make that, I think it's a write-off...

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Hartge210 said:

Jeeesus, what's he done

Out for a leisurely afternoon drive, beach-ward bound, Mier, my mate, got a bit overzealous, tried to take a sharp right hand corner way too fast on this NSL road through the woods. I yelled out because I knew we'd not make it, but it was too late, front end let go and we smashed into a crash barrier doing around 50mph. I'd put my arms up in front of me so the airbag deployed and I basically punched myself in the face, slightly singed tender patch on my hand, sore nose and because I'm rather tall the dashboard came back into my leg and caused severe bruising on my shin. Can't turn my neck to the right at the moment either.

He's okay, sore nose and a nasty burn on his arm from the seat belt. The MINI did a sterling job of keeping us safe and the barrier, now more than a bit flat did a great job of slowing us down and keeping us out of the massive trees. We were bounced back across the road (thankfully no other cars) and into a ditch on the other side, thankfully coming to a stop about 4ft back from a huge tree. As soon as the dust cleared and we could see again we piled out and a few cars had stopped. 2 Police cars sorting traffic out, a huge Ford F550 Super Duty recovery truck and a trip to the Hospital later we're back home. Car looks fine from the back and drivers side, my side is mashed. Missing that corner at the front, the wheelarches, the door and rear quarter are caved, both wheels on that side are buggered and the front one is almost in the passenger door, which amazingly opened fine, windscreen is smashed too. He and I went back to the scene this afternoon once my leg stopped hurting so much to take photos, see what had happened and pick up bits of MINI. We're going to see the car tomorrow afternoon.

11 days is how long this MINI Adventure lasted, hopefully it can be repaired, I'm not overly optimistic, but a bit of luck would be nice. I think he wants to wait until the insurance stuff is sorted out before any pictures are seen.

Edited by Waugh-terfall on Monday 17th October 13:46

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Fingers are crossed for it! It was a lovely car. It's not going to stop me getting in the car with him as I think he's learned a hard lesson and hopefully will take notice of the many warnings I've given him about paying attention, not showing off, brutality with the gearbox and minding kerbs etc and any I give him in the future.