MINI for the wife. Advise a dunce...
Discussion
A dunce when thinking about Mini's anyway.
So, i've committed to getting a MINI for the wife, here's the criteria:
- Budget ~£9k
- As much equipment as possible
- Not an S due to insurance, economy, parts etc.
- Mileage ~50k
- Approved Used if possible although not essential
- Mileage will be less than 10k per year and will retain for at least 3
So i'm looking for personal experience. From the criteria above we can surmise that i'm thinking of a Cooper with as much for my money as possible.
What are they like to live with?
We have a 4 year old who will be in it daily; comfort? safety?
In relation to above we are planning number 2 - will this be a problem? I'm 6 foot 1 and i will drive it but guess it will be tight with 2 hatchlings.
If i can satisfy everything then what are the pitfalls and points to note? I'm aware that a lot of these have power steering issues; you see (hear) a lot of them labouring as the pootling along in car parks.
That being said i'd love her to have an S so i can steal it on occasion.
Thoughts?
David.
So, i've committed to getting a MINI for the wife, here's the criteria:
- Budget ~£9k
- As much equipment as possible
- Not an S due to insurance, economy, parts etc.
- Mileage ~50k
- Approved Used if possible although not essential
- Mileage will be less than 10k per year and will retain for at least 3
So i'm looking for personal experience. From the criteria above we can surmise that i'm thinking of a Cooper with as much for my money as possible.
What are they like to live with?
We have a 4 year old who will be in it daily; comfort? safety?
In relation to above we are planning number 2 - will this be a problem? I'm 6 foot 1 and i will drive it but guess it will be tight with 2 hatchlings.
If i can satisfy everything then what are the pitfalls and points to note? I'm aware that a lot of these have power steering issues; you see (hear) a lot of them labouring as the pootling along in car parks.
That being said i'd love her to have an S so i can steal it on occasion.
Thoughts?
David.
It will be a very tight fit for 4! I'm 6'1" and it would not have been possible to sit behind me if I was driving (but I do like the seat far back and low!) when I had my JCW. Plus you'd never fit all the other paraphernalia in the car.
That said they are great little cars... Would a Cooper D come in on budget? They are much more responsive than the petrol Cooper (but hold their value so will be more to buy).
That said they are great little cars... Would a Cooper D come in on budget? They are much more responsive than the petrol Cooper (but hold their value so will be more to buy).
I bought the wife a brand new petrol Cooper auto hatchback in 2008 as a birthday present and she loves it. The only thing she would change it for is a Mini Convertible. There’s a Mk 3 due later this year and we are waiting to see it before changing.
Hold out for a very highly specified car. I think I spent about £5K on extras, and it doesn’t make much difference on the price P/X price of the car. Don’t let the stealer charge you lot’s extra for a highly specified car because they haven’t paid much more for that car when they part exchanged it.
AFAIK the power steering pump dying or bursting into flames is associated with the Mk1 not the Mk2. On your budget you should be getting the Mk2.
The ride with run-flat tyres is harsh, noisy and very unpleasant. The handling on run-flat tyres is rubbish too. We had more punctures with run-flats on the Mini than on all the other cars I have owned since the 1960’s put together. We never managed three months without a puncture and tyre companies refuse to repair run-flat tyres. This made it very expensive.
Mini now offer the car from new with ordinary tyres. Ideally find one with worn out run-flats, negotiate a discount and have ordinary tyres fitted. Don’t forget a tin of tyre weld. The optional spare tyre takes up too much room in the boot. Since fitting normal tyres we haven’t had a single puncture. The ride quality, handling and refinement is in another league.
We have HID headlights. When we take the car in for service they tend to give us a courtesy car with standard lights. My wife has got out and checked the lights were actually on because the difference is vast. By comparison the standard lights are rubbish. If you are a town driver then the standard lights are just about acceptable; if you live in the countryside like us then aim to get one with HID as they are vastly better on unlit country lanes.
The winter pack with heated windscreen is well worth having if the car is parked outside.
The Mini One 1.6 had the same engine as the Cooper. The power difference was due to the ECU being programed to not open the throttle butterfly fully. As such you can have the ECU mapped to Cooper specification and have Cooper power. It may therefore make economic sense to buy a Mini One and map it.
When the wife goes shopping it usually means the seats get folded. The boot doesn’t hold enough to cope with a full week shop. We’re empty nester’s, but If you have small kids then this can be a problem.
Hold out for a very highly specified car. I think I spent about £5K on extras, and it doesn’t make much difference on the price P/X price of the car. Don’t let the stealer charge you lot’s extra for a highly specified car because they haven’t paid much more for that car when they part exchanged it.
AFAIK the power steering pump dying or bursting into flames is associated with the Mk1 not the Mk2. On your budget you should be getting the Mk2.
The ride with run-flat tyres is harsh, noisy and very unpleasant. The handling on run-flat tyres is rubbish too. We had more punctures with run-flats on the Mini than on all the other cars I have owned since the 1960’s put together. We never managed three months without a puncture and tyre companies refuse to repair run-flat tyres. This made it very expensive.
Mini now offer the car from new with ordinary tyres. Ideally find one with worn out run-flats, negotiate a discount and have ordinary tyres fitted. Don’t forget a tin of tyre weld. The optional spare tyre takes up too much room in the boot. Since fitting normal tyres we haven’t had a single puncture. The ride quality, handling and refinement is in another league.
We have HID headlights. When we take the car in for service they tend to give us a courtesy car with standard lights. My wife has got out and checked the lights were actually on because the difference is vast. By comparison the standard lights are rubbish. If you are a town driver then the standard lights are just about acceptable; if you live in the countryside like us then aim to get one with HID as they are vastly better on unlit country lanes.
The winter pack with heated windscreen is well worth having if the car is parked outside.
The Mini One 1.6 had the same engine as the Cooper. The power difference was due to the ECU being programed to not open the throttle butterfly fully. As such you can have the ECU mapped to Cooper specification and have Cooper power. It may therefore make economic sense to buy a Mini One and map it.
When the wife goes shopping it usually means the seats get folded. The boot doesn’t hold enough to cope with a full week shop. We’re empty nester’s, but If you have small kids then this can be a problem.
Yes, the boot / general space was the decider. No way we could carry a 4 year old with another planned this year and all the bumph in comfort.
On the convertibles, i seen one today. Seems to have have everything possible. Xenons, Harmon Kardon Stereo, full leather the lot. THe stereo sounded amazing.
We couldn't open the boot when the roos was down but i guess that's because the roof folds into it?
On the convertibles, i seen one today. Seems to have have everything possible. Xenons, Harmon Kardon Stereo, full leather the lot. THe stereo sounded amazing.
We couldn't open the boot when the roos was down but i guess that's because the roof folds into it?
Considered a Clubman?
We have the Cooper S version and manage with our 2.5 year old for a weeks holiday in Devon!
It gives a little more rear access and the boot is bigger. Can fit a 'small' pram in the back - although many seem to fit roof boxes which we may have to do for the main holiday this year....
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3588747.htm
Mike
We have the Cooper S version and manage with our 2.5 year old for a weeks holiday in Devon!
It gives a little more rear access and the boot is bigger. Can fit a 'small' pram in the back - although many seem to fit roof boxes which we may have to do for the main holiday this year....
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3588747.htm
Mike
Davie_GLA said:
Yes, the boot / general space was the decider. No way we could carry a 4 year old with another planned this year and all the bumph in comfort.
On the convertibles, i seen one today. Seems to have have everything possible. Xenons, Harmon Kardon Stereo, full leather the lot. THe stereo sounded amazing.
We couldn't open the boot when the roos was down but i guess that's because the roof folds into it?
You can still use the boot when the roof is down but it isn't very big. The rear seats can be folded down if required.On the convertibles, i seen one today. Seems to have have everything possible. Xenons, Harmon Kardon Stereo, full leather the lot. THe stereo sounded amazing.
We couldn't open the boot when the roos was down but i guess that's because the roof folds into it?
nickfrog said:
I wouldn't use a car without rear doors to transport kids of that age. OK for a couple of days but you and the wife will be sick of it pretty quickly IMO. Even if you don't have a fragile back. I hope I am wrong !
No rear doors mean that you never have to worry about the rug rats trying to open them.If the OP and Mrs OP are not especially large, then a 2 door car can work very well as long as the front seats slide forward on their rails when tipped forward. Mrs monster and I found that this worked very well with a small monster and a Pug 206 GTi.
The arrival of a child does not automatically mean that you need to rush out and buy the biggest 4x4 that you can find.
bikemonster said:
No rear doors mean that you never have to worry about the rug rats trying to open them.
I can't remember ever seeing a car without child locks ? And I am not that young !bikemonster said:
The arrival of a child does not automatically mean that you need to rush out and buy the biggest 4x4 that you can find.
True, but then again, there might be a decent middle-ground between a big 4x4 and a Mini.Gassing Station | New MINIs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff