2001 - Y Reg Mini Cooper
Discussion
I've got quite attached to Modern Minis of late and I fancied an R50 Cooper to join my R55 Clubman Daily and R53 Sprint/Hill/Track cars in the fleet. I wanted to do this without taking too much of a bath should I need to thin the fleet down quickly, so there hunt began for a Y reg car. Why a Y? Because they are the earliest of the early cars as almost of all them were dealer cars, customers cars being delivered post August 2001 and on a 51 Reg. They have a few things that are different to the cars built after Aug/Sep and therefore are deemed a little collectable.
If you want to dig into the nerdy fact you can find them all on the Y Register site. Here's a good part of that site to get you started: https://miniyregister.co.uk/blog/history/yobl/
So I found one and it's number 387 off the line, built 18th May 2001. Two months before you could order one. Here's the pics from the advert:
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.43 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.49 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.56 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.04 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.11 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.24 by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
It was up for £550 and I haggled off £50. So what's wrong with it? Well:
It's done 138,000 miles
None of the LCD panels work
It has a mark on nearly every panel
The plastic arches are badly scuffed
The filler flap is loose
It has 4 odd tyres
The airbag light is on
It feels tired and baggy
It has a not so slow puncture
On the upside:
It was cheap
It runs
It has MOT
The AC works
The sunroof works
My plan with this car is to simply tidy it up without spending lots of money and enjoy driving it for what it is.
I got it up on a ramp for a nosey and I swapped the wheels for some S spoke my mate had that had 4 reasonable tyres on. £100 for the wheels was a bargain.
I took some pics which make out look a lot better than it does:
Untitled by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Untitled by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Untitled by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Untitled by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Total costs so far - £600.
If you want to dig into the nerdy fact you can find them all on the Y Register site. Here's a good part of that site to get you started: https://miniyregister.co.uk/blog/history/yobl/
So I found one and it's number 387 off the line, built 18th May 2001. Two months before you could order one. Here's the pics from the advert:
Screenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.43 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrScreenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.49 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrScreenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.38.56 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrScreenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.04 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrScreenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.11 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrScreenshot 2020-01-06 at 09.39.24 by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrIt was up for £550 and I haggled off £50. So what's wrong with it? Well:
It's done 138,000 miles
None of the LCD panels work
It has a mark on nearly every panel
The plastic arches are badly scuffed
The filler flap is loose
It has 4 odd tyres
The airbag light is on
It feels tired and baggy
It has a not so slow puncture
On the upside:
It was cheap
It runs
It has MOT
The AC works
The sunroof works
My plan with this car is to simply tidy it up without spending lots of money and enjoy driving it for what it is.
I got it up on a ramp for a nosey and I swapped the wheels for some S spoke my mate had that had 4 reasonable tyres on. £100 for the wheels was a bargain.
I took some pics which make out look a lot better than it does:
Untitled by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrUntitled by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrUntitled by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrUntitled by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrTotal costs so far - £600.
Looks nice. Can't believe these are so old now - they still look really nice, smarter than the new models IMO. Such a great design.
We have an R56, have had an R50 before now. It's a fun little car to drive, although the Prince engine is gruff and gutless and I *hate* the seats (or rather they hate me). I'd like to have a go in an R56 Cooper S to be fair.
We have an R56, have had an R50 before now. It's a fun little car to drive, although the Prince engine is gruff and gutless and I *hate* the seats (or rather they hate me). I'd like to have a go in an R56 Cooper S to be fair.
The ordering and delivery/collection of parts has commenced.
Oil
Oil Filter
Spark Plug
Leads
Fuel Filter
Sump Plug
Used Rev Counter to fix LCD not working
Used Central Speedo to fix LCD not working
Free replacement exhaust from a mate because the current one is falling apart
Exhaust hangers
Exhaust gasket
Total spend: £720
Short term fixes/jobs:
Service
Fix LCDs not working
Fix heater panel illumination not working
Fix rear wiper not working (Motor makes a noise though!)
Replace crappy looking exhaust that is falling off
Replace black plastic wheel arch trim that is scuffed
investigate vibration only apparent at motorway speeds (suspect worn CV)
Wheel alignment
New speakers in doors (current ones blown)
Fix loose filler flap
Oil
Oil Filter
Spark Plug
Leads
Fuel Filter
Sump Plug
Used Rev Counter to fix LCD not working
Used Central Speedo to fix LCD not working
Free replacement exhaust from a mate because the current one is falling apart
Exhaust hangers
Exhaust gasket
Total spend: £720
Short term fixes/jobs:
Service
Fix LCDs not working
Fix heater panel illumination not working
Fix rear wiper not working (Motor makes a noise though!)
Replace crappy looking exhaust that is falling off
Replace black plastic wheel arch trim that is scuffed
investigate vibration only apparent at motorway speeds (suspect worn CV)
Wheel alignment
New speakers in doors (current ones blown)
Fix loose filler flap
Edited by HorneyMX5 on Tuesday 7th January 11:30
I find myself equally loving these for sentimental value and hating these because I'm always under it.
Those seats look nice though, car looks good!
I assume you know the usual suspects for the airbag light? The wiring under the passenger seat is the most common culprit.
My suggestion for you if you're going to do a service is to jump on ebay and get a pair of brass bleeding screws for the coolant system. Unless you have a screwdriver about an inch wide, the plastic heads strip out.
Those seats look nice though, car looks good!
I assume you know the usual suspects for the airbag light? The wiring under the passenger seat is the most common culprit.
My suggestion for you if you're going to do a service is to jump on ebay and get a pair of brass bleeding screws for the coolant system. Unless you have a screwdriver about an inch wide, the plastic heads strip out.
Thanks for all the tips folks, I'm pretty up to speed on Gen 1 Minis but all advice is always welcomed. This is my other one:
74705033_10162509711805322_2815740740615798784_o by Nicholas Horne, on Flickr
Thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
74705033_10162509711805322_2815740740615798784_o by Nicholas Horne, on FlickrThread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
HorneyMX5 said:
seriously jealous about your temp gauge 
irocfan said:
HorneyMX5 said:
seriously jealous about your temp gauge 
Interesting to read about the earlier cars, and that they are collectables... and 20 years old! Blimey.
My second ever car was a face-lift 2005 Mini Cooper and I loved it; the turn-in was incredible and whilst fortunate to own many special cars since, I have never forgotten how sure footed that Mini was. I do however remember buying an R53 Cooper S JCW a few years later and being disappointed how it felt a bit Fisher Price compared to how I remembered. I was also out-dragged by a CTR with supposedly less power - I wasn't happy about that!
More recently, my son has eagerly been looking at first cars and wants a Mini One. I have been looking for a red one, as I believe with the white pepper pot / dial steel wheels they look just... right.
Overall, this does deserve to be a classic. BMW went to great lengths to ensure character wasn't false; the involvement of JCW being a major step. Out of interest, does anyone know how many Coopers exist with the performance packs? I can't remember exactly what they were, but I remembering when I was 19 in my Cooper I really wanted the bits. I think it went as far as different cams... imagine a manufacturer doing that these days!
My second ever car was a face-lift 2005 Mini Cooper and I loved it; the turn-in was incredible and whilst fortunate to own many special cars since, I have never forgotten how sure footed that Mini was. I do however remember buying an R53 Cooper S JCW a few years later and being disappointed how it felt a bit Fisher Price compared to how I remembered. I was also out-dragged by a CTR with supposedly less power - I wasn't happy about that!
More recently, my son has eagerly been looking at first cars and wants a Mini One. I have been looking for a red one, as I believe with the white pepper pot / dial steel wheels they look just... right.
Overall, this does deserve to be a classic. BMW went to great lengths to ensure character wasn't false; the involvement of JCW being a major step. Out of interest, does anyone know how many Coopers exist with the performance packs? I can't remember exactly what they were, but I remembering when I was 19 in my Cooper I really wanted the bits. I think it went as far as different cams... imagine a manufacturer doing that these days!
I should really be working but instead went on Google and found the answer to my own question!
There was a JCW kit for the Cooper, which included some head work to get another mighty 11bhp...
https://miniyregister.co.uk/blog/history/cooperwor...
Latterly it was called the Sound Pack (that's rung a bell), which was just a filter and exhaust.
There was a JCW kit for the Cooper, which included some head work to get another mighty 11bhp...
https://miniyregister.co.uk/blog/history/cooperwor...
Latterly it was called the Sound Pack (that's rung a bell), which was just a filter and exhaust.
RazerSauber said:
irocfan said:
HorneyMX5 said:
seriously jealous about your temp gauge 
Wife had an ‘03 Cooper years ago. Big disappointment, although she came from a Lexus.
I swore never again but the later turbo ones seem to have improved things.
I dare say we’d have a Clubman S or SD mind.
Good luck with it though Horney. As said, they don’t look 20 years old yet.
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