95 replies to this topic

[mab01uk]

The MINI Y Register

The MINI Y Register is for those who own or have an interest in early BMW MINIs built in 2001.

Your MINI does not have to be on a Y plate, as 51 plates were issued in 2001 however currently the the main focus of the Y Register will be to collect information about MINIs built in the first 6 months of 2001 and predominantly Registered on a Y plate.

 

For the purpose of this group we have 3 categories your 2001 MINI may fall into:

 

An early MINI

Any MINI built in 2001 and Registered on a Y plate.

 

An early press MINI

Any MINI built in April 2001 or earlier and Registered with the sequential number plate Y*** OBL or Registered to the BMW press office.

 

An early pre production MINI

Anything built on 25/04/01 or earlier as volume production started on 26/04/01.

We also welcome any information you may have on early MINIs and we look forward to opportunities to get together these early MINIs together and enjoy them.

http://miniyregister.co.uk/

 

 

Lots more photos and info on Modern MINI's below in the long running 63 page TMF thread "Proof Bini's Can Look Cool!"

http://www.theminifo...ok-cool/page-60

Edited by mab01uk, 03 July 2018 - 10:29 PM.

[Matt Brighton]

I can understand.... but not subscribe to the "we hate bini's" brigade.

 

I get  embarrassed for new mini owners at shows with the offensive stickers on classic minis ... especially when I see dads with new minis and their sons reading them - I ask how you would feel if you couldn't afford or justify a classic second car so bought a MINI   ?

 

They are only enjoying the mini scene... - why be rude ? I cant get past it. 

 

Personally I don't feel the need to criticise other peoples cars to  enjoy and appreciate mine...

 

Its a mentality I have come across in all forms of classic car and motorbike pursuits that  I enjoy  - also in my non petrol related pastimes such as Clay Pigeon shooting.

 

Its the same arguments about Shotguns  - i.e. Berettas made in another  region  of Italy..

 

"if its not made within the stone workshop walls  on the premises of the original 14th century factory in the province of Brescia with Iron cooled with water from the factory spring off the lake ... then its not a "proper"  Beretta !!!!". I hear a minority of fellow shooters say at shoots..

 

I like vinyl records and all that is associated with them but don't get upset (and I use) digital music storage... my classic looking car radio stores every piece of music I like... you can't do that with cassettes

 

I like the modern tribute to the mini - its fun and by all accounts a great car with a wide range of options. My dad had a modern cooper s model and it went crazy fast and looked cool

 

Having them for me adds not detracts to the legacy of the original design and heritage. I Like a Ford Anglia but I can't see Ford  resurrecting a modern interpretation of that design..

Edited by Matt Brighton, 04 July 2018 - 04:41 PM.

[Matt Brighton]

 

new mini is just used to make it clear that people are talking about the "2nd generation" mini, i don't see any harm in it.
 
for a lot of people, me included, part of the attraction of the classic mini is the fact that it never really changed. unlike the ford escort or VW golf they really are pretty much the same car over the production run. that puts them in the same class as the VW beetle.
 
some people can't accept the clubman, how do you expect them to accept a completely new design.
 
and i still get people saying to me "ah, a proper mini !!!", so the whole thing really is engrained in the public perception.
 
However, having had a break from mini shows for around 8 years i was surprised at how many shows have shrunk. they are now having their numbers boosted by the metro and the "new mini" and to be honest, its no problem. if you want to look, look, if you don't, no one is forcing you.
 
i guess the big question is... would you flash your lights and wave at a new mini ??? (I wouldn't)

I've always said if they flash first then I'd flash back, chances are they are mini fans and might have a classic too. I wouldn't flash one first.

 

You can usually tell if a driver is looking appreciatively at your classic and then Im always happy to give a smile and wave whatever they are driving.

 

I have a VW Camper and for that scene there is a definate pecking order/snobbery between owners of split screen/bay window/air cooled /watercooled/ Type 1,2,3,4,5, and Type 25 variants - its all very tribal for some 

 

... Note of caution, many MINI drivers are not into classic cars either ... so it can be a bit unsettling for female recipient to see a middle aged stranger  randomly waving and grinning , so be thoughtful when "sharing the love" with a wave and flash of yer lights...

Edited by Matt Brighton, 05 July 2018 - 05:24 AM.

[Lukie-J]

I've got to say after a week of owning it I'm loving it. I think it's a good 'second best' option to the classic mini and one I'll surely be keeping for a while. I will be going to shows in it but I'm not 'showing' it - if you know what I mean. My budget was ~£2.5k. Had to be up to modern safety standards (baby), usable every day and I wanted a bit of speed. What other options are there worth considering?

[Dannyboolahlah]

I like them. Really want a supercharged Clubman Cooper S, but I have absolutely no need/use for it so difficult to justify!
Not keen at all on the Countryman or the new Clubman though, far too big and ugly.
And the new shape Cooper S looks like a hamster trying to eat a digestive biscuit whole.

[jomaoliveira79]

I'm proud to be a member of the BINI HATE brigade.
When BINI's were launched here in Portugal most of the mini comunity embraced the idea of a continuity of the heritage on that model, but contrary to VW that promoted their Beetle alongside with old VW's, BMW had here a very snob atitude towards classic mini, rejecting being conoted with such a plebeian(?) car; at that time I never had seen any dealer even to sponsor anything regarding classic mini.
Today things are different and BMW does find interest in associate their image to classic mini but to me BINI lost any interest, it's just bad marketing.
Even as a car BINI is much different than classic mini as it is expensive, a little overweight, snob and late models very big and ugly.

[bae1994]

See here in the UK you can get a (secondhand early 2000s)new mini for around 1k and there's no snobbery with them as they are used slot as first cars.

I wouldn't swap mine for a new one but if I needed a new small hatchback it would be between a golf and a new mini.

[Richie83]

I’d be happier if they’d called it a Medium

[minitravellerman]

Still hate them!! Nothing against them that much other than I think they are hideous looking things and there are so many more better looking (and frankly just better) cars on the market out there. They are so overpriced for what you get. The Mk1 BINI wasn't bad and the supercharged S was a pretty nice car to drive. I would, maybe, consider a late Mk1 as a runabout sometime but only an S. The current range is simply awful!! 

[surfblue]

who cares, the whole of the modern car industry is messed up anyway.
 
what really annoys me is the obvious and sheepish way that other car manufacturers manage to sell their cars by copying the two tone colour scheme of the MINI cooper. its got so stupid now that we have have ford fiestas going around with contrasting roofs and wing mirrors. the new boy racer fiesta seems to be the black ones with the red roof and mirrors. these look totally pathetic and i would be embarrassed to be seen in one, along with all the mid life crisis ford ST cars and the Audi's.

 

in fact my father in law, who is nearly 70, is currently driving around in some VW golf R thing that is blue with silver wing mirrors !!!??? just looks stupid, like someone messed up in the paint shop. and yes it does have a leather bound shirt button instead of a steering wheel.

 

there is no doubt that the MINI is a popular car, but its not a mini.

Hmmmm, I'm thinking the two tone colour scheme might have been copied from the '60 's Mini Cooper, not the MINI cooper?.

Agree though, every manufacturer is in on it now, Skoda, KIa etc etc, some look OK, quite like the Fabia Monte Carlo in red with black roof or grey with black roof.

Re the Golf R, I think I could just about live with the silver mirrors if I had one of those on my driveway!

 

MINI, not a Mini, just a modern stylish hatch back with more character than the usual astra / focus boring offerings

[Dusky]

Even as a car BINI is much different than classic mini as it is expensive, a little overweight, snob and late models very big and ugly.

So,like an MPI?

[jomaoliveira79]

So,like an MPI?[/quote]

Comparing a MPI with a BINI is very silly.
But MPI ugliness (???) and general overweight can be mitigated with some simple mods while BINI's are hopeless anyway!
Edit: Cost wise, MPI's were new about 30% less than the cheapest BINI in the early 2000s.
Regarging snobness MPI's were a that time more a niche product because it wasn't as refined as almost every utilitarian vehicles of that time (here in Portugal Rover only sold them new as special order after 1995), so they were exclusive but not snob.

Edited by jomaoliveira79, 11 July 2018 - 01:19 PM.

[Cooperman]

I try not to HATE anything in life, except peadophiles and similar low life.

 

To me the new MINI is a nice modern car on a par with other small cars like the Fiesta, VW Polo, etc. It is not a Classic Mini, but it does not purport to be one. It seems well built with typical modern high-performance (compared to the 60-year-old designed Classic Mini) as it should be. I'm sure it is great to own and a good choice as a daily driver and for long-distance touring.

 

One can't compare modern cars with 1950's designed classics and we shouldn't try to do so.

[mab01uk]

So,like an MPI?[/quote]

Comparing a MPI with a BINI is very silly.

 

Both the (1994-2000) Mini MPi and the (2001-2006) R50/53 MINI were engineered by Rover but both were funded by the parent BMW Group. The MPi was only developed after BMW insisted on saving the Mini when they discovered after buying Rover from BAe that Rover were planning to quietly end production of the classic Mini in 1995 due to new EU safety and emission rules and let the Mini become a dead marque like many other old BMC/BL brands. BMW marketing at the time were said to be amazed that the Rover marketing department did not realise the 'jewel' that the Mini was as an iconic worldwide recognised car and brand marque that was worth investing in for the future.

Edited by mab01uk, 11 July 2018 - 04:32 PM.

[Mrpeanut]

I try not to HATE anything in life, except peadophiles and similar low life.

To me the new MINI is a nice modern car on a par with other small cars like the Fiesta, VW Polo, etc. It is not a Classic Mini, but it does not purport to be one. It seems well built with typical modern high-performance (compared to the 60-year-old designed Classic Mini) as it should be. I'm sure it is great to own and a good choice as a daily driver and for long-distance touring.

One can't compare modern cars with 1950's designed classics and we shouldn't try to do so.

Exactly this. I read and hear some nonsense about Bini's. I've owned a couple of Bini's and 5 different classic mini's over the last five years or so. A Bini cooper s is my current daily, and it's great fun. It ain't a mini though and it would never accompany to a mini event, in the same way the wife's focus wouldn't.

What does grate though is the inter mini snobbery. The comment above re MPi for example isn't necessary imo. Mpi's, mark 1's, Clubman's, etc are all proper mini's.