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Daily Driver 1990 City 1000


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#16 DeanP

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 06:12 PM

Expectations in cars have changed, driving a Mini everyday was normal for thousands of people everyday. So was changing plugs and points regularly glancing at the fluid levels and crossing your fingers every morning it would fire up after a cold, wet windy night.

 

With moderns not needing any attention for 20,000 miles or so, it has really got lazy. Gives me more time to spend on the Mini to be honest lol..

 

Personally, give it a go for 12 months, see if it is what you want from a Mini. Pleasure, stress or both lol.


Edited by DeanP, 14 September 2018 - 06:13 PM.


#17 Cooperman

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 06:30 PM

My Grandson tried a 1997 MPI when he was 17. We bought the car for the right price, then did a comprehensive restoration. Lots of welding - wings, A-panels, front panel, door skins, sills, boot floor, rear valence, etc. 

Engine was stripped, re-bored and carefully re-built. Brakes stripped and re-built, all new suspension bushes, replacement dampers, complete re-paint, new tyres, Mk.1 grille and lots of other odds & ends.

He drove it before and after he passed his test, then used it as an everyday car. 

He spent a lot of time maintaining and servicing it until he got fed up with all the routine work. It was not unreliable as such, it was just a lot of work. Also it was not really comfortable.

In the end, after about 6 months he sold it for a good price and with 1/2 of what he got for it he bought a Fiesta 1.25 Zetec. This had power steering, leather, air-con, good audio system, needed little maintenance and was a great car until a guy in a big 4x4 wrote it off. With the insurance he bought my wife's old 2004 Mondeo Ghia Diesel which was a great car.

However, he can drive my Minis whenever he wishes, so he is still a Mini enthusiast.



#18 TheFabMini

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 06:47 PM

My 70 year old dad who was a mechanic since the age of 15 always says that I and other classic car owners are ‘too precious’ with our cars and that a mini is a ride on lawn mower with a roof....


Which can now be worth some serious money, even in poor condition. When he was working on them I assume he could still pick them up for, almost literally, pennies? It's not bad advice as they are very basic cars but times have changed and attitudes do too.

He said he paid £15 for a mini once and he felt ripped off.
I got mine last year as a bit of a father son project. 10 minutes of him stood in the garage saying he doesn’t understand why anyone bothered to keep them going to become a classic and that life would have been easier if I got a Morris minor and he was swiftly removed. ?
Safe to say he isn’t a fan!

#19 luismx123

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 09:15 PM

Why daily a classic: Because its fun.

I envy your fun commute. Despite being out in the sticks mines still spent sat in traffic.
 
It's not just classics, I posted similar in another thread on here about 'fun' daily drives. If your daily driving is fun (i.e you get to head off down some good roads without much traffic) then I can see why you'd want to be in a car that maximizes the experience.
 
My experience of daily driving is very different. I need to get where I'm going on time and in good shape, I want to be warm in winter and cool in summer, I want to be able to do 3-4hrs without feeling like I've run a marathon, I don't want to feel every pot-hole and rough surface, and I want to be able to listen to some music without being blasted by road noise.
In short I want all the improvements that have been made in motoring over the last 30 years while I'm driving because I need to.
 
When I drive because I want to - that's different. I have a Mini, a couple of motorbikes and a Landrover (not all are actually driveable, but that's a different story). When I drive those it's because I want to enjoy what I'm doing. I don't care if I turn up late or don't get there at all, I don't care if I turn up a bit oily, I just want to enjoy the experience.
 
I tried combining the two worlds for years and years, and all it ever got me was stress, expense and disenchantment with vehicles I loved. So now I don't bother and I try and put the same point across in these kinds of threads as it's easy to get wrapped up in the fever of group think.
 

My 70 year old dad who was a mechanic since the age of 15 always says that I and other classic car owners are ‘too precious’ with our cars and that a mini is a ride on lawn mower with a roof....

 
Which can now be worth some serious money, even in poor condition. When he was working on them I assume he could still pick them up for, almost literally, pennies? It's not bad advice as they are very basic cars but times have changed and attitudes do too.

I totally get where you're coming from. I can only speak for myself though
I do a 38km commute to and back from work + some small errands here and there. Nearly 100 km about 3* a week. It's about 15min morning slow movingstuff and then 15min on the highway. The reason I got my mini was to make the 1+hr of driving everyday more exciting and bearable. I used to just sit in the car and go from A to B.
The mini made my morning drive more fun. Slow traffic means lots of thumbs up and smiles all around from passerby's and other drivers, wakes me up and keeps me smiling, and then the 15min of highway is ok... Fun to overtake the occasional Porsche that's sticking to the speed limit ;)
I also just love pulling up to the groceries or petrol station (I'm 193cm, 100kg and currently doing bodybuilding) and seeing peoples reactions and having them come over to chat.

I just got really fed up of travelling to my Destination. Now I drive there...

#20 Icey

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 10:13 PM

We’ll never persuade each other, you will either deal with the extra hassle of running a classic or you’ll get sick of it, it’s a completely personal decision.

All I can do is recount my stories and there are a few incidents I look back on that really made me loose the will to run a classic daily....

The Landy broke its dizzy when in Kent....I live in Wiltshire. The trip was to see my dying father who never got to see the Landy (he loved them). I rented a car to get to his funeral.

The ‘scrappy’ Mini was used everyday for a few years to do a 50mile commute. It was the middle of winter and it needed servicing. It was really difficult doing the valve clearances as I kept slipping on the ice.

In the same Mini, the heater fan broke mid-week in Winter. It was warmer on the motorbike than driving the car and changing a heater is crappy job to do especially when it’s really cold.

The 80s Hondas I had (not really classic but still 20years old when I had them), they used to eat rear callipers, suspension bushes, engine mounts and one broke its clutch. And rust, lots of it, they could give Minis a run for their money!


In the end I just couldn’t justify the time or risk to my personal mobility, and I junked in the ‘scrappy’ Mini for a new Toyota. That was 10 years ago, I’ve not had to deal with MOTs or servicing since (although I have just bought my first used car since that point - let’s see how that works out!).

#21 timmy850

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 10:33 PM

I'm happy to drive my mini to work (35km return) if it's a clear day. During our "winter" here I've driven the car loads as the weather has been cool and sunny. It's nice to be able to drive the mini whenever I want, and not because I have to

 

Seeing as it's pretty clear of rust I don't see any point in driving in the rain when I have another car to drive (and the front window leaks too!). My drive is also pretty boring, 5 minutes in town and 10 minutes at 100kph on the highway, not a single corner to take at speed..

 

Then again, the only cars that ever stopped me from getting to work were our "new" cars:

10 year old Commodore overheated due to a busted radiator cap. Also had a problem on the way home with a dodgy sensor

7 year old Mazda got a flat battery (then again, it was the original battery)



#22 bae1994

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 06:23 AM

See I drove mine all last winter and enjoyed it, but I can't afford/justify a second car (because of insurance), however I've just got a van from work that I can use for personal use so I think if it's a week of rain forcast I'll use the van but if it's snow I'll be in the mini.

 

What I'm getting at is last winter I didn't have a problem doing it and enjoyed it but now I have a choice in the matter I might think differently.

 

The only other thing is I don't have kids but do occasionally take my nieces and nephews Out in the mini however i don't think I could drive kids in one every day because of the lack of safety compared to a Modern car.


Edited by bae1994, 15 September 2018 - 06:28 AM.


#23 matt615

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 06:38 AM

I used my first Mini on a daily 60 mile round trip commute for 2 years. The only time it ever let me down was when a radiator hose split. Even then I managed to limp it to the nearest station so I could get the train to work, and limp it back from the station in the evening.

Having said that I wouldn’t do it now. I’ve got too used to the comfort, space and mod cons that modern cars offer. The Mini now lives in a dry garage and comes out to play at the weekends.

#24 matt615

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 07:23 AM

Agree with the comments about steamed up windows. I used to use Fog X which was very good.

#25 absx2

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 07:49 AM

Being in deep Cornwall next to the sea I can confirm that unless you have a climate controlled garage your pride and joy will rot just as quick as using it every day which is why my daily has been in constant use for 14 years with no ill effects.

Average speed around here is 30 mph or zero in the summer holidays hence the motorcycle so its ideal.

I`ll probably take it to Castle Combe in a couple of weeks which is a 428 mile round trip in a day with no radio ( wouldn`t hear it anyway ) and drum brakes so I might be singing a different tune but it is an adventure or do I mean an endurance event  :lol:



#26 Vinay-RS

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 05:48 PM

I don't think a Mini (or any classic) is a good idea as your only car. If you've got a more modern car that you can use regularly or when the weather is not great, then, as others have said, the Mini would be nice to take out when you're in the mood for it.

 

I have found that having to use a classic as a daily is problematic, because when things fail (or the car doesn't want to start), one, you won't have transport to get to work or to get replacement parts, and two, you're going to need to rush to fix the car for the next day. More modern daily drivers are less likely to have such issues (I think?). 

 

And while I have learnt a bit about mechanics of classic cars, by working on the Mini and asking other classic Mini enthusiasts (mainly on TMF) about how to tackle jobs, it can be really stressful when the Mini breaks and I need to try and fix the job in a few hours in the evening to have transport to work the next day.  



#27 unburntfuelinthemorning

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Posted 15 September 2018 - 08:57 PM

It was much easier running a Mini when you could pop into Unipart at the nearest Rover dealer to pick up parts but even then the amount of times I needed something Saturday lunch-time just after they closed for the weekend. 

 

Regardless I'm all for using a Mini as a daily driver because they're the best vehicle ever made and I love driving them in all conditions - especially when people say you shouldn't.  I've had enough of moderns.  They may be more reliable (admittedly a good thing) but they have no soul.  And when they do go wrong (albeit less often) it can be very expensive and hard to fix if you do the work yourself or expensive plus labour for someone else to fix.



#28 Bat

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Posted 16 September 2018 - 07:01 AM

Hi,

I don't think we'll ever get everyone to agree on this due to the fact everyone has different circumstances.

As I've also got a classic Ford I can relate to what was said about the increasing value of classic cars.

This is a problem in itself.

A lot of people are saying both here and over there about how shows aren't as good as they used to be.

As mentioned above the concern about something expensive getting damaged out on the roads is keeping the cars we want to see away from shows and seeing them out on the roads more often.

A reference was made to the 90s being the golden age of good shows and seeing cars out on the roads.

I think it's a shame to keep them locked away but unfortunately the modern society of thieves and uninsured drivers and barely any police aren't going to help peoples mindset that their investment isn't safe out on the roads.

Cheers  :proud:



#29 surfblue

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Posted 16 September 2018 - 09:30 AM

Im firmly in the "not every day" camp.

I like many others did run Minis as my only car but when they were still current "new" or modern second hand cars. Parts available everywhere wasnt a problem,

But even then it was regular maintenance, weekends with the bonnet up or wheels off fixing or replacing something. I didnt mind, quite enjoyed it actually and still do but when I want to, not because I have to, to get it running for next days commute.

The appeal to me now of classic cars is pleasurable motoring for leisure purposes. For everything else I have a modern diesel 4x4, and because its a Landrover, I love it too, just for different reasons.



#30 mab01uk

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Posted 16 September 2018 - 10:22 AM

Sadly the increase in Mini values, whether complete or in parts and the lack of security compared to modern cars, means if you use your classic Mini as a daily driver you really need to have secure parking at your destination or it might not be still parked where you left it to get you home....

TMF Stolen Mini Alerts:-

http://www.theminifo...en-mini-alerts/






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