61 replies to this topic

[DEXISWOLF]

[quote name="Cooperman" post="3660787" timestamp="1596831310"]

Il admit your right, it amazes me how people buy these classics with no intention of learning to fix them, a friend of mine who i met when i first passed my test had a mpi and couldnt do a basic service when i met him so it was always going wrong , then his 1275gt was much the same but fast forward 7 years his current metro and mgb gt has been the most reliable cars hes had the b i particular has covered 18k miles in a year and half and never been a issue because i urged him to learn to set carbs, timing etc and the only problem its had was a wire on the ignition barrel shorted out, me and my dad buy and sell classics and the amount of first time drivers who have come to buy one and had no clue on even what a set of points is, but the funniest was a stocky mid 40s early 50s guy come to view a mini we had, just a 90s 998 of some sort cant remember the exact model but it was all standard with 12 inch minilites on he come and test drove it after wanting one because his forst car was one , well he come back from the test drive and anyone would have thought he had run a marathon in the desert he was dripping with sweat so he passed back the keys and said il leave it because i forgot how heavy the steering was and the brakes ? i will always remember that one

[Cooperman]

It is easy to look back with the proverbial 'rose tinted specs' and think how wonderful those old, now classic, cars were in reality.

But when I think about it I can recall going to work on a cold Winter's day in my old 998 Cooper. The screen would mist up and require wiping with a cloth, the carpets sometimes were wet, if it had been a very damp night it could be reluctant to start (cue drying the leads and spraying - again - with Damp Start), not being able to see out of the rear window, only having single-speed (slow) wipers which did not self-park, the exhaust system often 'blowing' from the lower front joint, etc.

Then there was the lack of interior refinement, the unreliable Lucas petrol pumps, short range with only a 5.5 gallon tank as standard giving a safe range of around 170 miles if you drove hard. Tyre wear was high, compared to modern cars and a set of Michelin 'X' 145 x 10 radial tyres cost around £24 (that's like around £480 for a set of 4 in today's money).

The old rubber drive shaft couplings didn't last long and a ball-pin splitter was needed to change them easily.

BUT, I also remember the fun we had with and in them. The young ladies in their mini-skirts getting in and out, the pubs we could go to before the breathaliser and still drive home, the lack of a maximum speed limit before the end of 1965, the pleasure of having what was an iconic little car back then. We young guys were often called 'Mini Maniacs' (I wonder why). I used my 998 Cooper for rallying, autocross, autotests, going to and from work and just for going out-and-about.

However, I did finally get a bit fed up with the constant servicing and bought a new Cortina GT Mk.1 in 1966 and that was much more reliable, with an excellent ventilation & heating system. It was so much smoother and just as quick. After that a new SAAB 96V4 gave excellent service, 34,000 miles in 15 months with no mechanical problems at all. By then my wife had an 850 Mini with an MG1100 engine and Cooper brakes and that was fun, but again needed a lot of attention.

Now I am old I derive great fun from my two Minis and I have the time to nurture them and do the necessary 'fettling' to keep them on the roads. I would never use on as a daily driver though. In fact I had to on one day this week when my Land-Rover threw a fan belt, but it was not something i would want to do every day.