7 replies to this topic

[mini998]

my mini is a 1974 austin mini.I love this car but its not a reliable mechine for every day use,I was thinking of getting another mini(rover) for everyday use


Question-is rover mini reliable than the austin or morris ones?

thanks
-ima

[Guess-Works.com]

Austin, rover, bmc, morris etc...

What's in a name, they're basically all the same, The real only difference in the later ones is the fuel injection system, and IMO, even more which can go wrong.

[dklawson]

Don't take this wrong... but British cars in general are not known for their reliability compared to Japanese cars. When you're comparing a 1974 to anything... you can expect that the "newer" car will be more reliable. In addition to the age of the vehicle... you'd also like to think that at least minor improvements in the design are implemented as time goes by.

That said, I choose to own my British cars. When people approach me and ask me what they're worth and if they're for sale my first question is "Oh, do you like to work on your own car?" This is usually met with a blank stare. These aren't late model Japanese cars. They need regular attention and maintenance if you want them to be "reliable" by any stretch of the imagination and most people today aren't willing to do that.

[a2lt16v]

Austin, rover, bmc, morris etc...

What's in a name, they're basically all the same, The real only difference in the later ones is the fuel injection system, and IMO, even more which can go wrong.

:smartass: none of these exist anymore

[Bungle]

reliable whats that i'm a mini owner

[Purple Tom]

I always wonder why people seem to class Mini's as unreliable.

I actually think they're one of the most reliable cars on the road. The main problem with them is that so many things can go wrong with them before they actually stop, that when you take it to a garage they find all these things wrong and it appears to be a lot - I hope that makes sense?

My Mini pick-up was bought in february 2003. It hadn't run since May 1995. I cranked it over using it a battery tester, and after 4 batteries on 15 seconds each it fired up! Can you think of any modern cars that would start after nearly 8 years on 8 year old fuel?

Mini's are so simple, its basically 50's technology right up to the latest ones on the mechanical (if not electrical) side. This makes them dead easy to repair on almost every job, and very easy to keep on the road.

I've never had any problems that have affected reliability that an hours work and a few quid (and i literally mean a few quid) haven't sorted.

And as dklawson says, if you're prepared to do the little things regularly, then there's no reason why mini's can't be 100% reliable.

[Pickup76]

my jet black is 100% reliable and its an austin (on the log book).... apart from when i broke a caliper...or thismorning when the sparkright melted....thats not to bad in 6 months!

[JamesM]

Your 10x12 probably melted bits of itself because of the speed you went past us on the M11