5 replies to this topic

[possum888]

I've just read a book for car buyers and it has over 2000 cars in it and it reccomends which ones you should buy.

I found the Mini. Um.....

...in the Overall Summary it said: Avoid like the plague. So not true!!!

But mark my words when I finish restoring my Mini, I shall get a plaque with the Quick Summary from the book engraved into it.

And those words are: The coolest little death trap that ever lived

[Nick '91]

Only a death trap if you drive it properly, im trying to get the last rites as a sticker for my passenger side sunvisor. = P

[taffy1967]

I thought the coolest little death trap was the BMW Issetta Bubble Car? Or the original Fiat 500?

Either way many of those books are written by knob heads who have probably never been in let alone owned a real Mini.

Oh well, variety is the spice of life?

[taffy1967]

Only a death trap if you drive it properly, im trying to get the last rites as a sticker for my passenger side sunvisor. = P

True, their only unsafe at unsafe speeds whilst being driven unsafely.

[wassupcrew]

Only a death trap if you drive it properly, im trying to get the last rites as a sticker for my passenger side sunvisor. = P

True, their only unsafe at unsafe speeds whilst being driven unsafely.

i'm so glad i'm putting a honda in mine then

[Angusdog]

Either way many of those books are written by knob heads who have probably never been in let alone owned a real Mini.

Oh well, variety is the spice of life?

FWIW, the writer does know about Minis. And a lot about other cars. Clive Matthew-Wilson is well known in New Zealand and a lot of people get quite annoyed by what he says about various cars. The difference is he's objective and not subjective when assessing cars, so what he says (and it's his opinion but it carries a lot of weight with me) might not be what you want to hear.

The truth is that minis are not nearly as safe as more or less any car built since the 1970s. The basic shell has no crumple zones, the steering column isn't collapsible, most cars don't have even the slightest side impact protection and they have little presence on the road. Harsh but I believe true.

Does it matter? Well, we don't travel any significant distance with one of our children in the car but around town, it's everything you buy a mini for. I'm not in it for the safety aspect (I commute on a large cruiser motorcycle or a mountain bike), I'm in it for the style, the back-to-basics mechanics, the customising aspect and because it's a darn mini. But they aren't as safe as a modern car.