28 replies to this topic

[Badboytunes]

A long journey in a Mini can be noisy, slightly uncomfortable, boring & mundane at slow speeds ( compared to 70-80 on a motorway ) but..... its all part of the charm of owning a Mini. Although ours is a weekend play thing it is regularly used for long trips. never had an issue as its well maintained. The only problem we had was the gearbox was getting noisy ( just normal wear and tear ) so had it rebuilt. it was expensive but it was worth every penny and the car is running sweet as a nut.

Get yourself a good one, look after it and it will look after you.

[BVY]

My 1098 clubby estate just did the 470 mile round trip to North Wales and back this week for roughly £30 each way doing about 65mph. The only problem I had along the way was my gear linkage pin falling out after the first 100 miles Just had to stick a split pin in as a temporary fix which I still haven't got round to replacing...
As long as you change the oil every 6000 miles and do all the other weekly checks etc your mini will do it easily
And stylishly too

[mini*mad]

65?
my old tuned up 998 city e would sit at 80 all day long!
and get 55+mpg because of the "economic" diff in them

mpi cooper handled it fine too

perfectly comfortable if your under the age of 40 and havent experienced the same journey in a jag lol!

[Dolly 89]

Minis are great fun for long journeys, I went down to newquay grime near Lincoln, there and back in the same week, I was young and stupid then though, had a mega loud exhaust and bucket seats, they was actually comfortable though :) I will say I used about a tank and half one way, that was with foot flat to the floor most of the way though, I would do it again in the mini, the only minor problem I had was my own fault, I replaced the alternator before going but didn't change the fan belt, it was all good on the way there, but it obviously stretched a little bit too much and wouldn't start after stopping at a servo on the way home, lesson learnt though, always change fan belt when changing alternator

[cooperdan]

I personally love motorway journeys in the mini...

Yeh my knee may seize up little and getting out at service station can be....urm amusing. but hey its the attention all way especially, when there is people carrier goes past and there is few young'ns in back hands against the window, nose squashed against the glass and there like (thats one F***ing nice mini) ok maybe not the swearing part perhaps... ha

Oh and strangely at times sitting in motorway traffic can be plesant weirdly...hmm

[Teapot]

Hmmmm ... tricky. One-offs are fine, like driving to the 'Ring and IMM in Denmark were all part of the adventure. We drove both minis from South Devon to Bingley Hall and back one year, which was ... a long way ... and Mrs T's nice quiet mpi has been over to the east coast several times, always reliably. Mini day at Brands last year was a blast.

But with a motorway journey looming every fortnight ... I think I'd try to find something bigger & quieter for maybe 2 out of 3 trips. Maybe. Or plan a more fun route one way at least.

[Cooperman]

My Grandson had an MPI as his first car when he was 17 last year. He did a lot of miles in it, but has now put it into storage and bought a modern Fiesta which he finds more economical, much more comfortable and totally reliable. He won't sell the Mini and intends to keep it as his classic and look to insure it when he can get classic insurance. He has told me I can insure and use it if I wish which I may well do.
Driving any classic car as a daily driver has its 'pros' & 'cons'. The 'pros' are the sheer fun of driving a classic car, be it a Mini, and MGB, or whatever you really like. The 'cons' are the constant need to 'fix & fettle' it to keep reliability, the lack of 'creature comforts' and the maintenance costs.
It's a personal thing really and there is no doubt that driving a classic car is fantastic. Personally I think an MGB is a better daily driver than a MIni as it is better geared (with overdrive) and much more reliable, but nowhere like as much fun on a twisty road.

[adam_93rio]

I did about 560 miles round trip the other weekend, in one day. With the roof rack on and the last 3 hours had a door strapped to it.
998 engine and gearbox I bought for £40 after it had say in a garage for years. Managed about 45mpg and Most of it was at 70mph

My car is very low and the suspension is stiff, and very loud. (as shifty would probably confirm)
I had 13 wheels is the car which I had picked up along the way and a door skin rattling around in the back.

Most people wouldn't put up with it but it's not what the car can handle, majority of the time it's the driver that breaks first

[rubex]

I drive my mini everywhere....it is the most reliable family car we own!!! She is only just starting to have issues....but her clock is practically back to zero and nearly everything is still original - the only things ever changed are head gasket - half a days job, thermostat (twice for some reason) - again really quick job and an alternator - which we did at the side of the road!

My mini is currently running on will power... but like I said practically 100,000 miles, she has done pretty well! Regular drivers break down less in my experience!

[rubex]

Mines a carbed 1275 and averages about 45mpg....but if you get tempted to over take a lot on the motor way....this goes down considerably! lol

[Black.Ghost]

Well I will soon be rebuilding my mini and it will be an everyday car, so I intend adding a few little modern comforts. Comfortable seats are a must, with a good stereo and sound deadening. I'm also going for a heated front screen and ideally a sunroof although I am still considering this one. The reason for the sound deadening is an exhaust is nice some of the time (hence a sunroof!), but not all of the time. I also want to be able to hold a normal conversation without the need to shout the whole time. 180 miles really isn't that far. I think the misses would definitely prefer a Jag to cruise around in though.

[AVV IT]

I'm also going for a heated front screen and ideally a sunroof although I am still considering this one.

As someone who has owned a mini with a sunroof for 13 years now and despite numerous repairs and replacement parts, has spent most of that time with damp seats/carpets and a wet head, I would think long and hard before comprising a perfectly decent solid roof and fitting one. In my opinion there are two types of classic mini sunroof, those that leak and those that don't.......yet!!!

[adam_93rio]

I've been looking for a heated front screen, are there any actually available?

[AVV IT]

I've been looking for a heated front screen, are there any actually available?

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