Mini For First Car?
Started by
minifirstcar
, Mar 17 2013 09:04 PM
52 replies to this topic
#1
Posted 17 March 2013 - 09:04 PM
Hi, I'm too young at the moment but I've heard that Minis make excellent first cars (cool, low insurance ect). I was wondering what you guys think and was hoping that you would be able to answer my questions, such as- Is it possible to get a good example for around £1500, how to tell if one is in good condition, what reliability issues are there, how to look after your mini, what good upgrades to get e.g exhaust and what kind of maintenance I would need to do and how much that would cost and so on.
#2
Posted 17 March 2013 - 09:17 PM
welcome :)
minis make great first cars
insurance will still be a lot of money but all cars are expensive to insure at 17 and compared to most cars minis are very cheap to insure
the main thing to look for when buying a mini is rust, rust is the killer and can result in a lot of expense to sort out, mechanically they are very simple and usually cheap and easy to fix
reliability wise they require a lot more regular maintenance than newer cars however if you maintain them well they can be perfectly reliable and most of the maintenance you can do yourself and its good to learn to do these things
there are many good upgrades but it is worth bearing in mind that all upgrades will raise the cost of your insurance
hope this helps
Jonny
minis make great first cars
insurance will still be a lot of money but all cars are expensive to insure at 17 and compared to most cars minis are very cheap to insure
the main thing to look for when buying a mini is rust, rust is the killer and can result in a lot of expense to sort out, mechanically they are very simple and usually cheap and easy to fix
reliability wise they require a lot more regular maintenance than newer cars however if you maintain them well they can be perfectly reliable and most of the maintenance you can do yourself and its good to learn to do these things
there are many good upgrades but it is worth bearing in mind that all upgrades will raise the cost of your insurance
hope this helps
Jonny
Edited by jonny95, 17 March 2013 - 09:17 PM.
#3
Posted 17 March 2013 - 09:36 PM
Welcome to TMF fella,
I have bought a Mini for my first car, I payed £1650 and my mini if wonderful she has slight rush here an there but really nothing to worry about. My baby starts 1st time and she is perfect for me, little problems can give you a huge sense of achivement when you cure them.
You will have the coolest car out of all your friends and turn heads when you drive around.
Would recommend a Mini to any driver, they are wonderful!
I have bought a Mini for my first car, I payed £1650 and my mini if wonderful she has slight rush here an there but really nothing to worry about. My baby starts 1st time and she is perfect for me, little problems can give you a huge sense of achivement when you cure them.
You will have the coolest car out of all your friends and turn heads when you drive around.
Would recommend a Mini to any driver, they are wonderful!
#4
Posted 17 March 2013 - 09:39 PM
Welcome
I've got mine for £1400 insurance good cars make sure you own a Haynes manual though.
I get compliments towards the car and its not a chavy Saxo or similar
It's great fun
Jack
I've got mine for £1400 insurance good cars make sure you own a Haynes manual though.
I get compliments towards the car and its not a chavy Saxo or similar
It's great fun
Jack
#5
Posted 17 March 2013 - 09:48 PM
My first car is a mini, and it has been a pretty good buy. It's easy (and fun!) to drive, and its pretty practical plus its a mini so its definitely cooler than the puntos and corsas your mates will get. It gets really good mileage and is nice and cheap to maintain so it doesn't cost much to run one, although unless you want to spend a fortune in garage fees you'll need to do your own maintenance . What you do need to be careful of doing is getting a rusty one, as even a small area of rust will quickly turn into an MOT failure if not treated. Low mileage is pretty irrelevant as there are a lot of mini's with less than 50k on the clocks and they go for a long time without much trouble. Rather you should try to get the best condition car for the money, and the best way to make sure you do that is to bring someone along who has a good knowledge of classic cars and/or get hold of the Haynes classic mini restoration manual, as that has a section on checks to do before you buy the car and it is very comprehensive.
Good luck!
Good luck!
#6
Posted 17 March 2013 - 10:08 PM
Thanks for all the replies and advice
#7
Posted 17 March 2013 - 10:21 PM
Would a Mini Mayfair be a good option?
#8
Posted 17 March 2013 - 11:48 PM
Well at this stage I wouldn't really worriy about the model, You just need to find one one that is in the best condition for your money and one that you feel is right for you.
#9
Posted 18 March 2013 - 08:14 AM
It,s just that Mayfairs seem to be selling cheaper than other variants and I was wondering if there was a reasom?
#10
Posted 18 March 2013 - 09:31 PM
I have a Mayfair. any mini under 1000cc has the best prices on insurance
EDIT: thought I'd add a piccy of my Mayfair I know people like pics
EDIT: thought I'd add a piccy of my Mayfair I know people like pics
Attached Files
Edited by miniman72131, 18 March 2013 - 09:32 PM.
#12
Posted 18 March 2013 - 09:43 PM
Careful, first car in 1996 and I still haven't moved on!
#13
Posted 18 March 2013 - 09:43 PM
Mini 1000 would be good as a first car. Or a City or Mayfair. Anything with a 998 engine will keep the insurance company happy, and with a carb you can discreetly modify things such as the inlet manifold or carb set up too add a bit of power and keep you happy.
#14
Posted 18 March 2013 - 09:46 PM
right lets get this clear. yup they are very cool, they are good fun to drive, the insurance is relatively cheap... but make no boens about it, if you crash, its gonna hurt...a more modern car is going to give you considerably better protection in times of need, that doesnt make you bullet proof. But it IS something to think about.
model is irrelevant really, mayfairs aren't going cheaper than most, it probably jsut looks like that in relation to the Cooper models, which has a bigger engine and will cost you more on insurance... my opinion to you is to find either an 850 or 1000cc mini with a good solid shell
mechanically YES they are simple... but that doesnt matter if it needs alot of work, unless you can work on it yourtself you need to remember most garage rates are £40 per hour.
please choose wisely, i dont want to see you getting a lemon... minis are good first cars and you'll enjoy it, but there are other equally compelling options out there.
model is irrelevant really, mayfairs aren't going cheaper than most, it probably jsut looks like that in relation to the Cooper models, which has a bigger engine and will cost you more on insurance... my opinion to you is to find either an 850 or 1000cc mini with a good solid shell
mechanically YES they are simple... but that doesnt matter if it needs alot of work, unless you can work on it yourtself you need to remember most garage rates are £40 per hour.
please choose wisely, i dont want to see you getting a lemon... minis are good first cars and you'll enjoy it, but there are other equally compelling options out there.
#15
Posted 18 March 2013 - 09:47 PM
also i remmember seeing that two tone blue mini on ebay! no chrome out it! not event he bezels! all painted light blue.
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