49 replies to this topic

[TWICEmonkey]

OK, I'm 19 and will agree mainly with the older drivers, experience is the most important thing in driving. My dad was a truck driver (now retired at 59) and has been driving trucks on the public roads since he was 14 (you could get away with it in those days - his words, not mine). Now this may not be the best way to start an argument, but bare with me.

My dad's licence now allows him to drive anything except a train. He can turn an artic on a freakin 6pence and can get trucks down alleyways you never thought possible. He considers himself a normal driver, but I know better.

Now for the youngsters. At least 75% of male drivers aged 17-19 are aggressive and dangerous and the reason for this is that they are stupid chavs that have just bough a Festa, Saxo, or one of those other cars they like to add snow plows, I mean bodykits, to as well as their Halfords "tuning" kits. I know this, because I know them. I know too many prinks on the road that I can't belive still have thier cars and, for the life of me I don't know how, but they haven't killed anyone yet. I almost hit one of my mates when he told me that he smashed his Cooper into a lamp post. "I just turned the wheel right and it kept going forward"
What he didn't tell us, but my older, smarter mate did, was that he was doing about 40mph in the wet round a sharp corner. Tw*t! and he even tried to blame it on the fact that he has Spax dampers.

Now I understand that MOST 17-19 year olds on here will fall outside this percentage as they respect their Minis, but please...learn from the experienced, stop arguing with them. Most of the time, they DO know better.

Now back the main point, go for a 998. That way you learn the characteristics of your car more safely and you'll come to appreciate a 1275 when you finally come to get it in a year or two

[1984mini25]

Personally I would chose a 998

Good round town, fun on B roads, can keep up with most traffic at motorway speeds,
And I’m getting about 40-45 mpg out of mine, so if it's looked after it's good on fuel too.

I might one day fit a stage one just for the "looks" as the standard exhaust just looks C**p,
But other than that it's fine for me.

Defiantly won't be changing it, as it's the original engine for the car and these something right about that.


I know I’m going to get moaned at for this, but as I’m the who has paid for the car and any thing that’s been done to it, paid the insurance tax and mot'ed it,
I certainly don't drive like a as it's me who will end up losing out.

I'm not saying I’m the best driver, no one is perfect all the time, we ALL make mistakes.

Plus the cars lasted 22years without being smashed, and I don’t what to be the one that writes it off.

[The Fat Leodensian]

My 998 city is faster than the 1275 i had before it. This might be because i am more experienced at putting them together though.

The 1275 was a standard metro unit ,with electronic egnition and a stage 1 kit. The 998 has the 12G(bla bla) head from said 1275, electonic egnition and a stage 1 kit. The manifold i used on the 1275 was a 3 into 1 and the 998 has an LCB. I used the same alloy inlet manifold (minispares). Both engines use a 1.5 inch hif44 carb

Now, its true that the 1275 had more bottom end torque. This meant that under normal town driving the 1275 could get into 4th sooner and once there required less shifting down. In contrast the 998 doesn't like 40mph in 4th very much and will feel like she's struggling on an incline at this speed in this gear.

When your on the open road though, the 998 shows its strengths. The 998 will rev MUCH harder.
At 45mph in 2nd, the 1275 felt like an explosion was imminent. The engine stopped 'pulling' usefully at about 5k rpm, and under hard acceleration you really had to up shift at about 4.5 to 4.8k rpm to keep the engine 'in the zone'.
The 998 however, is still happily pushing you into your seat (a bit) at 5.5k rpm and seems fine up to 6+k! (I don't do it often). so, the 998 is much better on the Motorway, as it can sit at higher rpm all day without complaint and has some left for overtaking. The 1275 felt like you could do with another gear to find your torque again, not the case with the 998.

It is true that the 998 has a slightly taller final drive than the 1275 metro unit (apparently?) which would cause these differences at higher speeds, but theres no doubt about it, my 998 goes faster top end then the 1275 i had and will out accelerate from 60 to 90 if you keep it on the boil with the cogs.

I bet no-one bothered to read all that boring drivvel

Oh yeah, and the 998 is a full £150 cheaper on insurance and does about 7 to 10mpg more on the urban cycle.

Al

[Tom Booth]

ok i cant touch my freinds 1300 mpi.. but who cares?

Haha, You knows it.

But I generally agree with whats being said in the thread, I sometimes regret having an mpi, 'Cus when it comes to tunning and modifying for that bit more power, the prices are sky high compared to the 998 kit. And like Dave and many other have said, 998's return well on fuel, where as the 1275's are a little thirstier, but I can still get about 40mpg out of mine on a nice run.

The first time I went out in Dave's 998, I was amazed how fast it was It moves increadibley well to say the power it has, And the sound is emense. Think a stage one kit wouldnt go a miss on 998's thou, just to give that little bit more power.

Cheers
Tom

[Big Sam]

Get the feel and respect of driving first. I agreee but how many people learn to drive in cars with a greater capacity than the car they will first drive. I started out with a basic Bini One then he upgraded to a Bini Cooper S which is more power than i'll actually be able to drive on a day to day basis.

These are no longer the days you go out and learn in the exact car you are going to drive, my dad in a standard mini and my mum in a fiesta. Its more than likey that we are more experienced now then you olders were at our age