57 replies to this topic

[minisilverbullet]

Salesman of the year award goes to the bloke selling the mini. 

Been told by the bloke selling the mini I'm interested in that they're not happy on the motorway and that the engine will take a good beating keeping up with motorqay speeds!
 

[DarrenHawes]

Thanks for the replies people! Guess a mini is back on the cards then! Hopefully within the next week!! Won't be better fuel economy than my 1.9 TDI but it'll be fun to drive 😂

[robminibcy]

they are very different to drive on motorways than a modern car but that does not necessarily mean theyre bad and cant do it.

 

They don't mind being revved and well maintained will sit there all day every day. the first time you take one on the motorway the first mile you will probably think Oh no what have I done!! then you will get used to the noise, you will realise the engine is not going to blow up and the bounces and wind gusts are actually quite fun and will actually enjoy the journey! I did 30K in my mini the first year I had it all over the place and they are actually far more comfy than a lot of modern cars that ive been in. never have I had back ache in my mini after a long journey but I have in a few modern cars!

 

mpg wont come close to your 1.9tdi (vw? I have  1.9tdi golf as well!) but will be comparable to modern equivalent petrols such as corsas ect.

[DarrenHawes]

they are very different to drive on motorways than a modern car but that does not necessarily mean theyre bad and cant do it.

 

They don't mind being revved and well maintained will sit there all day every day. the first time you take one on the motorway the first mile you will probably think Oh no what have I done!! then you will get used to the noise, you will realise the engine is not going to blow up and the bounces and wind gusts are actually quite fun and will actually enjoy the journey! I did 30K in my mini the first year I had it all over the place and they are actually far more comfy than a lot of modern cars that ive been in. never have I had back ache in my mini after a long journey but I have in a few modern cars!

 

mpg wont come close to your 1.9tdi (vw? I have  1.9tdi golf as well!) but will be comparable to modern equivalent petrols such as corsas ect.

looking forward to the fun of driving again as well as being able to do bits and bobs of modifying! ibiza 1.9 but im really bored after 3 and a half years :')

[Spud21]

they are very different to drive on motorways than a modern car but that does not necessarily mean theyre bad and cant do it.
 
They don't mind being revved and well maintained will sit there all day every day. the first time you take one on the motorway the first mile you will probably think Oh no what have I done!! then you will get used to the noise, you will realise the engine is not going to blow up and the bounces and wind gusts are actually quite fun and will actually enjoy the journey! I did 30K in my mini the first year I had it all over the place and they are actually far more comfy than a lot of modern cars that ive been in. never have I had back ache in my mini after a long journey but I have in a few modern cars!
 
mpg wont come close to your 1.9tdi (vw? I have  1.9tdi golf as well!) but will be comparable to modern equivalent petrols such as corsas ect.

looking forward to the fun of driving again as well as being able to do bits and bobs of modifying! ibiza 1.9 but im really bored after 3 and a half years :')

Ah I used to have one of them. Dull as dishwater but they just keep on going. Only reason we got rid of ours was because my sister drove into the back of a van, but was still going strong after 130k.

[classicmini8]

A mini will survive the motorway np, but if your doing alot of motorway drving a mini wouldn't be my first choice. You might get a bit of a shock if you go from a modern car to mini. I suggest you drive one at speed and judge for yourself if you would use it for motorways.

[Steely]

I've driven mine down the motorway before. Only did speeds of 60-70 but it was ok.

[carthorse]

One of my best motorway trips was in a clapped out old 1972 850 I used to own. I sold it to a couple that lived down in Devon, and as part of the deal I agreed to drive it down from Manchester were I was to my inlaws in Hertfordshire so they didn't have so far to travel to get it. (We were going down there for the weekend anyway so it was no real hassle)
On the appointed day I left nice and early in the mini while the wife and kids followed later in the family people carrier, now Manchester to the South East is a journey I've done many many times and I hate it with real undiluted passion! I've spent hours of my life stuck in traffic on the M6 & M1 either crawling along or playing chicken with some idiot 6" from my rear bumper at 80mph.
The journey in the little 850 was so chilled, I knew it was only capable of about 65ish for any length of time, so I bimbled along in the slow lane watching the world rush by me without a care in the world. I stopped a couple of times for coffee and to let the poor old thing cool down and to top up the rather leaky radiator and people came up to chat about the car, told me stories about how they learnt in one just like it etc....
I didn't even mind when I had to stop on the hard shoulder to relatch the bonnet which made a sudden bid for freedom! Happy days.

[cooperdan]

One of my best motorway trips was in a clapped out old 1972 850 I used to own. I sold it to a couple that lived down in Devon, and as part of the deal I agreed to drive it down from Manchester were I was to my inlaws in Hertfordshire so they didn't have so far to travel to get it. (We were going down there for the weekend anyway so it was no real hassle)
On the appointed day I left nice and early in the mini while the wife and kids followed later in the family people carrier, now Manchester to the South East is a journey I've done many many times and I hate it with real undiluted passion! I've spent hours of my life stuck in traffic on the M6 & M1 either crawling along or playing chicken with some idiot 6" from my rear bumper at 80mph.
The journey in the little 850 was so chilled, I knew it was only capable of about 65ish for any length of time, so I bimbled along in the slow lane watching the world rush by me without a care in the world. I stopped a couple of times for coffee and to let the poor old thing cool down and to top up the rather leaky radiator and people came up to chat about the car, told me stories about how they learnt in one just like it etc....
I didn't even mind when I had to stop on the hard shoulder to relatch the bonnet which made a sudden bid for freedom! Happy days.

Ahhh good times me thinks, its what its all about 😊

[Miniminx71]

I used to drive my mpi regularly on the motorway and it was happy as anything. The only problem I had was getting caught in the wheel ruts from lorries in the slow lane which used to be a bit hairy at times (having the fatter tyres didn't help that) but, other than that, it was absolutely fine.

[mini_mad69]

It's like any other small light car, a bigger heavier more powerfull car is usually happier on faster road. But you'd be just as good in a mini compared to an Aygo or similar.

 

I used to fly back and forth down the M4 most weekend for 3 years in mine.

[Mini Cheddars]

Remember how Minis used to do well in the Monte Carlo Rally? A quick Wiki check tells me it is a 634 mile route. And he's saying a Mini will commit bloody suicide if it's driven up the motorway? What absolute drivel. I cruise at about 60-70 on the way to work and back about 40 miles a day, with about 30 of that being M-way.

[90BHP]

Two Italian Job Trips including Mad Italian motorways, and countless London 2 Brighton runs, tell me he's wrong. It'll be fine ;)

[Black.Ghost]

My little man used to do me Brighton to Cardiff and back twice a week to see the boyfriend no worries. 55mph is a pleasant cruising speed if you want the radio, but 70 is easily achieved if you don't mind a bit of tinnitus the other end!

Check out the 'a not so mini adventure' thread for proof they are cracking little cars ;)

Blimey, that must have been love - Cardiff to Brighton twice a week?! 

 

Like has been said, a mini will sit happily on the motorway at legal speed and be just fine. Personally, I would look to get a MPi (later model one) if the main thing will be motorways as they are a bit more comfortable and a bit quieter than the mid 70s and 80s versions. Having said that, there is no reason you couldn't make some changes to an earlier one to make it more comfortable. 

 

Make sure your brakes are well serviced and regularly checked, as modern cars really can stop in much shorter distances and you don't want to get caught out like that. While the solid metal has shown to hold up pretty well in many an accident, they do not compare to modern cars for safety. While statistically the chances of a serious crash on a motorway may be less, the speeds mean the carnage is greater which is something to bear in mind. I find I am a lot more alert in my mini on the motorway than a normal car which I guess is a good thing. 

 

My mini has a tendency to creep up in speed and once you do get a mini over the 70-75mph mark, they do get fairly loud. You can of course buy better sound deadening and thicker carpet, but you'll never get Jaguar XJ levels of quiet (although not much will!). 

 

The mini will cope perfectly fine on the motorways - people have been doing it for decades - but the above are just a couple of considerations to bear in mind. 

[Cooperman]

What do you think we did in the 1960's?

I used a Mini from 1963 until 1968 as my daily, then my wife had an 850 with an 1100 engine for a while and I often used that for my 60 mile daily round trip.

They do need more attention and servicing to keep them reliable. Change the oil & filter every 2000 to 3000 miles and grease them at the same interval.

Always remember that you ar driving a 55-year-old classic and it's not a modern car and won't go or stop like one, nor will it have the same crash-resistance in an accident.

But enjoy it for what it is.