13 replies to this topic

[jase12377]

What's the difference in mini cooper spi and mini cooper mpi whats the best one to go for and rarest

[OhDear]

To find a good running spi is rare. And to find an non-rotten mpi is rarer still lol

[RedRuby]

Clearly it's a personal choice but we have both a SPi and a MPi. The MPi is better on longer motorway drives due to its different final drive ratio but is not as good around the town. Some would also say that the SPi being an older model is better made as the later MPis did not have the same levels of bodywork protection and can tend to rust more.

[Paullly]

I wouldn't call either particularly rare, but in terms of best it is really personal preference, both have good and bad qualities, the MPI seems to be terrible for rust as at that point rover seemed to be saving as much as possible and the easiest way was reduce rust proofing but the SPI is no angel for this, i remember someone saying once that 80's mini's are usually better than 90's mini's in terms of rust. I have an SPI so can talk about them better than MPI's, they are good when they work, but when they go wrong they are a pain to fix, mine had a air leak which is common with the vacuum hose's, checked these, did a few things, swapped inlet manifold etc, after months of chasing i decided to rip the whole top half the engine off and strip the engine bay back, clean and paint everything etc, the fault was only found when i removed the brake servo from the brake master cylinder and the gasket crumbled! part worth pence, but since then (2 years ago) the car hasn't been back on the road for a variety of reasons. Now though it is being stripped right back to a bare shell and everything checked over during the winter so it can be re-built. before that issue though it was a dream, never missed a beat, barely had to do anything to it, always started first time. Get a good, already restored one and you should have no issues but be prepared if it does for some scratching of heads! 

[MaxAndPaddy]

Clearly it's a personal choice but we have both a SPi and a MPi. The MPi is better on longer motorway drives due to its different final drive ratio

 

 

 A lot of the latter models came with 13" rather than 12" wheels which obviously made some difference to motorway driving but i hadnt heard that the final drive was any different?

[Mrpeanut]

Clearly it's a personal choice but we have both a SPi and a MPi. The MPi is better on longer motorway drives due to its different final drive ratio
 

 
 A lot of the latter models came with 13" rather than 12" wheels which obviously made some difference to motorway driving but i hadnt heard that the final drive was any different?

Spi cooper has a 3.2 which is a cracking all round diff. The mpi has a 2.7 which imo takes the fun out of driving a mini.

[spiguy]

Spi for me all the way. It's the best 'compromise' - it's basically an electronic carburretor, and the rest of the engine is very very similar to a carb mini. In this sense I feel it is the least departure from the essence of minis, and the most familiar to an old hand at the mini game. The MPi has more in terms of differences to the mini of old, and has a different block along with other things like front rad, different alternator setup and of course the different final drive. You can in theory stick a carb on the SPi and use the engine like a carb model, by comparison (though not strictly a legitimate route to go down). I am on my second SPi and find them great to own and maintain. You just need a little understanding about how the relatively few injection and management functions work in order to be able to fault find.

[jase12377]

Ah cheers guys I'm just looking at purchasing a mini just wanted a Cooper version this time and seen mpi and spi

[maccers]

Here is a nice example...!

 

http://www.pistonhea...rom-new/3082859

[jase12377]

Ye that's a dream and a price of whoaaaaà!

[spiguy]

That is one gorgeous car!  But believe me when I tell you, if you can get your hands on a Jap import mini, they are almost as good as that underneath and at a fraction of the price...

[scrumpix]

I have an SPI so I am biased but I would say get the best car your budget allows

[jase12377]

I've got 2k roughly I no it will need work etc but I should find one with mot

[Anthony30]

You won't find a half decent MPI for £2k.  Go for an SPI if you don't fancy fiddling with a carb, given your budget. It's basically an electronic carb, so DIY friendly, to a point.