17 replies to this topic

[gordioda]

i was planning on driving home from uni the other day when my car decided to massively break, found the rear subframe completely
and as expected a million other litte things broke when we took it off, basically i need to be driving tomorrow night and the mini is currently on axle stands with no rear subby, this means some hard work starting early in the morning, convincing my mate who hates mini's that he has to help, and the worst thing is im a student so i have no money!

rant over

[Mini_Magic]

That's Minis for you.

[ozzie770]

If you think mini's are dear to look after you should be glad you dont have a BMW E30......

Im Currently restoring a mini and im amazed at how cheap the spares are, ive spent approx £600 on complete panels for the front end and floor panels, £100 on engine service parts, £100 on new lights, and if i throw in the £150 on the new mig welder for it, its still works out cheaper than the £1000 i spent on just the manifold and exhaust on my BMW

I Dare say that once my mini is restored it will be worth more than the E30 aswell ( certainly on return of what ive spent on them)

[Guess-Works.com]

it's all relative....

[rozzer!]

in 5 years i have spent 6 grand on doing my car! worth every penny! yes she is a pain in the arse when she goes wrong but i can forgive her when i have a blast driving her!

[Sam Walters]

They arnt too bad, you just need to keep a check on things.

However try changeing the drive shaft oil seals with the engine still in the car, Rather tricky.

[Dan]

You think it costs you a lot of money because you're a student and it's probably the first car you've had to run yourself. Cars are expensive, Minis are pretty cheap as cars go.
The reason it costs you so much at the moment is unfortunately because you wait until something breaks to fix it, that's not the idea of maintenance.

[taffy1967]

Minis are worth it, everything else is just boring traffic.

[burnerking]

It does get a little expensive but as someone has said, you need to keep on top of the maintenance. Plus with minis, the money you put into it, you'll get some of it back when you sell it. Most cars, you put money into them to keep them going and they lose value over time.

I've been doing odd jobs over the past few weeks - I love it. I don't have urgent things to do on the car this weekend, I feel a little lost to be honest. I'm going to find something that needs changing - I've become addicted.

[lrostoke]

On the plus side at least they are fairly simple mechanical wise so pretty much everything can be done at home , saves a fortune in garage costs.

[Sleepy Stu]

It does get a little expensive but as someone has said, you need to keep on top of the maintenance. Plus with minis, the money you put into it, you'll get some of it back when you sell it. Most cars, you put money into them to keep them going and they lose value over time.

I've been doing odd jobs over the past few weeks - I love it. I don't have urgent things to do on the car this weekend, I feel a little lost to be honest. I'm going to find something that needs changing - I've become addicted.

Do you know im exactly the same way now. For the last 12 months i have been restoring Delilah and it kept me busy and cost me a lot of money but i have always just cracked on and done it!!

Then i got her on the road for 1 week and found out the engine was FUBAR. So as matter of urgency i have spent the last two weeks removing the old engine stripping it down and have fitted a new engine. Now finally she is on the road!!!

However there are lots of niggly little jobs that need doing. For instance the rear demister doesnt work, the choke cable does lock so it needs a peg, the interior has two seats and a steering wheel and thats it so i need to fit a new interior, have a quick release system for the steering wheel to fit, etc etc

But as these jobs are not essential to keep the mini on the road i have lost all motivation?

Edited by Stewart_GT, 17 September 2008 - 10:49 AM.

[sazal]

My Minis cost me a bit to keep on top of the rust etc and now shes decided she needs her engine rebuilding I wouldnt ever get rid of her though

You just have to look at it as once you've done little bits on it, they wont need doing again for a while!

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

There more than worth it

[CMcB]

i was planning on driving home from uni the other day when my car decided to massively break, found the rear subframe completely
and as expected a million other litte things broke when we took it off, basically i need to be driving tomorrow night and the mini is currently on axle stands with no rear subby, this means some hard work starting early in the morning, convincing my mate who hates mini's that he has to help, and the worst thing is im a student so i have no money!

rant over

Just need to keep on top of any issues. Presuming you thoroughly checked the car over before you bought it, it's just a matter of maintenance. Subframes being something you should keep an eye on as they are very important. Aside from things that will go pop without any warning, it's just about knowing your Mini and keeping an eye on it for any changes and stopping any issues before they do break.

I've got to say, from my point of view, I'm SO glad i've had time to work on my Mini before getting it on the road. Everytime I work on it I find something new about it and I've got a good idea of whats in good nick and whats not, so I can keep track of it. Whereas if I'd just bought it and driven it around, I wouldnt know all this.

[gordioda]

yea i always try an keep on top of maintenance but it was an unexpected issue, i have a feeling the insane amount of speedbumps round here had something to do with it

but yea i agree about learning new stuff my last 3 cars have been renaults (i work at a renault garage) so this all all new to me, i wasnt rly complaining i was just tired, i've been outside all day getting my hands dirty and doing something i love so i cant complain really