BMC/Morris Mini Mark I/Cooper- Any advice from owners?

[stephenb]

Towards the end of this year I have to think about selling my trusty (not rusty) Hilux ute. I want a change in vehicles - no more utes - and I cannot justify the expense of a new car and their prices. I only need a runabout but my brief is: to look for a car that is reasonably mechanically 'basic' - something I can repair/maintain/tinker/modify. I'm not a mechanic but I do have a good mechanical and technical aptitude. I'm thinking outside the square on this one. I've always loved the Mini - Mark I or the Cooper/S. I've seen them range from $5k (ordinary condition but drivable) to $10-20k (owed and rebuilt by Mini enthusiasts).

I wouldn't mind hearing from any IISers about their experiences with Minis. Is joining a club beneficial before purchasing one? In Victoria I understand Club permits significantly reduce your rego costs! I'm not looking at this as an 'investment' as such (rarely is a car an investment anyway).

I also read that some companies import Minis from Japan. Option?


Cheers,

[The_bluester]

The old A series engines can be made to really go, and to sound great but they do tend towards oil falling out of them as a default setting. A mini would be silly amounts of fun in good condition, I am just not sure how cheap one would end up being.

On the club permit scheme, it does not work for a regularly driven car, the number of days you can use the car a year are curtailed (60 I think) and you absolutely MUST fill in the logbook every day you drive it. If you are caught without then the fine is for driving unregistered.

[raymo]

Hi Stephen, nearly 50 yrs ago I had a small motor repair business when the mini was in it's heyday, and I did just about every job on them that there was to do. They were, as you may already know, very different to
other cars of the time. If you can get one with a good engine and
transmission, it would be good, because some of the under bonnet work
is cramped, awkward, and in a couple of cases, quite difficult. Replacing
the bypass hose between the cyl.head and the block is a pain in the !!!!!!.
There are one or two traps you can fall into as well. If you have the
flywheel in the wrong position when removing it, it comes so far, and
then will not come off or go back on, and then you have real problems.
There are also some special tools needed. Without them a few jobs
become very difficult or impossible to do. One downside to the mini was
that the distributor was at the front directly behind the rad, and heavy
rain would frequently stop a mini. It can be sprayed with silicon, which
usually fixes that problem. Or a shield can be fitted. Make sure that you
get one without the hydrolastic suspension; unless they've found a way
of modifying it, it is usually nothing but trouble.
Having said all this, I've had a couple; they're a great little fun car,
especially the Cooper S.
raymo

[taminga16]

Stephen,
Have you thought about an early model Mazda MX-5? More fun, more reliable, plenty of scope and they will not leave oil all over your garage floor. There is a great club and strong social network.
Greg.

www.mx5cartalk.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1kuo6xkbE
www.mx5vic.org.au

[louie_the_fly]

I had a mini clubman. Better than the early mini in my opinion. Had 1310cc engine with Weber carby, extractors, cam and some serious head work. Had 13" wheels with low profile tyres. I've had lots of fun cars over the years. apart from our current 3.0 911, the mini handled the best of all of them. Built right the later engines don't leak oil. Mine didn't. Just need to pay attention to the cooling system when you build a hottie. you can get a crossflow head in the UK if you want to chuck a turbo on. have fun.

[Larryp]

I owned both a Cooper S and a Mini 1100-worst pieces of crap I ever owned.
The Cooper would easily boil in hot weather, and the transmissions were constant trouble. The 1100 would stop whenever it rained-I always carried a can of WD40 to dry out the distributor and that was after I made a distributor shield for it.
If you want a good car from that era, try to find a good condition Cortina GT-easy to work on and very reliable.

[taminga16]

Larry's suggestion of a Cortina is a good one, but finding a car would be a big call.

[AstroJunk]

I've had an 850, Clubman estate and two later 1.3i Coopers, and have to say that I love the character of the Leyland mini's for runabouts!

The original a-series was easy as to maintain and tinker with, but as Laurie says, the older models can be pigs in the wet. My favourite 'issue' was having to carry a rubber hammer to bash the starter motor with to get the bendix screw to engage. Never managed to get it working properly no matter how many times I took it apart and greased it and was too skint to change it!!!

The Mrs has just bought a Fiat 500 Sport, which has much more Mini character than the new BMW Mini in our opinion, but nothing will ever beat the whine of the straight cut gearbox on a downshift in a tight corner....

[jenchris]

I'd go for a Cortina too - the 1600E mark 2 was a real flyer.
Forget the Lotus Cortina - too much trouble.
I had an accident in a mini (I wasn't driving, and not our fault) we nearly all died - safer on a M/C

[stephenb]

Firstly, thanks to you all for your replies. There is a lot of 'food for thought' here and I appreciate your honesty. In fact I've had some advice also form outside IIS which has, well, not put me off Minis altogether but made me look a little further afield.

I guess the issues that Minis had in their hey day are more or less resolved by enthusiasts who are rebuilding them and providing solutions to oil leaks etc.

The safety issue I've known about for years and it is in the back of my mind.

Okay, a couple of you have mentioned a Cortina, which is ironic because late last year when the idea of a replacement car surfaced I was thinking about a Mk II (2nd Gen) Escort? late 1970's.

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: Ever tried to remove a generator from a Mini ? , worst job in the world ! , its easier to remove the whole engine first ( it has to be dropped out the bottom of the body by lifting the whole car above it , not a fun job ) .
Great fun cars to drive ,, but horrible to work on ( yes I have done that cursed by-pass hose as well ,GRRRR! ) , go the Mazda MX5 route .
My 5c .

Brian.

[stephenb]

Of course, the 18-inch Dob isn't going to fit in any of these small cars.

Thanks Brian, I'll put the MX-5 on the short list.

[rat156]

Have you thought of an Alfa?

I know many will simply scoff at the idea, but an Alfetta GTV or GTV6 are great cars. You can get really good examples that aren't showroom cars for quite good prices. Yes, an MX-5 will be more reliable (possibly) but the Alfa would have character and is a much more fun car to drive.

If you're thinking of something a bit more current, I have recently purchased an Alfa Mito, which you can fit a 14" dob into ...

Cheers
Stuart

[h0ughy]

The 1100 I had had fluid suspension which cost me almost as much as the car to get fixed when it sprung a leak, I fibreglassed the battery compartment, replaced the master cylinder and the slave cylinders on the drum brakes were always leaking. That being said the speedo was in MPH and I had to convert the bouncing needle to km/h which then just made me drive at the same speed as everyone else most of the time – was next to useless. As for the wet weather performance – never skipped a beat due to the shielding I put in place. Tyres were a problem – used to chew through the fronts like butter. But it did leak like a sieve – between .5 to 1l per week whether driving or parked ;) it had kg’s of gasketgoo.

Now the elephant in the cupboard – universal joints. You break one – that’s unfortunate but when you break 3 that is downright stupid. They are a complete pain to change out, even having to undo the engine bolts to lift to get access, as to the manifold, always made a hole 1.5” down from joint in the exhaust.

Brilliant car to drive and had a heap of fun – but I will leave it on those precious memories

[AstralTraveller]

Minis have limited seating capacity. We never managed more than 7 in one (after all the driver had a seat to himself). On the other hand an FC Holden wagon with 13 on board still had some spare room.

I learnt on a '64 mini, in paddocks and the back yard before I was allowed on the road. Latter on Dad had a mini panel van. He could get his oxy-acetylene trolley in that, or a builder's wheelbarrow with the back doors tied half closed. They were by far the most fun car I've ever driven but working on them was a pain. Also they had a zero safety rating. Front or rear collisions were bad enough but there was essentially no side impact protection, especially in the early models with the sliding windows. Never-the-less they are still objects of desire.

[taminga16]

Stephen, If you do go down this route be prepared to spend more on sunscreen and smile more often. I am on my second MX-5 and quietly looking for an early model. Check the events page on MX-5 cartalk, social gatherings are held in Carlton most Thursday nights and they would be a great opportunity to get close and personal.
Greg.

[ZeroID]

Mini's ... I've had a mini, an 1100, and an 1800. They were all biaches to work on especially on the spiders and CV joints. And absolutely no room in the mini engine bay, I just used to drop the whole motor out the bottom and that included the 1800, very heavy.
If you are keen on an early easy to work on go for an early Escort. Umpteen numbers of amateur and professional rally drivers can't be wrong. Built like a brick, will take any engine transplant and drives like a demon. Only problem is they are probably quite popular so not easy to find. Cortina is a collectors car now, quite rare and sought after.
If this is just for an easy option on a daily drive then an MX5 which is very basic mechanically is ok, and there is a hard top for them if you want. Otherwise I'd be buying an early Toyota Corolla or similar. Engine lasts forever, cheap to run, reliable as anything. I had one I sold at 250,000 km and it was still warrantable and going like a good thing.
The problem with any of these earlier cars are parts availability and age. I certainly would not be buying a Mini unless I was an enthusiast.

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Hi Stephen,

I read with interest your plans for a Mini / mini cooper S.

So far from the responses I see there's already a lot of misinformation !!!:mad2:.

Try the site below for good information.

http://www.ozcooper.com.au/new_page_3.htm

My other hobby is Mini's, and they are great car if properly maintained .
If you are confident of doing most repairs yourself you will save a fortune.
Try and find work shop manuals, don't buy a Mini without one.

Below are my current mini's
1968 Black and white mini deluxe and 1975 mini S red.
My current project 1963 - 850. in under coat.
My first mini, 1963- 850
My 50th birthday, my wife made the Italian job Cake :). The other mini in the image is my brothers Cooper S replica.

BTW there's a lot of replica's around passing themselves off as original, the site I supplied will you where to look for the correct body and engine numbers.

Some things to know, there's nothing wrong with hydrolastic suspension, you can get new units, I made my own pump to keep it pumped up.

There's no such animal as an 1800cc mini!
Not unless it was transplanted out of an Austin 1800 with a lot of modification.

Do not go down the road of trying to transplant a Honda a Corolla motor.
Yes it's done.
But to get it passed for road use will cost you a fortune.

If you PM me I'll supply some names and more info if you want.

Cheers,

Justin.

[raymo]

Regarding Justin's remark about misinformation. I stand by my
statement that at that time, Hydrolastic suspension was an absolute nightmare. It was by far the biggest single cause of so equipped minis
coming in to my shop for repair. It is quite possible that today's
replacement parts are much improved; I wouldn't know.
raymo

[Larryp]

[QUOTE=tilbrook@rbe.ne;1069669

So far from the responses I see there's already a lot of misinformation !!!:mad2:.



Sorry Justin, but I don't feel my comments were "misinformation"
I owned at different times, a Cooper "S", and a Mini K 1100-both were bought new, and they were without a doubt the worst, most unreliable cars I have ever owned.:mad2:

[stephenb]

Hi Paul, re: club permits, thanks for the clarification. That makes perfect sense. I guess whatever car I end up choosing it will been to have full Vic Rego.

The MX5 wasn't on my radar as I know absolutely nothing about them (had to Google them actually). My family have owned Minis, Mark II Ford Escorts and an LH Torana (ex SEC - State Electricity Commission - company car!). These were the top three I started my list with.

[jenchris]

Never owned a mini, but I owned a lot of nicer cars - cortinas and capris included.
The old capri was excellent but my fave was a V8 2.5 litre Daimler - the saloon version like Morses.
Given the opportunity I'd have my Daimler back in a shot. Walnut and leather - beautiful.

[ZeroID]

I owned an Morris 1800, it was not a Mini, I also had an Austin 1100, again not a Mini although there were 1100 cc Minis made along with many other variations.
IMHO they were all biaches to work on due to the engine\gearbox integration and design of the spider\CV joint system plus the E-W engine layout in a cramped bay. Not to mention clutch plate and radiator access. And water ingress to the electrics ... I only had one hydrolastic failure in the 1100, fun to drive with one side of the car sitting hard down on the blocks, .. not !!
I've rebuilt gearboxes, diffs, heads, strombergs, exhausts. you name it on those models. Never again.
Although I did love driving a fast mini ....they were fun !

Keep clear of Alfa's as well, fast and fun but very unreliable. That info is from watching the Alfa Club trying to run an event at Hampton Downs Race Track. Only 4 of the 12 cars that started finished ... Two had already broken down driving to the track. Expensive to fix as well.

I'm getting a mixed message for the OP's requirements. He states he wants a cheap easy to fix runabout but then states preferences which are obviously enthusiasts type cars which cost more and are harder to maintain.

A cheap easy fix car to me would be a '92 and up Toyota/Nissan 1300-1600 cc hatch back or similar for earlier stated reasons. The sort of first car I'd buy for a teen driver because they are so reliable and cheap.

Maybe the market is different in Aust to NZ but over here I could easy find several dozen locally at less than $2000 even for an early 2000 or later model. My little Mitsi Mirage 1600 turbo I sold recently only cost $1100 and was a right little goer.

[jenchris]

If you're going to go for a sports car, you can't fail to appreciate the MGA1600MkII.
Pretty with excellent roadholding and balance.

[taminga16]

Jennifer, I agree the MGA is lovely looking and in 1962 it was regarded as a car that handled well, but the past is another country and they did things differently there. (with apologies to L.P. Hartley). Projects are a wonderful idea but can rapidly turn into nightmares.

"I have dug a lot of wells that turned out to be nothing but holes".
Greg.

[The_bluester]

On this list, I could really see myself in an early (To be more affordable) second generation MX5. Small, light, nimble, fun and no roof! I think the second gen MX5 has also aged the most gracefully of the affordable sports cars of that era. The Gen 1 cars look a little 90's now (Though in the early form are the most pure sports car of the bunch IMO) I never came at the styling of the current car.

Actually I did not like many Mazda's much for about the last ten years. The RX8 styling concept looked great on the RX8, not so great on pretty much the entire rest of the mazda range including the current ute.

The current small to mid sized mazdas however! They have ceratnly found a designer with some flair.

[jenchris]

I drive a 2004 Mazda 3 saloon and I love it!.
I'd love an MX5 - and an nice BT50 for touring

[brian nordstrom]

;) Like a 'MINI' Dodge Viper ,, oh yea . 90's V10 muscle .
Brian.

[taminga16]

Jennifer,
I am living your dream. I love my MX-5 and the ute is brilliant too.
Greg.

[stephenb]

THank you to all the genuine responses who have helped me make a well-informed decision.

For the foreseeable future I will keep my hilux ute and spend some $$ doing to work to it.

[The_bluester]

Funny, I had never thought of the second gen MX5 like that, but yeah, there is a distinct resemblance to the early Viper V10.

Funny thinking of the Viper, they must have been quite low revving, they sounded pretty different to anything else out there but the V10 Beemers that were about a few years ago had much more of a touch of the F1 engines in the sound they made. I used to cross the city (Melbourne) CBD on foot each afternoon and often coincided with some higher up leaving work in his V10 M5, he was quite partial to giving it a serve as he left. Very nice sound.