BMW "Mini" mk1 opinions and modification??

[grizz]

This posting is getting done from my phone so not able to post pics etc.

However, here is the question.

Launched in 2001, can it be 14 years already?
I am not sure if they really creep into the "Retro Rides" arena yet.

However, despite holding their value reasonably well, they are probably becoming more affordable as a "let's modify and mess with it" type of car.

I have a growing like for the early ones as I do for mk1 Audi TT's

So my question, open to all replies and interpretation, is basically, what are opinions on the early ones?
What to avoid? (Could be all of them)
What do they look like modified as one does not see much like you see on other marques like VW's BMW's etc with some lowering, sexy wheels etc.

Nicola had the hots at one point for early New Beetles and continues to like the mk1 TT's but once she went to test drive one in town and on the motorway, walked away totally disappointed.
Her best friend has a new Mini and they have been out in it a few times and she likes them.
If we went after one it would be run parallel to her daily Peugeot 107 but would need to look and sound good.

So please do cast opinions and views.
Post photos of modded early ones.
And if this is of no interest to anyone, let the thread sink to the bottom of the page and disappear.

Thanks gents, ladies.

[joem83]

From what I can understand,the power steering will fail & so will the diff.
Other than that I think they are the same as any 14 year old car, there will be electrical gremlins.

I like them, I also owned one for 3 weeks but never drove it lol.

I have driven the mk2 Bini, that had run flats and ruined my back - only had it for a day!

They seem to look great slammed on nice wheel's though.

[joem83]

[Midland Performance & Retro]

Fantastic, fantastic cars. Much prefer the early ones as the styling was spot on from the off.

Other "faux" retro cars such as the Beetle really missed the mark, but the new MINI is a superb car in its own right.

Here is a quick snapshot of mine, which I'm about to put up for sale. It's an August 2001 car, so it's an early one. I bought it as a daily driver and have owned it for 2 years.

It's a 1.6 Cooper and modified to the perfect spec for me, which is 17" Cooper S CROWNs, Toyo T1R's all round, dropped on coilovers, Scorpion Exhuast and full de-chrome including genuine John Cooper Works Aero Front Grills.

I've just fitted a new full clutch kit as the thrust bearing gave way.

Looks nice and OEM plus. Ignore the missing mirror cap, was just removed to paint it as it had a bit of light scratching on it.




Photos don't do the car any justice. The sides look flat on photos, but the shape has so many nice curves which are really brought to life when it's lowered and with the black trim. Awesome looking little car. 

[VIP]

Nov 27, 2015 12:32:22 GMT grizz said:

What do they look like modified as one does not see much like you see on other marques like VW's BMW's etc with some lowering, sexy wheels etc.

Have you been living under (another) rock?

[cianha]

I looked at a lot of them before I settled on the Iggy Sport. It's worth looking for anythign with the Chili pack.

I seem to remember the entry level One engine is identical to the Cooper, a Bluefin remap bumps you from 100 to 130ish bhp.

Abuse and neglect seems to be the biggest problems with them, not all have been minded by the third/fourth owners...

A good one is a great steer, especially on decent, non-runflat tyres.

[scimjim]

bought an early ONE new in 2001 for the wife and was totally underwhelmed. Bought a Cooper S new in 2004, sold it to a friend in 2007, who sold it to a mutual friend in 2010 - so we've known it (and continue to see it regularly) all of it's life.

Apart from service items (although you could say some of the following are service items!), I fitted a set of new wheels and tyres just before I sold it (cheaper than tyres alone at the time), second owner had an air con pipe fail. Third owner has replaced the exhaust, alternator and battery at 90k miles and his wife still uses it as her daily.

great fun and one of the few cars SWMBO would let me buy back

[RetroWarwicK]

MK1's are notorious for gearbox issues

www.sinspeed.co.uk/bmw-mini-one-cooper-midland-gearbox-repairs/

IIRC the gearbox is originally a rover product which was a modification of a citroen AX gearbox.i think BMW fiddled with it further, turning a marginal but ultimately reliable rover box into a pretty curse word one.

[BT]

My other half wants one. I spoke with a few guys who seemed to poo poo them and hit them fairly hard with the shame stick, but when I asked why they were very indirect.

I then spoke with a chap who has a lot to do with them repair wise. He was telling me that the thermostat housing suffers leaks, which then can work its way down into the clutch assembly, knacker out the release bearing and cause all sorts of other issues.

I'd buy one. I think they're pretty cool. Being an avid mini fan with a mk2 cooper the new minis amung the classic mini community are shunned something awful, but I think they're pucker.

My work colleague has a GP edition, very nice.

[Ryannn]

My other half has one of the first diesels, whilst it's woefully slow, it does about 50mpg and is a proper laugh to drive even with your foot welded to the floor!

When I look at it myself, I can spot a few Roverisms, but nothing that detracts from the car as a whole.

Hers has had zero issues in our ownership and it's done over 160K miles and it got punted head first by a Focus a few months ago. I'm considering taking it on when she moves on to something newer.

But back on issues, they suffer wiring faults in the steering column, gearbox issues and power steering issues. I know the early ones will have dropped out now but ones under 10 years old are still in their corrosion warranty aswell. I know a guy who got his boot resprayed by BMW recently and he'd only had the car a few weeks. I'd avoid a mega early one if I was looking.

[Ryannn]

Ooo also, the petrol ones are particularly uneconomical for what they are, we've had both and would probably only ever buy diesel ones now.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Saw a rough one sat on the floor on those corvette salad shooter wheels and nearly wrote my car off. Looked very rude!!

[retroade]

Bought a 2004 Cooper S that was traded in and it sold to the first person that came to see it, but drove it as I prepared it/sold it. I loved it, that supercharger is addictive.

Glad it did sell quick, if it had been about any longer I'd have got points on my licence and the fuel bill when you wind that supercharger up would have bankrupted me!

One thing to watch, the trim piece on the A pillar is known to come loose. Not a biggy but always worth checking as it looks a pig if it isn't sitting right.

[PandaSelecta]

Designed in 1997 by Rover (before BMW) as a concept, so at least its from the 90s

[willg]

[BT]

Nov 27, 2015 19:09:27 GMT PandaSelecta said:

Designed in 1997 by Rover (before BMW) as a concept, so at least its from the 90s

There was a chap somewhere that had a very early one, cant remember what it was registered on, how ever the panels were all stamped Rover, much like the glass.

[Ryannn]

Nov 27, 2015 19:20:12 GMT BT said:

Nov 27, 2015 19:09:27 GMT PandaSelecta said:

Designed in 1997 by Rover (before BMW) as a concept, so at least its from the 90s

There was a chap somewhere that had a very early one, cant remember what it was registered on, how ever the panels were all stamped Rover, much like the glass.

jalopnik.com/unique-bmw-mini-prototype-found-on-ebay-proves-rover-or-1474761064

Much like this Rover prototype, complete with Wipac Mini headlights! Lol

[60six]

Definitely a future/current classic - It has a following like the MX5 and the design still looks sharp - My only issue is they have no front end strength - A 10mph front end smash will write it off & Don't even consider sitting in the back unless you are 4ft tall.

Know a guy that bought one of the first off the production line purely to mothball it for 30 years.....

[BT]

Nov 27, 2015 20:31:04 GMT Ryannn said:

Nov 27, 2015 19:20:12 GMT BT said:

There was a chap somewhere that had a very early one, cant remember what it was registered on, how ever the panels were all stamped Rover, much like the glass.

jalopnik.com/unique-bmw-mini-prototype-found-on-ebay-proves-rover-or-1474761064

Much like this Rover prototype, complete with Wipac Mini headlights! Lol

hah, thats the exact one. He was talking about building it up and giving it to his daughter or something. Obviously not because he sold it.

[Stu]

My wife has one, a 2004 R53 Cooper S we bought from it's original owner at 10 years old last year. I'll post a pic below. I've done the usual servicing on it, replacing brake friction parts, oil changes etc. Outside of that it needed the front top mounts changed at about 75k and front wheel bearings. They are expensive as the bearings are sealed as part of a full hub assembly, but on the plus side that makes it a bolt on part so doesn't need a hydraulic press. It'd had a few of the common issues addressed before we got it, front subframe and suspension bushes etc. My wife loves it and drives it daily for work, averages about 28 - 30mpg on all short trips visiting around town, would probably do much better on longer journeys. It's a 6-speed manual, the reported gearbox issues I seem to recall are all related to the 5-speed box in the none 'S' cars.

The supercharger noise and torque is addictive and it's a quick little car, handles like a go-kart, literally. It'll out corner pretty much anything but does wear the edges off the front tyres pretty quickly. Ours is standard and will stay that way but they do look good modified. I wouldn't bother lowering / stiffening one much as they are a hard ride already and unless for aesthetic reasons only I can't see the point as I doubt you could make it handle much better than it does as stock. Maybe for track use?

I previously had a new 2009 later model (R56) Cooper D as a company car and that was also great fun in terms of handling, but the diesel engine sounded like a tractor and was a bit gutless to say the least. Didn't suit the car, however it was fantastically economical and averaged 56mpg over 3 years / 21k miles of fairly hard driving. I suspect the road tax was very low too but as a company car I didn't pay it, but the emissions did make it tax favourable in the HMRC sense. I've never driven a lower powered petrol model but would recommend the Cooper S definitely, feels special being supercharged.

This is our one: