Classic mini-the most fun you'll have on four wheels (Mini in general)

Member Name: Mabelthemini

Product:	Mini in general
Date:	08/10/08 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An icon,fun to drive,great social scene

Disadvantages: rust , breakdowns

The classic mini-an amazing car but also a total nightmare!I owned mine for 3 years before finally my bank balance gave out and i had to sell her..yes, her, she was Mabel, a 1992 Mayfair automatic in red and I loved her dearly even after all the embarrasment she caused me.
First thing you need if you are thinking of buying a classic is either an unlimited amount of cash or a mechanic in the family,unfortunately even if you have the latter they are still prone to refusing to work on them due to the fact they are extremely rusty and fiddly to get at certain parts.
Mabel was great for about the first 3 weeks then things started to happen, the temperature gauge was looking a bit high and getting higher each time we went out,reaching its peak in the middle of the local 'mini run' where the radiator sprung a leak and we spent the next 50 miles stopping every 2 miles for water.
Got that fixed (£200 lighter) and fine...for about a week. Driving happily down the road i realised that the car in front exhaust was giving off a hell of a lot of steam, as he pulled away from me i realised it wasnt his exhaust but my bonnet,quick check of the temperature gauge on full again and i made to pull over,too late,she packs up at the traffic lights right in the middle of the brand new bypass thats just been built-steam billowing across all 3 lanes. Had to get some willing victims to push me off the road and wait for the AA (very good service BTW) just a split water hose this time.
Two weeks later (do you see a pattern emerging?) and MOT time,drive down to the MOT bay and all is fine, i park her up and the tester gets in, starts the engine and...well , Mabel wets herself , a big stream of oil comes spraying out of her front grill as i wave frantically at the tester too switch off the engine,oil cacading all over his testing bay. Funnily enough she failed...can't think why...
There were loads of other things, exhaust problems, rust and more rust, dodgy wiring but i won't go into all of those.

So,basically if you are thinking of a classic some words of advice-don't rely on it as your everyday car, you will get up one day and something vital will have dropped off (the car-not you) This is the reason i had to sell in the end, i couldnt afford to tax/mot/insure two cars.

Make friends with your local garage, sometimes the Haynes manual is not enough.

Join the AA/RAC

So you're thinking,god i'm never getting one of them... think again,yeah i know ive just told you they are terrible but they are also one of the best cars you will ever drive-it's like driving a go-cart, the most fun you will ever have on four wheels!
People smile and wave at you as you drive past, they are easy to customise and there are loads of clubs and events to attend.

If you've got the money and you can take the odd embarrassing moment then go out and get one today!

Summary: if you've got the cash get one today!

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