Weekend toy for £5k?

[Jobbo]

I definitely think Gav should be picky about colour when buying a 20yr old £5k car within a few miles of the North Yorkshire coast.

[Rich B]

I definitely think Gav should be picky about colour when buying a 20yr old £5k car within a few miles of the North Yorkshire coast.

thankfully colour is subjective - so it really doesn't matter what you or I think.

However, when it comes to buying a toy, I absolutely think he should be picky - it's not as though gav HAS to buy any car straight away, there's time to try and find what he wants, whether that's the right model, colour or condition.

[Jobbo]

thankfully colour is subjective - so it really doesn't matter what you or I think.

I'm glad you realised what I was getting at - good of you to share your opinion though

[speedingfine]

I do hope you both agree the wheels are correct

[Gavin]

So N18 engine is the one in S models from 2007? Are they decent then? Also does the 3 door fit kids in the back? Or one kid and one 5 foot nowt adult?

The Volvo is on a yellow card and something smaller would be ideal but TT and Mini look more 2+2 than anything?

[16vCento]

3 door will fit 4 adults in, I'm 6'1 and fit in the back of ours ok, but wouldn't have enjoyed it for a long distance.

Be fine with 2 kids in the back unless they have bulky car seats.

N18 is 2009/10 onwards iirc, and JCW stayed N14 all the way through I think.

[Rich B]

Slight concern that the last stamp in the book is from 2011?

"Loads of history" is all well and good ...but if' it's not been maintained in 11 years? Yikes. Great engine though, just remember you'll not see much over 20mpg and petrol is currently the wrong side of £1.50.

the MoT history makes for a good (long) read - I think most of the last 10 years mileage was driving to the mot station and to the garage to fix all the failed bits!

Maybe Tim should buy it!

[Jimexpl]

So N18 engine is the one in S models from 2007? Are they decent then? Also does the 3 door fit kids in the back? Or one kid and one 5 foot nowt adult?

The Volvo is on a yellow card and something smaller would be ideal but TT and Mini look more 2+2 than anything?

They’re the 2010 on 184hp cars.
I really enjoyed ours once I’d taken the 17” run flats off and fitted 16” wheels with decent tyres - just the right amount of grip for the power and a decent ride.
Headroom is fine in the back, but legroom is tight if the person in the front is over about 5’9”.
It benefitted massively from front shocks at 50k, and I did have the hpfp go at 50k also - they seem to be a 7 year/50k part on BMW/Minis of that era.

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[Gavin]

Cheers @16vCento and @Jimexpl my son has loved Minis since he could talk so he might explode with happiness. Quick look just now seems around £8k will get you 50k ish 12ish 3 door S from a dealer and a rather nice S in BRG 40 minutes away with 41k on the clock, leather and only £7...

[Zonda_]

Is 2010 when they dropped the supercharger and went turbo? Rear space is no consideration for me, if the seats weighed anything significant I’d probably take them out!

[240PP]

Is 2010 when they dropped the supercharger and went turbo? Rear space is no consideration for me, if the seats weighed anything significant I’d probably take them out!

It was earlier. 2006 I think.

[Gavin]

I thought 2007 was when they went Turbo but never paid much attention as generally had larger cars.

[Broccers]

Cooper S as said went from N14 to N18 in late 2010.
JCW changed 2011/2 depending when the car was actually registered.

The Jcw is a stronger engine in the N18 at least so can be tuned more but they are double budget here.

You could get a N18 Clubman for 6k but as you say you arent that bothered about space.

edit I must add the standard n18 185 is not that quick imo. Chip box and filter kit take them to 220 which is pretty nippy

[Zonda_]

Cooper S as said went from N14 to N18 in late 2010.
JCW changed 2011/2 depending when the car was actually registered.

The Jcw is a stronger engine in the N18 at least so can be tuned more but they are double budget here.

You could get a N18 Clubman for 6k but as you say you arent that bothered about space.

edit I must add the standard n18 185 is not that quick imo. Chip box and filter kit take them to 220 which is pretty nippy

I imagine it will be, my 420 is 220bhp and it can move when you want it too and probably has a few hundred kilos over a Mini.

[Sundayjumper]

...a 20yr old £5k car within a few miles of the North Yorkshire coast.

Maybe Tim should buy it!

Rich beat me to it

[Sundayjumper]

Also does the 3 door fit kids in the back? Or one kid and one 5 foot nowt adult?

Depends who's in the front. I'm 6'4" and if I'm driving you'd struggle to get anyone at all behind me. With my wife driving I expect you'd get a child in there OK.

And seeing as this is turning into a mini MINI love-in, here’s ours, racing at Brooklands

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We've had it since Jan 2021 and it's been very reliable. We had an issue with one of the cam solenoids, I bought a cheapie ebay replacement and it has (touch wood) been totally fine since. There's a rattle from the front suspension on rough ground but it passed its MOT with no comment and my wife can't hear it so it's not high on my priorities for now. And I'll second previous comments - ditch the runflats ASAP. Huge difference.

[16vCento]

As an aside, I would say that the R50 Cooper I bought in lockdown was a much more fun car to drive than my R56 Cooper S.

It was obviously a lot slower, but it felt a lot more nimble, same platform and not much weight difference, so I'm not sure how, but the difference was noticeable.

I'd be interested to try a R53 To see how it compares.

[scotta]

As an aside, I would say that the R50 Cooper I bought in lockdown was a much more fun car to drive than my R56 Cooper S.

It was obviously a lot slower, but it felt a lot more nimble, same platform and not much weight difference, so I'm not sure how, but the difference was noticeable.

I'd be interested to try a R53 To see how it compares.

Nah mini's are shit...



Weeeee!

[scotta]

Although water pumps are a known issue...

[Sundayjumper]

As an aside, I would say that the R50 Cooper I bought in lockdown was a much more fun car to drive than my R56 Cooper S.

I'd agree there. Our previous R52 ONE somehow felt a bit more together than our current R57 Cooper S. It had half the power though so maybe it just gives the chassis far less of a hard time ?