My wife has finally decided to learn to drive at the age of 34 and my son wants to learn at the age of 14! I drive an Impreza STi Spec C (stripped-out, rally-spec, scooby) so there’s no chance I’m letting either of them anywhere near that; looking to buy something small and cheap to run. Anyway, being a big rally fan my first thought was: forget a fiesta or an ax, get a mini cooper.
Most of the time the car will be a a round-town runabout but occasionally it will get taken out on the track (there’s a club for teaching under-17s to drive on tracks and airfields around the country).
I’m looking to spend no more than about £2.5k and I’ve seen a few 1989-1991 coopers for this price. Are these good buys? Remember thinking back when they were lauched that they were cheap imitations of the originals (which now go for £10k+) but they do seem to have a good following. How easy are they to maintain? Used to do all my own car servicing and maintenance until I got into subarus which are definitely best left to the specialists. Are coopers really the best buy for something that’s ecconomical (insurance, spares and fuel) but a bit of a laugh to drive, or would you recommend one of the other models?
mechanically they are very simple, but when you go to look at a car body work is the key thing to get right, the newer they are the worse they rust it seems (i’ve seen original 70’s mini’s with less rust than one of the last minis!)…so keep an eye out for the dreaded tin worm.
Early cars deffo better than 1990+ for rust (just bouight a 1972 850 which has less rust than my lads 1990 998).
As for insurance, a cooper for your lad will be very high (I know he has 3 years yet), also for an about town run about a 998 will be just as good, especially if it has a stage one kit fitted.
As for maintenance, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed tinkering until I got a mini, you just can’t do it with modern cars. If you have some experience with cars you will be laughing. Plus you will also find all the help you need on here.
Go for it but do not buy the firat one you see. For 2.5K you will be able to get a realy good example of the worlds favourite car.
> I think you will find that incorrect. As proved by another member, the mini cooper cost only an extra £200 than a mayfair
Well by my quotes, the cooper was a definate no-no… Mayfair came pretty close in premium to the cooper, so that was also out…
The Tahiti, the Rio, the Sprite, and others, were all substantially less.
In comparison, the cooper and mayfair were in the region of £2500, and the others £1500.
The smaller engined of each cost a bit less obviously, althout still a clear margin between each model
Thanks for the replies. On the insurance front, it will be in my name initially (with my wife on as a learner), then in my wife’s name when she passes. My son wont be insured (no point for the track days as standard insurance doesn’t cover them and trackday insurance would end up costing more than the car over three years) and will probably get another car when he passes his test. Do the comments about 17 year olds who’ve just passed their tests also apply to 34-year-olds?
Is there a good FAQ that describes the different models (reading through the classifieds, there seem to be hundreds of variations)?
> Do the comments about 17 year olds who’ve just passed their tests also apply to 34-year-olds?
Thanks again for your help.
Paul
No i shouldnt think you’ll have any difficulty insuring the wife for very little.
Do an online quote with Liverpool Victoria or something to get an idea..
A lot of the insurance premium is dependant on the area you live it, hence my quotes, unfortunately being more expensive than the others mentioned, as Manchester, even though i live in the nicer area (if theres such a thing) is still classed as a high risk area, and my house has a Manchester postcode.
