BMW MINI

[Kaktus]

sis in law has just bought the old "new" beetle convertible she loves that...

Thanks Rich, that's actually not a bad idea either, worth considering no doubt!

[Kaktus]

my brother had the clubman thing, expensive pile of poo..paint falling off, 70s bl style then he had a breakdown mechanic look at it again, repaired the problem & when he finished he asked have you changed the clutch yet?? a few days later that went..
good luck

Rich's comment about the clutch makes me wonder if the engine is the "K" series aberration. The design had strengthening rods going right through the head, the block and into the caps. Made clutch replacement a nightmare, and extremely costly too. Ask any owner of that other BMW model, the MG F. owners of which, found themselves up to £750 out of pocket after a clutch replacement.
Personally I find the thought of sticking pins in my eyeballs more appealing.

Good point, but I think the Tritec engine used in the Mini is a completely new design, but can't say if they have carried over any design features from the old K series engine...

[GHT]

sis in law has just bought the old "new" beetle convertible she loves that...

Thanks Rich, that's actually not a bad idea either, worth considering no doubt!

The new Beetle is not a bad idea. Another thought is to remember that if Insurance companies classify a car as classic you can get a very good rate indeed. The way that my 1952 MG is insured is by price agreement. If the car is destroyed or stolen, never to be seen again, my insurers agree to pay me the pre-agreed price that we negotiated. In the case of my car, that's £25K. My premiums are £117 per year, for my wife and I, with unlimited mileage. Keeping it in a heated, lock up garage, probably influences that price.

A 1952 car is not really practical for your requirement, but I do know that the Mk2 Golf now has classic status, and with the Mk1 fetching absolutely silly prices these days, the Mk2 might be worth a look. Just to digress a little, my missus drives a Mk3 Golf that she has had for almost 20 years. It's a 1998 model and has shared that heated garage with the MG, making it a really good buy for someone, if we were selling it, but we are not. I only mention that because if you are patient you might find a similarly well kept car.

As well as low cost insurance, the nearer you get to a forty-year-old car, the nearer you are to being tax and MOT free, although I would strongly advise a voluntary MOT.
So if you found yourself a sound, but tatty, rubber bumpered MGB GT, circa 1978, for a low price, you could spend a few quid restoring it and replacing those awful bumpers with a chrome grille and have yourself a decent car, with low insurance, no tax and just about every conceivable spare part available. It's worth thinking about.

[Kaktus]

sis in law has just bought the old "new" beetle convertible she loves that...

Thanks Rich, that's actually not a bad idea either, worth considering no doubt!

The new Beetle is not a bad idea. Another thought is to remember that if Insurance companies classify a car as classic you can get a very good rate indeed. The way that my 1952 MG is insured is by price agreement. If the car is destroyed or stolen, never to be seen again, my insurers agree to pay me the pre-agreed price that we negotiated. In the case of my car, that's £25K. My premiums are £117 per year, for my wife and I, with unlimited mileage. Keeping it in a heated, lock up garage, probably influences that price.

A 1952 car is not really practical for your requirement, but I do know that the Mk2 Golf now has classic status, and with the Mk1 fetching absolutely silly prices these days, the Mk2 might be worth a look. Just to digress a little, my missus drives a Mk3 Golf that she has had for almost 20 years. It's a 1998 model and has shared that heated garage with the MG, making it a really good buy for someone, if we were selling it, but we are not. I only mention that because if you are patient you might find a similarly well kept car.

As well as low cost insurance, the nearer you get to a forty-year-old car, the nearer you are to being tax and MOT free, although I would strongly advise a voluntary MOT.
So if you found yourself a sound, but tatty, rubber bumpered MGB GT, circa 1978, for a low price, you could spend a few quid restoring it and replacing those awful bumpers with a chrome grille and have yourself a decent car, with low insurance, no tax and just about every conceivable spare part available. It's worth thinking about.

Thanks for your suggestion, GHT. It's a little easier to get into classic car ownership here in Ireland as the car only needs to be 30 years old when it also qualifies for 56 euro annual motor tax, although any car registered after 1.1.1980 will need an annual NCT (=MOT). However, the motor tax is based on engine volume for cars older than 2009, so for example a 2-litre car will cost 710 euro a year to tax. A 1-litre engine is by comparison 199 euro per year. This applies as long as the car isn't yet 30 years old. Then again the selection of cars is obviously fantastically better in the UK....

I do like the idea of an MGB GT, it'd be roomy enough for our needs. Not sure though how well it would survive outdoors all the time as we don't have a garage at the moment.

[GHT]

Have a look at this.
Or, if you can spare the time, scroll down this lot and see the entire program.

[Kaktus]

Have a look at this.
Or, if you can spare the time, scroll down this lot and see the entire program.

Thank you!

I take you're a bit of a fan of the B GT then....

I viewed this wee video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNI-LEt7zWs) with Danny Hopkins, interesting indeed, and admittedly I do like the car and would quite like one. Perhaps if I come across a good one I just might buy it and forget about the more modern cars.... I suppose if I'd get for example an '03 Mini it'd probably cost me around 1500 euro to buy and then 514 euro per year to tax, so in three years I would've spent 3000 euro, which gives me a pretty healthy budget to find an MGB GT!!

[Luxobarge]

When I originally posted I didn't realise that you're from Ireland. Coincidentally, when we finally got rid of our Mini it was sold to a guy who buys in the UK to ship to Ireland, and it was also an '03 model (in red), so if you do buy one you could conceivably end up with our old one! Hope for your sake you don't though..... Mind you, it's probably had at least one new gearbox by now, our one was definitely on the way out and only 32k on the clock.

Regarding the "new" VW Beetle - I don't quite get the point, unless you're attaching a good deal of importance to having a "funky" or "cool" car? I say this because it's built on the Golf platform, i.e. it's a Golf in fancy clothes. So it's really a Golf but much less practical and more expensive - and therefore somewhat pointless IMHO. If a Beetle is something that you would consider, why not get a Golf, have a proper hatchback with a proper boot, more interior space and better visibility - and all for less money?

Same thing applies to the Fiat 500 - far less practical and more expensive than the Punto it's based on, I just don't get it or am I missing something?

Just thought I'd have another rant - sorry!

[Kaktus]

Hi Luxo,

I completely get your point about the New Beetle being form over function, and same goes for the Mini, but that's kind of what's fun about them. You have them because of the feelgood factor (if you're not unlucky and get a whole heap of trouble as well) and not because they're in any sense practical and sensible. Suppose it's a way for us otherwise rather boring adults to pretend we're still a wee bit rebellious!!

Anyhow, looking at a 250 euro Corsa from '99 that is actually in great nick and would cost peanuts to run as well, but I kind of get that sinking feeling just thinking about it. Then again, it might be great craic for scooting around town in, especially as it costs not much more than taking the bicycle.... Bangeronomics and all that!

In fairness though a Golf is definitely one car I am also considering, always hard to make up your mind when you're trying to balance your "need" for a bit of fun with what actually makes most sense economically as well as from a practical point of view....

Thanks by the way for indicating that I should update my profile a bit, got at least my location added now so that might help a bit.

[Luxobarge]

Good points well made, I think I get where you're at. That Corsa does sound tempting (I know I would, so long as it's not one that's been ragged by a teenager) but I also get the balance between that and the "feel good" factor - that's something that's quite personal and difficult to rationalise, but I do get it. After all, I also own a Jaguar XK8, and cars don't come a lot more impractical and irrational than that, but boy, does it have "feel good" in spades! It does for me, anyway.....

Good luck and let us know how it goes

[Martin Evans]

Huge on the outside, tiny and cramped on the inside, especially the back seats (virtually useless) and a microscopic boot.

I have heard it said that the Issigonis Mini had more space inside, despite being much smaller.