A mini on a £2,000 budget?

burlington6

captainawsome wrote: »

The headlights are in the bonnet and lift up when the bonnet does? If your mechanics taking the bumper off to change a headlight bulb - you need a new mechanic

Think you're wrong on that one. They stay where they are
Actually, looks like some do

colino

There are plenty of them out there at that budget and you could either go by standard logic that they will be terrible, needing gearboxes, steering or bodywork (or engines if the owner couldn't be bothered to get the shallow socket for the oil filter). Then again, at that age, it is possible that after the vanity first keepers, all of the problems have been resolved by subsequent owners or it wouldn't still be on the road.
You, or your best mate, need to be good on the spanners to spot and maintain a decent, old MINI.

captainawsome

burlington6 wrote: »

Think you're wrong on that one. They stay where they are
Actually, looks like some do

R56 from late 2006 onwards stay where they are due to change in legislation as do new f56 models, early r50/r53/r53 lift with the bonnet.

bigjl

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Can't completely blame Rover for the gearbox, to be fair. It was originally designed by PSA Group.

The Midland gearbox was designed by PSA Group?

Daz2009

loskie wrote: »

Even to change a headlight bulb requires removal of the front bumper. Not a cheap 10 min job.
I would avoid at this price point.

This is what I love about internet forums.
A reply that sounds quite convincing to the uninitiated but is in fact 100% wrong

Gloomendoom

bigjl wrote: »

The Midland gearbox was designed by PSA Group?

Peugeot/Citroen MA box

pulliptears

I considered an early mini myself for a while but read so many horror stories about gearboxes, power steering and just general niggles I changed my mind completely.

There is a place near me which has some gorgeous classic mini's. I was admiring a clubman on their forecourt yesterday. They were great little cars, simple to fix and drive. Not for everyone these days though I admit.

Strider590

Of that era, they are terribly unreliable and expensive to run.

mattyprice4004

bigjl wrote: »

The Midland gearbox was designed by PSA Group?

The R65 gearbox fitted is indeed a PSA creation, they cause just as much trouble in Rovers.
It may have been from before the PSA era (I always knew them as a Renault item) but that's 12 of one and a dozen of the other.
It's still crap.

bigjl

Lets ne honest gearboxes have never been a French strength.

Plenty of gearbox bearing failures in Renaults back in the 90s.

I had a Mechanic that could rebuild them in his sleep.

Once took a R19 16V box and made it good with bits from a R21 gearbox(i think, it was 20yrs ago)