So a new blog
This time I thought I'd dedicate it to the ownership of my trusty and faithful R50 Mini Cooper and the trails and tribulations of its ownership.
About the car
The car, which I affectionately call Kinky (cos the last 3 letters on reg are: KNK) was first purchased as a family run about by my mother in law in September 2014 for about £2000.
She was then registered to me as I needed a second car to the land-rover, as it wasn't very reliable, economical or comfortable for the commute I was driving at the time.
After 2-3 years of faithful service and after I moved nearer to my then place of work, it was then registered to my brother-in-law who used it to get to work. During that time, she had a hard life, so still came back to me for repairs as I had the most knowledge of the machine!
Then my brother in law got a new vehicle, the landy was on its last legs, and so it returned to my possession, and there it resides.
She was then registered to me as I needed a second car to the land-rover, as it wasn't very reliable, economical or comfortable for the commute I was driving at the time.
After 2-3 years of faithful service and after I moved nearer to my then place of work, it was then registered to my brother-in-law who used it to get to work. During that time, she had a hard life, so still came back to me for repairs as I had the most knowledge of the machine!
Then my brother in law got a new vehicle, the landy was on its last legs, and so it returned to my possession, and there it resides.
What I like about it
When I first got it I wan't too sure about owning a mini. In my eyes at the time there was only one true mini - the one designed circa 1960. But after the first week of driving it I started to take a shine to it.
The main thing I like about it is the ride. Its planted and corners well. The 1.6i 4-cylinder petrol engine is peppy. The interior is actually quite sporty, the chairs are supportive and sports car like. The controls are easy to use and within reach. I like the toggle switches with their positive feel to them.
Changing gear is short and engages well, well it did at least...
Fuel economy is not the greatest, but isn't too bad. My Weekly fill up of £15 gets me about 100 miles.
What I don't like is the speedo in the centre console. Not a fan, which is why I now use a GPS speedo app on my phone on a phone stand near my steering wheel.
What I like the most is its build quality and how its assembled. Doing simple service and maintenance is exactly that - simple. Most tasks can be done using basic hand-tools without any stupid or daft tooling or procedures. Looking at the way things go together looks like they have been to embody the design of the mini. And that's a sensible reason. whereas looking at some designs, COUGH (VW), its just completely unapparent as why things are designed the way they are.
Going forward with this Blog
I'll be adding all of the work I've done past and present (and from my other Blog) along with any experiences. I really like this car and want to do more things with it in terms of mods, but I'll need to have a think about what and how.
cheers
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