mk1 as a daily drive?
Turbo Mini Forums

hi guys
im looking at getting rid of my disco td5 as its costing me a fortune to run, and getting an older mini to run as a daily.
ive been looking on ebay and it seems you can still get the little 850's for under 3k in decent condition.
so do any of you guys run an older mini as a daily and tell me if there any good or just utterly shite?

I use my car as a daily with lots of driving in traffic etc. I've no heater matrix or any creature comforts but I love it. (Well I did up until I put the 1380 in. I hate the car now but thats a diferent story.) Just keep a small engine that you can rev the tits off, preferably with a decent cam. It will keep you smiling and you wont have any overheating issues in traffic or drivetrain reliability problems

On 12th Nov, 2009 Paul S said:

I think Gary OS has taken over my role as the forum smart arse

What is your commute like? I ran a 1998 mini as a daily drive on a mix of A and B roads and really appreciated a 1275 engine, decent heater, sound proofing, a radio and disc brakes. Winter is hard on them too so you might find you'd have increased maintenance and repairs.

Ran it for 2 years and got fed up so I have retired it from daily use. I appreciate the mini as a fun car more now.

Oh, and getting rid of the dizzy would be a mjor improvement to both reliabilty and driveability

On 12th Nov, 2009 Paul S said:

I think Gary OS has taken over my role as the forum smart arse

Fair enough. I would say you'll not have any other issues then.

I had a pickup for a while, and the sliding windows helped keep the windscreen clear while I kept my feet warm, but also allowed my brand new tax disc to be stolen easily :(

As mentioned the most unreliable part is the ignition, so if you upgrade this, it makes a big differance.

I commuted 40 miles round trip in mine for 5 years, and really miss it while I restore the body. It was a later '90s mini though.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Haha. Don't worry, my bodywork skills are very poor, and it is being built for everyday use again. So no more tape but it'll be nowhere near showroom.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Ah, good. That puts my mind at rest

On 12th Nov, 2009 Paul S said:

I think Gary OS has taken over my role as the forum smart arse

once my bodywork is finally sorted, ill be using my clubby as an every day car.

Just got to keep it well maintained, and your good to go.

I run my 62 as a daily driver with a 998 Cooper engine, s brakes and a remote servo. Its great, never let me down in 2 years

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Sounds like it's just me who doesn't like them as a daily driver anymore. I must be getting old

I run a 1963 MkI as a daily and my friend runs a 1973 MkIII auto a few small probs over the last few years but nothing more than your avrage car

Imagine a bus steering wheel and majic wand for getting around town, yes please!

this is good to hear
my old man thinks it will be crap, so was needing opinions.

paul didnt your door fall off not too long ago?

Yes, the A panel was rusty and the bottom hinge was seized so when I opened it it broke through the a panel, easy fix though

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Buy an SPI...

I'd have thought all the salt and grit on the scottish roads would kill a good mk1 pretty quickly without constant up-keep

As a Mk2 driver (weekend car) my veiw is....
It would need to be rebuilt for a car that age to be reliable (not just engine, but electrics etc.)
When you've spent all that time and money on a car you don't want to use it as a daily driver.

At least with a later car you've got soundproofing, rubber mounted subframe etc. And not so depressing when some **** dent's it in Tesco's.

Each to their own though

i used to run my mini as a daily, now i run a £350 rover 200 SDi, upkeep and fuel are less than the mini, its more comfortable, dryer and can cary more. yeah its crap to drive, but it servs its purpouse admirably. if it had to be a mini, it'd be a later one with atleast some creature comforts and then it wouldnt stress me so much knowing its rotting away with every drop of rain and grain of salt.

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

I ran an MPI powered Clubman Estate daily for 3 years (actually I use a bike when its nice-so for 3 years of the worst weather!). Had no issues with the engine, just broke down once due to the way I'd mounted high pressure fuel pump. Problem was the rust! Im building a fibreglass Marcos now... Everyday use without the tin worm!

i ran my old 30 for 3 years as a daily, personally i would look for a tax exempt gt or non descript pre 72 and throw in a 1275