Is your mini still practical?
Turbo Mini Forums

The gearbox on our daily drive has shat itself, so I'm using the proper mini as a daily. It's been pretty practical. Reliable (done 60 miles now without a single head gasket going) Over 40mpg plus you can go shopping in it no problem...



On the downside, the suspension is way to stiff, the seats and belts are a pain to get in and out of, you can't hold a conversation as it's far too noisy, there's no heater so the screen steams up when it's raining, I go into work smelling like I've done a night shift in a pit lane and it'll probably have dissolved in the rain by the end of the week.

That said. Every time I give it a squirt, all of the negatives become irellavent.

In the 13's at last!.. Just

Mine is my daily! We used to shout in there but a bit of sound deadening made it better. I fit 3 bags of shopping nicely with my tool box in the boot . He's a good little car and didn't let me down all last winter, too many people hide their minis away most of the year when they are fine as an everyday car, unless you do a lot of motorway driving because my back would be in bits after a week!

They don't die, they just get faster!

I had a mini as a daily for about 7 years and been thining about another but it would not be practical enough now
edit: actually for 2 of those years it was a second car but got used for commuting

i did 35k miles in my current mini before turbo charging it back in 2006
its done maybe 10k since and less than 2k on its last engine
to answer the origional question no not practical at all even if it worked hahaha

Edited by Brett on 29th May, 2014.

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Mine is pretty much a standard mini. Normal seats belts boot etc. using it daily at the moment.

I suppose it depends on what you need it to do.

Mine has been used a couple of times to go to the office and back in; all I need to fit in is a laptop bag. Only got the front seats though so no good for the family stuff

Stop being a girl, man up and take it to bits again. You know that's the right thing to do (and it makes the rest of us feel better )

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I'd like to think I will be able to take mine to the shops now and then for a laugh, but probably wont become a daily driver again like it was before!

I reckon you get a months worth of shopping behind the seats if you drove it home carefully, but where's the fun in that!

Yeah, probs depends how much stuff you carry. There's very rarely more than 2 people in mine, bugs me I can't take my neice anywhere in it because our car seats won't fint in the bucket seats :(

They don't die, they just get faster!

yup,i use mine anytime I want ,as long as I stay out of the blimmen drone zone at 3700 its fine for cruising on the motorway.

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

Mine not been built as a daily driver, drives much better no its turbo'd than with the weber.

Do take it to work though, if the HG hasnt blown.

What the mind can conceive the mini can achieve
MITP 2012 17.01 seconds 1/4 mile against "The Don"
MITP 2013 16.83 seconds 1/4 mile

I have an MG ZT-T 260 as my "sensible car", and it remains parked up on the drive so I can drive one of my Minis on a daily basis.

As for being practical:



This is much easier than a trailer or the back of the MG !

Edited by Alex on 29th May, 2014.

Metric is for people who can't do fractions.

Mine should be practical. Isofix bracket in the back for the sprog and standard boot space. I've had to trim my camping tackle down a bit, but can't see it not being practical. I plan to use it for work in the summer. Just me and the laptop bag.

You need to get it finished first Andy :roll:

Im sure it will be at MITP.....................hopefully.

What the mind can conceive the mini can achieve
MITP 2012 17.01 seconds 1/4 mile against "The Don"
MITP 2013 16.83 seconds 1/4 mile

I fixed this sentence for you :)

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Had a turbo'd mini as my only car for about 6 years or so, still used it in the summer when it was my 2nd car or if my other car was broken.

Mines practically ruined!

On 5th Oct, 2014 Shauna said:
What that's crazy, you go commando hahaha! How heavy is your helmet ?

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

I think I could easily use my mini every day, when it gets finished! My mom used to have a vermilion red clubman saloon and had me and my other sibling (almost said the word then) and a weeks worth of shopping. I loved that car!

Edited by Carlzilla on 29th May, 2014.

YOU SAID IT AND EDITED!

They don't die, they just get faster!

Wrong! I forgot to put the 'my' instead of mini. I will never ever make the mistake of saying that word on here. Ever.

My phone is being a spoon, that was supposed to be 'my' in front of 'mini' at the start!

On 29th May, 2014 oli79 said:
Mines practically ruined!

David.

Mine is practically good for f@@k all at the min lol.

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

i used my first mini as a daily for 6 years and then as second car for 3 more... ( now its project number...) it was practical till i new how practical a modern car was... did transport everething on or in it ( even 6 m long wood bords on top of the roof)

you can do anything if you set your mind to it...
i rather blow it up winning than keep it together losing.

finish date set for project 1... march 2018

When I were a lad (In my best Hovis voice) sadly that may not mean much to many on here...

My first 2 cars were Minis, 1330 - twin SU's / 1380 - DCOE

I was serving my apprenticeship at Longbridge and it was an 80 mile round trip each day, I think only 1 day was I left stranded in 2 years (on the Bristol Rd at Selly Oak) - SU needle valve stuck.

The 1380 / DCOE deaf'nd me but always got there

My 2 year old Metro Turbo ('86 car in 88/89) let me down more often than I remember - I moved to MK1/2 VW GTi's for a decade as a result of the Metro.

So I think in my experience it's more can you tolerate your Mini...

For some reason I am back here...

I suspect "Is your Mini practical" means something different now than it did in the mid 80's

So I guess then 'practical' meant 'reliable', before MJ etc, so a new condenser, points, dissy cap was practical as it got me there...

Apologies - ever so slightly Irish Whiskey fuelled.

Edited by Aubrey_Boy on 30th May, 2014.