The Original Mini
I'll be honest here, I personally do not own a Mini, but have had a passion about them for the past few years. A good friend of mine has been through three in the past year and I have worked closely on them with him.
To start at the beginning, the first mini was a project to work on over the Summer, a charming yellow 1989 Mini that was in fully working condition. There was no padding on the firewall, no dash, the lights didn't work...need I go on...but this is all understandable for a car of such age. After removing some dented panels, we discovered rust patches, crudley covered by paint and as my sills and panels were removed, more and more of the damage became visible. In the end, the car was scrapped and the second mini was bought.
Essentially, this suffered the same fate.
The third Mini, was a reconditioned 1989 City in a gorgeous Tahiti Blue, built by a Mini Garage in London. This one wasn't ready to fall apart and the owner is very happy.
Before I even get to when I drove this car, the process by which we stand today reveals several lessons to potential Mini owners. The Original Minis are old cars and will suffer badly because of it. Even in their hayday, rust was a problem and still is now. The economic option, the Mini was not built with advanced safety features or luxuries you now come to expect, the '96+ versions only coming with air bags. The car, if not already, will wear out; by this I mean everything. Panels will need restoring, brakes will need replacing, paint will need repainting, the engine will need to be tuned.
Unless you have immense amount of money and time on your hands, you CAN NOT own a Mini; a fact that I am grateful of.
Now, to drive. Obviously this will differ from owner to owner depending on their financial status. This good condition Mini was hard to drive. I am of average height (5'11) and my knees were literally in line with the top of the steering wheel. It is impractically small and smelt oddly of petrol. The brakes creaked and the acceleration pedal was extremely tough. Top speed was low and it was amazingly loud. In essence, this is not an easy car to drive.
Despite all this though, it is undeniably a classic. The well-kept Minis are pieces of art who stand alone in their field. Owning one enters you into a niche of people (OAPs who owned from origin excepted) whom everyone, undisputably, envies. The sheer respect and awe you recieve from even the most impartial pedestrian is gratifying and fulfills your ego.
This car is possibly the most impractial car I have ever driven. But I still want one.
