I need some advice please - Thinking of parting with the MINI

[Mike1]

Hello guys

In the last few days I have once again fallen out of love with the Mini.

The brakes are going to cost R4500 to be fixed. The car leaks. The engine needs one hell of a service. The rims have white worm. The car is suffering.

And so am I.

I hate getting into a car which I really love and questioning its integrity. Is it going to break down? If not what vital mechanism (brakes for example) is going to let me down...

So... I have a job interview tomorrow which hopefully I will get. If I get this job I will keep the Mini and buy another car. But if I dont I may end up selling the Mini anyway.

The replacement:

- B5 Audi A3 or A4 (Maybe an Avant as I love them)
- BMW 5 series (1999 model or prior)
- BMW 3 series (E46 or E36)
- MK3 Golf GTI
- MK4 Golf Comfortline 1.6
- Smart Cabriolet (Still love these)
- Suggest me a car?

I know that the maintenance cost on a B5 Audi A6 or A4 Avant is high. But its less likely to break then this Mini is. The other issue is that the MINI cannot be a daily driver. At its age and mileage it isnt suited for it. Hence why I want a older NA engine car like an Audi or BMW with a bulletproof engine to use as a daily.

The Mini gets sh*t fuel economy anyway and the partner and I want to do a few road trips near the end of this year. South Coast etc etc and a Audi A6 or even a 2.8 Litre Avant is perfect for this, They may be big engines but they are economical.

I dont know what to do. Keep the Mini and buy a second car. Or sell the Mini and buy something more reliable until I can afford to run a Mini? If I get this job I will be able to run both. If not then Im screwed.

Any suggestions?

Mike

 

[freerider]

white worm? :dunno:

Again I will say, what about a nice clean e36?

 

[veridico]

How much can you afford to spend on a car?

 

[P1000]

Whatever you do, don't get a 30v Audi! You'd be better off with the mini. Those 30v engines all give really expensive problems after 150kkm, however the 12v ones do 700kkm easily without being opened, but they're really thirsty. I'd go for an E46, get the best one you can find. The golf iv might also do if you can find a prime one(doubtful) but atleast everything will be cheap.

 

[andrewbuch]

Keep it & get something else, Clean E36 318i ?

 

[Mike1]

Hey guys

This is white worm:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/white worm/RedRobin_05/WhiteWorm.jpg

Effectively it means the wheels need to be completely redone... With the rims on my Mini that will cost more or less close to R2500.

A clean E36 sounds pleasing.

I can easily get R50 000 for my Mini. If I keep the Mini then I am happy to spend R50 000 on a older Audi or BMW. One look at Gumtree and you will see there is a lot of cars available at this price range,

Cars with airbags, bose sound systems, heated seats. lmao!

Mike

---

I would look at a 1.8 NA Avant or A3. Nothing too hectic although I do have a soft spot for those lovely 2.8 litre Tiptronic engines :drool:

The 2.4 litre Audi engines cause major problems. This I do know.

The Golf 4 is a great car. The partner has one. Its not fast (but to be honest I dont want something fast anymore) but its usable. I would probably sway to a 2.0 litre. More Powah!

Im scared of selling the Mini though... It is in good nick and I probably wont find one that good again...

Mike

 

[freerider]

With 50k you could pick up a VERY neat e36.

That white worm is interesting, what causes that?

 

[Mike1]

Its a major issue on the MK5 and now MK6 GTI's.

The issue usually arises with rims that are diamond cut and sealed with a coating of lacquer. The rims on my MINI are like this and its caused from either curbing a rim or stone chips on a rim with this finish.

Moisture gets under the lacquer coat and eats away at the coating leaving you with that. The pic I posted is a friends car.

The problem is. To have a diamond cut rim repaired is almost impossible. So usually with these rims they sand all the clear coat / lacquer off leaving it like a normal alloy rim. Then they reconstruct the diamond cut design and then lacquer it again. Its a major process and only a few people know how to do it.

So instead the guys get the rims sanded down and sprayed gunmetal etc etc with no finish.

At one stage VW were replacing the rims for free under warranty... At R4500 per rim.

Mike

 

[P1000]

The Golf 4 is a great car. The partner has one. Its not fast (but to be honest I dont want something fast anymore) but its usable. I would probably sway to a 2.0 litre. More Powah!

Hmmm, you mean the power goes from 74kW to 85kW? For a 25% increase in capacity you get 15% more power... Maybe with some hot cams it'll be worth it.

Get your rims powdercoated instead of sprayed, its far superior in this application...

 

[dvst8]

Sorry dude but one of the joys of owning a classic/old car is the fact that you are always spending money on it. More so if you using it as a daily runner.

As you are a Mini Fan and if you are forced to sell it, why dont you consider a "New" Mini ?

With your budget of 100K (50k from sale + additional 50K) you can get a very clean R50 (Cooper) or even R53 (Cooper S)

While it may not be the most practical car, Its a flippin Joy.

:thumbsup:

 

[Mike1]

I want to keep the Mini. I truly do love the car. Its (as mentioned above) not the ideal daily runner.

I could get rid of it. Add R50 000 and get a NA 1.6 Cooper but it will be a early 2003 model and they also cause issues. Any car you buy will cause issues. I know that. Choices! I want both.

P1000 -

Have you ever driven a 1.6 MK4? I liken it to a small barge. No seriously. Even with 15% more power it is a huge step up. :spit:

Let me see how this interview goes tomorrow... If I get this job (which apparently I have a very very good chance) then I can afford to pay both.

Mike

 

[zaleonardz]

But mike,

That mini is so simplistic, what is going to cost you 4k to fix ?

Here is the thing, you cannot own a fanatics project car if your not prepared to get your hands dirty, else you simply cannot afford it.

 

[Mike1]

Haha

I have a Haynes Manual and there is stuff I have looked at an fixed.

The R4500 is because the brake system is moer toe.

Nobody is willing to work on the brakes and I tried and I understand why. The drums are screwed. The adjustors are buggered and the cost to fix drum brakes is also high on these cars... This you do every 3 months!

The R4500 is to pay for a disc conversion. Disc brakes on front and back. New pipes etc etc. New everything!

Then the brakes will be reliable. I cannot pay R1000 every 2 months to have the drums fixed and I cannot afford to pay R4500 right now to have the conversion done.

The engine splutters and misses when its cold. Thats new points and leads. Thats another R1000. The rims need to be refurbished. the seals on the windows are past usable. The sunroof leaks under heavy rain or when you wash the car and needs to be replaced. Its past its used by date.

Its not a matter of working on the car. That is easy. I have been working on it since I got it. Redoing wiring, fixing leaks, pulling dashboards out etc. Its the cost to replace the parts. I need something more reliable for a daily drive. The Mini is a weekend toy.

My devotion to the car and brand leaves me in a catch 22 situation. I want to sell it but I cant cos I love it too much.

Mike

 

[andrewbuch]

keep it as a project car rather get a cheap run around car for daily drive