Advice - Mini as a first car?

[red mini]

Joey, thanks, I'm confused now, I thought the later ones had twin exhaust which made them less noisy, oh, this is not straightforward at all... too many things to consider! oh, so they're uncomfortable too now.. you're starting to put me off!

[red mini]

No there is a 2000 mini in Dublin on it

..sorry Spud, I can't find it!

[daniel garry]

No there is a 2000 mini in Dublin on it

..sorry Spud, I can't find it!

this 1?? http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3531848

[red mini]

...that's the one I thought it was but that's in Kerry and he says there's one in Dublin. I can't find it though!

[Darran]

...that's the one I thought it was but that's in Kerry and he says there's one in Dublin. I can't find it though!

Hi red mini,

Id say it has been removed from Donedeal because its sold, i seen it myself last night but gone now, it needed a bit of work on the body but later minis at that price dont hang around for long.
Keep an eye on donedeal and the "For Sale" section in this forum, as minis crop up daily

Darran.

[red mini]

Thanks Darren, that must be it. If it needed body work done I would have had to leave it in somewhere to get done, it would have cost a lot maybe.. I wouldn't have been able to do it myself... well, not yet anyway! Please don't tell me it was red?!! Yeah, I'll keep looking! thanks!

[The Marcos Graveyard]

How will I know which ones have 12" as opposed to 13" wheels? ..sorry, I'm trying to find out myself but can't find it!

The size is written on the side of the tyre.

[red mini]

Thanks Marcos! I thought certain years had them. I'll just have to look at the tyres!

[Tony Cooney]

Not sure what your budget is but this looks like a very good solid car and the price is reasonable:


http://www.irishminis.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8360

[red mini]

Thanks Tony! I saw that the other day, it's lovely, and it is a good price. I think I'd go for a later one from '97 onwards, I read they're not as noisy!

[twinjocks]

Hi red mini,

Another girl Mini driver here - I learned to drive in a Mini quite a number of years ago - and have owned only Minis since (apart from an emergency buy of a Micra once - yawn - what a boring boring car that was!). My 17-year-old daughter is now about to start learning to drive - in a Mini, of course.

My 2 cents are that, yes, they are wonderfully fun to drive, easy to park obviously, relatively inexpensive to maintain, definitely cheap to run. They are older cars and you will encounter mechanical problems. I can do some very basic basics, and have learned to diagnose a fair bit over the years, but rely on our friend and Mini mechanic, Paul Kelly, for most stuff. What tends to happen is you'll get a run of a year/18 months/maybe even 2 years trouble-free motoring - then will hit a period of lots of things going wrong. It's a question of getting over that hump to another trouble-free year/18 months, etc. without giving up. That's what sorts out the true Mini-lovers from everybody else I think!!!

Julie

[Billy]

I thought Daisy took driving lessons last year in Switzerland.

[red mini]

Hi Julie, thanks for that. It's good to know there are other female mini drivers out there, I've only ever seen one or two, that's why I had a feeling it was because you need to be a bit into the mechanics to own one, not that girls wouldn't of course, but I had a look at the mini Haynes manual in Halfords the other day and there's a lot in it. I really can't see myself doing much car servicing myself! I even had a little look at the selection of wax products, would it be just one of those bottles that you'd treat it with regularly to prevent rust?
Well, people keep trying to put me off getting one, it's hard to get excited about it if family members aren't too keen on the idea! I'm going to go to the Terenure car show, it might help me decide, but I know when I see them there I'll want one even more!!

[mini_sprite94]

are the family members paying for it? no? then feck em!

[red mini]

Haha! exactly!!! ..that's exactly it, I've always wanted one, if I don't get one now I probably never will. I'd be thinking bout my sister too, she lives abroad and she'd use it whenever she's over, so I suppose I'd have to think of her too. She's grand, she's had her full license for years but she's saying it would be hard to drive for me, and I'd be spending money getting it serviced etc.

[minis24se7en]

When you start overthinking something it can get very complicated, with advice from all sides and "get this" and "don't get that" (And the advice here is 100% just that there are so many views and opinions from each personal experience)

Go to the show, see the minis and talk to the members. Then when you're familiar with the types of minis that are out there you can narrow it down to what type and year range of mini you want and are comfortable with. Once you know what you want, and as you can see so far, theres plenty of help on here to keep an eye out for the right mini for ya and people that will go with you to look at them.

Haha! exactly!!! ..that's exactly it, I've always wanted one, if I don't get one now I probably never will.

Getting away from the nuts, bolts and rust of the matter for a minute, It's the same with anything....
You may regret something you did for a little while...........but you'll regret something you didn't do forever .

The very worst case scenario is it might turn out after a while that a mini isn't for you, but you won't be the 1st.
The difference between a mini and a morgage in this country is that you can sell the mini again for the same money you paid for it

So if it's something you've always wanted, feck it, life is to short, go for it!

[Tony Cooney]

Getting away from the nuts, bolts and rust of the matter for a minute, It's the same with anything....
You may regret something you did for a little while...........but you'll regret something you didn't do forever .

The very worst case scenario is it might turn out after a while that a mini isn't for you, but you won't be the 1st.
The difference between a mini and a morgage in this country is that you can sell the mini again for the same money you paid for it

So if it's something you've always wanted, feck it, life is to short, go for it!

Possibly the best bit of 'advice' so far..............

[red mini]

Thanks minis24 7! Yeah, yous have been so helpful here, I really appreciate it!
I love what you said..
"You may regret something you did for a little while...........but you'll regret something you didn't do forever"
..it's so true! ..and as you say, I could sell it for the same price if it didn't suit me. I think I'll have to come to you next time I need advice, you put everything into perspective, honestly, you're so right! thanks!

[crl]

Often the question comes up are minis reliable and a good car, well, I have driven mine from Dublin to Tarifa in the south of Spain, the southernmost point in Europe in the last two months, just 8 miles from Morocco.

All that has gone wrong with it is an incorrectly fitted water pump, every thing else has been fine!

here is the route / so far.

http://goo.gl/maps/Uglj

[bsmythyjr]

on the insurance point i m on my own policy learner still fully comp young driver below 25 which is the age when its makes a difference so we would be the same and i have a 2001 mini cooper sport 1.3 value 7-9,000 and got insurance for 1,600 and 1350 when i get my full.

[red mini]

Hi crl, that's amazing you travelled all that distance. I can't even imagine driving so many miles in my lifetime! I know, that's one thing you'd be thinking of, how reliable it is, so that's impressive!
bsmythjr, that's really high insurance it really is.
..well, I'm still looking for a car but I'm thinking I'll just get another car for the moment, until I get the hang of driving. I feel bad after everyone being so helpful here, giving me advice, but I'm determined to get a mini after maybe a few months, when hopefully I'll be a lot more comfortable on the road!