|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:04:33 GMT
|
|
Ok I’m on the lookout for another project to replace the Daimler after having to sell for personal reasons. Been looking for an old ford but they seem to be either miles away or just out of my budget.
I’ve noticed that classic beetles are in my price range and I’m seriously thinking about one. Minis are the same so I’d like pros and cons and advice on either one. Mini would be quicker but you can modify a beetle to run quickly too. So advice please.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:36:56 GMT
|
|
mini... no other basis than i like them and a beetle* was THE most horrific thing i have driven.
*i have broad shoulders and can take all the forthcoming flak!!
|
| |
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:43:47 GMT
|
|
Big perm customs have a very nice beetle listed on fb at the moment
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:47:16 GMT
|
|
For me, that would depend on the time and budget for the modifications.
With a big enough budget, it would be the Bug ( they can be really cool, after you do enough serious mods )
With a lower budget it would be the Mini. ( 6X10 Minilites or Revolutions, Koni's, HiLo's, Discs and Minifins, 1300A+ on a single Weber or a Metro Turbo... Done...)
|
| |
|
|
jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,840 
Club RR Member Number: 40
|
Classic mini or beetle jamesd1972
@jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member 40
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:55:04 GMT
|
|
Parts availability on both is outstanding so choice may come down to how far your money goes. My thoughts on them as cars is that they are both cool in their own ways. One is a cool looking heap to drive which will try and kill you because it is an evil handling poor braking slow thing with no crash protection
The other is iconic and handles like a go cart and will try to kill you as you keep pushing it to its limits and then when you find them you will die in the crash.
Mini every time for me !
Mini is a lot smaller when you need to work on it too. Both are a bit ‘scene’ but mini scene appears from the outside to be more inclusive ?
James
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:55:50 GMT
|
|
I'd say drive one of each and you will make up your own mind.
They are extremely different to each other, you may dislike the experience of one of them. Personally I love to drive a Beetle, and while a Mini is OK to drive they do nothing for me.
Many people feel the opposite.
Having said that, a beam front axle or macpherson strut front and swing axle rear or proper IRS in a Beetle are also very different things depending on which Beetle you choose.
From limited knowledge, Beetles arent cheap to make reasonably fast if that what you want.
|
| |
|
|
luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
|
Classic mini or beetle luckyseven
@luckyseven
Club Retro Rides Member 45
|
Jul 24, 2019 19:57:52 GMT
|
|
I suppose it'd depend on what you want from a project. If it's a restoration then I'd say Beetle simply because they're a totally different animal when stock but still fun and engrossing... just really slow. If you want a restomod, especially with an eye to performance then maybe the Mini because it's hard to resist driving it like you're Paddy Hopkirk winning the Monte even if it's only slightly warmed up. Beetles can be made to perform madly but maybe that's to the detriment of the feel of the car whereas Minis seem designed with madness in mind.
....mind you, I'm building a (hopefully) stonking Beetle ATM so my opinion might be rubbish
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 20:06:27 GMT
|
|
even a stock 1100 mini will put a big grin on your face (thrashed the guts out of a 1100 special many moons ago) , i wonder if a stock (1300???) beetle would give the same smiles per mile?? obviously anything can be modded to do pretty much anything but as said...try both.
if your not sure between the two get a mk1 golf.... only other car that gets under your skin like a mini.
|
| |
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 22:11:14 GMT
|
|
I have heard, but don't know the ins and outs, that the early (new) Mini's and Beetles are not as good as the update models. However I have no idea when that update model came...
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 22:45:11 GMT
|
Had several minis, several beetles, couple of mk1 golfs too, I'd buy a mk2 polo  (I do still own beetle 1303, mk1 golf, mk1 caddy, mk2 and mk2f polos though, greedy curse word) |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 24, 2019 23:45:04 GMT
|
|
As a serial BMC owner since 1983 I'd be inclined to pick the Mini because I know them well and know too that they are very forgiving cars that can be driven balls out pretty much everywhere with a good chance of getting away with it.
Having had a brief drive of another member's Beetle at a car club gathering and thoroughly enjoyed the experience I'm not totally against the idea of owning one of those either but I know very little about them.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm in the mini camp too, had lots and loved them, still have a van, all my experience with VW's has been bad, culminating in a bay window camper which holds the record as the most hateful vehicle I have ever owned! Like strikey, I await the flak....😀 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'd go Mini because I had one as I teenager. You can't beat buzzing about in one of those. But a beetle is cool also. With parts availablity being good on both, I'd go with whatever floats your boat the most.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Closest I ever got to owning a Mini was buying one on Ebay and finding it had no V5 when I went to collect it.
With a Mini the modifications seem to be wheels, seats, a tickle under the bonnet and it looks exactly the same as everyone elses. With a Beetle you can pick from a range of styles and build to that, with whatever crossover you want. You want fast in a straight line? California Look. Corners? Try German Look. You want to look like your suspension has collapsed and you're one of the cool kids with an interesting beard? You want an original paint early car then. All will cost you quite a lot of money but they're still cheaper than Fords!
|
| |
1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim
1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started.
1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Everyone I know who has had a modified beetle has had nothing but trouble, in a large part this is probably because so many are poorly done and the base vehicle not being properly sorted out before it was plastered with the contents of a catalogue
Mini's used to be the same but nowadays they seem to be a project or well done.
Which one suits you may well depend on what you want to do with it, a mini is a hoot to drive on minor roads but no fun on long drives, the beetle not as much fun on the twisty bits but more comfortable and better for longer journeys.
Another option in a similar vein, how about a modified Minor?, lowered, supercharged 1275 or older fiat twin cam conversion and remove overiders etc makes a good all round car and more unique than either of the above.
|
| |
Last Edit: Jul 25, 2019 14:05:18 GMT by kevins
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 25, 2019 10:01:10 GMT
|
|
Definitely try and drive one of each first if you haven't already, that very well be the make of break of either of them for you.
I love driving minis but they can be too cramped for some people's liking. Also the constant feeling that any moment could be your last might be a little too much for some people.
I've only ever driven one beetle and I didn't like it at all. That wouldn't stop me from buying an air vw cooled project because I do really like some of them, but I have a history of owning cars that drive like poop so that's not as much of an issue for me as it might be for others.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 25, 2019 10:56:07 GMT
|
|
If you get a mini, try not to get anything after about 1988, Anything I've had after that year has been twice as bad with rust than the older ones.
I've a 1996 MPI at the minute and the only panels we didnt replace were the rear quarters and roof, the rest was held together with newspaper (yes, newspaper) and about 3 buckets of filler.
I haven't had a mini without a full cage in years, door bars and the front cage is essential these days imo with everyone driving SUV's/Mini-tanks. You can buy nice seat runners to drop the seats and a bracket to drop the steering wheel, I'm 6ft with a 34" leg and it's the only way I can fit in one comfortably.
|
| |
1994 S1 106 Rallyé
1996 Mini Cooper 1.3 MPI (Rust bucket, currently in for surgery/resto)
2003 Renaultsport Clio 172 (Daily beater)
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 25, 2019 10:57:08 GMT
|
|
|
| |
1994 S1 106 Rallyé
1996 Mini Cooper 1.3 MPI (Rust bucket, currently in for surgery/resto)
2003 Renaultsport Clio 172 (Daily beater)
|
|
vanpeebles
Part of things
I am eastbound in pursuit of a white Lamborghini, this is not a recording.
Posts: 978
|
|
Jul 25, 2019 11:01:24 GMT
|
Mini all day long, screw dubbers and their curse word rubbish  |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 25, 2019 11:54:56 GMT
|
Everyone I know who has had a modified beetle has had nothing but trouble, in a large part this is probably because so many are poorly done and the base vehicle not being properly sorted out before it was plasteres with the contents of a catalogue I think its fair to say that a badly modified aircooled VW is very unpleasant at best, and will be unreliable and suffer engine failure at worst. The trouble is its very easy to make bad mods, a big proportion of them seen to be badly modified, I'm not an expert but some things to look out for - Performance air filter on standard single carb, which then suffers carb icing due to no hot air feed, and runs less well than standard. Fuel filter in the engine bay and badly routed fuel pipes, and worst of all cloth covered fuel pipe, these things cause fires when it goes wrong. Missing tinware, maybe the owner couldnt be bothered to refit it, maybe it was rusty and didnt seem essential, maybe some idiot thought they could modify it to work better than VW designed it to, especially if the thermostat and flaps are removed, this is very common and not good. While on tinware, too many people don't understand the criticality of maintaining a seal between the hot and cold side of the engine, so tinware with no gaps at all and a good engine bay seal, to a normal car person these don't look important but they are critical. 009 Bosch distributer, great if all you want to do is race, but if you want it to be good to drive normally getting rid of the vacuum advance is stupid, you need a normal distributer that is in good condition. Air cooled needs some understanding and different ways of thinking, no temperature gauge on the dash doesnt mean that they wont cook. Another point, no oil filter, just a strainer, oil needs to be changed frequently due to no filter and the fact that its effectively the heat exchange medium between some of the engine parts and the fins on the block. |
| |
|
|
|
|
