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Jul 25, 2019 12:23:52 GMT
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When my lads were at bodyshop college, one of the other students arrived one day in his recently professionally modified beetle. The lecturer, who was a good bloke and a VW fan, got the lad to bring it into the workshop and onto the ramp so they could all have a look, using it as a teaching aid. Long story short, said lecturer was so horrified at the state of it he refused to let the lad take it home. It did become a teaching aid, he taught them all how to rectify bodges and sort it properly. There's some frightening professionals out there regardless of model
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,658
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Jul 25, 2019 13:08:29 GMT
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That is one hell of a choice. Owned both, Both have their 'characteristics'.
Bad Points
With a mini, it's rust & can be an absolute pig to work on. Whitworth bolts on everything. Avoid injection ones as it was a mistake to ever contemplate putting injection on a mini. All parts massively overpriced and a sensor that goes faulty is impossible to get to without taking manifold off. Always go for SU carbs as these are the most reliable carbs around. Terrible engine mounts - the top one will shear off in the block unless you buy a special bracket that goes on top of the thermostat housing and mounts another rubber on the engine bay. Very scary on a motorway. 80mph is not fun and engine is over 4k at this point making it a stressful drive. Daft electrics on earlier ones with useless indicator relays and only two fuses. Other fuses are inline with wires. Have yet to see one without an oil leak. LEARN HOW TO WELD! Rear subframe is another pig of a job.
Good Points
Positives are the best handling you will ever experience. The cutest looking car ever made. You can take most roundabouts without using the brake! Spares plentiful. Engines are very reliable and easily looked after. easily tunable. HEATING that works in the winter. Lots of space inside for a small car. Good on fuel. Cheap to respray. Good owners club with plenty of events.
VW BEETLE
RUST! Not a single area is free from the tinworm. Avoid 1302/1303 as near impossible to stop steering shake over 50. Very dangerous heating system which takes a lot of patience to get right. If you don't you will end up with melted trainer soles and/or have gassed yourself unintentionally. Exhaust fumes go straight into the car slowly making you go mad. Ignore what another guy said about inlet manifold icing up as there are plenty of small heated gadgets you can buy to prevent this. The oil cooler oil filter is a very poor filter and very messy too. The equally daft heater flap system will fail as every component is of such poor quality (copper spung bellows are another design fail. The system simply isn't worth trying to fix. Absolutely no heating in winter unless you buy an eberspacher diesel/petrol heater. 1930's suspension technology and you really know it. Rust more than most over cars unless you have a very early one. All panels available but are made out of seriously poor quality brazilian steel. The wiper washers are powered off the air of the spare wheel which is another travesty of design. Careful of rear seat passengers catching fire if they sit over the battery - nobody seems to cover the battery until Dave in the back catches fire. LEARN TO WELD. Very fussy on fuel and mine would never tickover using supermarket fuel. Tickover always goes funny at some stage. Always have a toolkit with you to tweak-as-you-go. Number 3 cylinder airflow is partially blocked by an oil cooler so expect lower compression on number 3 compared to the other cylinders.
Good Points
Absolute heaven to work on compared to a mini - 4x bolts, undo accelerator cable and engine slides out. I could change a clutch in 45 mins - Once by the side of the road. Exceptional engines and very tuneable. Almost fault free gearboxes. Very very easy to take apart and rebuild as no head gasket to worry about. Easily the best social scene of any car - My life was all VW in the 90's with beetle bash & bug jam. Amazing social scene. Many lifelong friends made. Look awesome lowered with 2cv tyres & banded steels. Very easy to lower unless the rear spring plates are rusted on. Possibly the coolest looking car to be in during the summer.
Both these cars are pretty equal in problems and positives. My advice is to drive 3x minis and 3x beetles and I think the decision will be made for you by then.
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Last Edit: Jul 25, 2019 13:09:41 GMT by 60six
Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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Jul 25, 2019 17:06:50 GMT
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I used to have a mini and I loved it, I still love them now, I just cant seem to tear myself away from them although I cant see me owning another. As well as being an absolute classic they are actually flippin' awesome.
I have never been in a beetle but from what ive heard from previous owners they are generaly clunky, noisy, slow, rusty, but have heaps of potential. Personally I like the way they look, but I cant stand the way they sound
Mini.
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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Jul 25, 2019 18:20:20 GMT
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Get a late bug, stock, they drive lovely.... slow as f tho, but far more street cred than a mini. Minis are brilliant tho, such good fun, but I’m a vw man at heart. You could always buy a mk6 escort, apparently they’re cool.
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Last Edit: Jul 25, 2019 18:20:56 GMT by Roach
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voodoo57
Club Retro Rides Member
That's not 2 metres! come a little...Closer!
Posts: 2,757
Club RR Member Number: 137
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Classic mini or beetle voodoo57
@voodoo57
Club Retro Rides Member 137
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Jul 25, 2019 18:23:58 GMT
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fwd or rwd? if no preference, maybe look at a couple of each, weigh up the rough cost of parts etc...plus what mods you want, and go from there?
(BEETLE!)
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Jul 25, 2019 19:14:40 GMT
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Like most have said depends what your looking for I've had loads of minis done all the performance upgrades 10 inch wheels 1275 engine. There like driving a go cart! Bloody fun and the engines I find love to rev.
I now own a beetle and it's bloody slow, gear changes seem to take for ever and you can't rev it above 4-5k but that's what I like I'm in no rush when I'm driving it and it's a nice cruiser.
I do find upgrading the beetle with performance parts alot more expensive than the mini. Last time I looked you could get a decent 10 inch brake disc set up for around £300.
My beetle someone fitted the 5x205 brake disc kit and your looking at £700+
I'm a VW fan and I've done the mini thing so it's out of my system.
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1967 Beetle
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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Jul 25, 2019 19:28:48 GMT
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Yeah I wanted to put a big engine in my 67 beetle and i tipped the scales at 5k. And it Wasn’t even that special.
Sod that, low and slow.
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Jul 26, 2019 21:23:45 GMT
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That is one hell of a choice. Owned both, Both have their 'characteristics'. Bad Points With a mini, it's rust & can be an absolute pig to work on. Whitworth bolts on everything. Agree with pretty much everything you've said apart from the Whitworth thing. I've taken many Minis apart and they come apart very easily with a standard AF socket set and spanners...
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Jul 26, 2019 22:09:12 GMT
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,840
Club RR Member Number: 40
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Classic mini or beetle jamesd1972
@jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member 40
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That is one hell of a choice. Owned both, Both have their 'characteristics'. Bad Points With a mini, it's rust & can be an absolute pig to work on. Whitworth bolts on everything. Agree with pretty much everything you've said apart from the Whitworth thing. I've taken many Minis apart and they come apart very easily with a standard AF socket set and spanners... You can get good quality AF stuff second hand for buttons on Facebook etc. - nobody wants it. How far does your money go ? What does a solid car in either flavor cost ? James
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Jul 27, 2019 10:23:56 GMT
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Ok cheers for the input guys, going to look at a mini tomorrow which has a flip front coil overs and other modded bits and it’s way below my budget so hopefully I’ll be a mini owner. Pics will follow. Thanks again for the advice can always count on retro rides for help and advice when needed.
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Jul 27, 2019 10:56:15 GMT
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Ok cheers for the input guys, going to look at a mini tomorrow which has a flip front coil overs and other modded bits and it’s way below my budget so hopefully I’ll be a mini owner. Pics will follow. Thanks again for the advice can always count on retro rides for help and advice when needed. Check you can get it insured as a lot of insurers don't like flip fronts
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Jul 27, 2019 12:33:29 GMT
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And that the front is fitted properly, or stabilising bars etc
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Jul 27, 2019 18:10:30 GMT
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If you want to modify it, no other car offers the alternatives than a beetle.
A nice beefed up Baja bug with lift kit would be cool.
Or go totally the other direction and stick it on air ride and slam it to the deck.
Or go half way house and leave it stock.
So many options.
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Jul 27, 2019 18:13:00 GMT
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Mini everyday of the week
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Jul 27, 2019 18:53:55 GMT
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Mini. No debate. Proper car.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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Jul 27, 2019 20:50:28 GMT
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My garage contains broadly one of each. Mini has motorsport potential for 12 cars, autotest etc. Lots of go faster stuff. All paths have been trodden so far.
My other toy is a Vw type 2. Ok so it’s a camper but it’s the same scene. It’s a low and slow world.
Personally my next choice is a Manx Meyer buggy....
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Jul 27, 2019 21:57:36 GMT
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Hi,
I love both of them. I have been building Suzuki Swift Gti enigne with R1 carbs in my mini. It has about 140BHP and coil over suspensions and disc brake all 4 corners. It is most uncomfortable car I have ever driven... but fun. My mini owes me about £4k. All of the work is done in my single garage and by me. I designed and made rear beam axel setup, radius arms to take disc brakes, front subframe is again made by me. Took me 18 years from buying a shell to on the road.
It can be money pot if you don't do it yourself. I think VW are more expensive to buy parts and limited to go faster with OEM engines.
Minis are getting expensive to buy but all panels can be bought easily like Beetle.
Whatever car you buy, good luck and enjoy!
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Building roof chopped, screen raked '68 Mini with G13B 1.3 16v Gti engine with LSD, Yamaha R1 carbs. As well as mk1 Suzuki Swift Gti AWD with a turbo. Drives PHEV Outlander but wishing my mk1 Swift Gti or mk2 CRX Vt were still with me!
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munky
Part of things
Posts: 462
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Jul 28, 2019 23:17:11 GMT
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It depends what you are really looking for: Something fun to drive hard - mini Something easy(er) to restore - beetle (bolt off pan and easier mechanicals: if only to get to) Something to cruise - beetle
Having had both, I engoyed my time with my minis. I really enjoyed a clubman estate with a wood grain flash and 1275 swap but VWs were more my thing. Cruising in a lowered bug is just more me.
Both have great parts availability, good clubs (though I think the beetle may have more shows) and opportunities to go in many directions. Mini - stock, concours, race car, cafe racer, rally god etc. Beetle stock, concours, Cal look, rat rod, euro look, hot rod, Baja.
Both are great decisions but don’t expect either to be ‘fast’ or particularly motorway friendly like a more modern car.
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Last Edit: Jul 28, 2019 23:20:18 GMT by munky
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I would go Beetle, just because I like them a lot! Is this not the coolest Beetle
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