2010 Mini One - 1400 petrol - spares or repairs - OPINIONS ?

" oil pump problem" factor in a potential engine rebuild ,oil pump, big ends and mains minimum + associated gaskets and sundries ...
and while you're in there a new clutch etc ...

Basically are you up for 'open heart surgery' on the engine ?

You could buy a running one up north for less than 1500 quid so a knackered one for 500 quid doesn't make any sense

"But they often sound fragile. " regular and preventative servicing is a must if they are to last ...

I will check with an old mate of mine in Stockport to see if he knows of anything for sale

It's a FWD BMW built on the cheap.

They're horrible to work on, and need lots of it.

That one is about £478.67 too expensive.

If you want something simple and reliable and (depending on age and model) ULEZ compliant how about a MK6 fiesta (2002-2008).

Mine is a 2007 1.4 petrols and its ULEZ compliant, i've been into Birmingham with it without any fines :-)

The MK6 is a bigger in the boot than the later MK7, I can get a washing machine in it just about and i've got a tow bar on it and it tows a small trailer really well.

There are plenty of bits to fit to them to modify if you wish, leather seats, alloys etc.

Generaly very simple, if you get a petrol one. We have had this one from 2011 and its now done 85K miles, so far (touch wood) nothing major has gone wrong with it. Apart from routine servicing, tyres, cambelt and acts of wildlife (damaging the radiator) its had a reverse light switch needing to be replaced (leaking oil), gear linkage becoming stiff requiring a new bush on the linkage on the front of the gear box, a battery, an exhaust and some welding on the sills.

If you want something lairy then there are these:

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070067687465

I really like them as basic as possible.

Good for insurance and many complications that come with increased spec and power.

The Coopers and various other high end models are beautiful in their own way.

But I like the simplicity of the original New Mini.

Very few cars blow me away at their Mk2, 3, 4 etc level.

While I'll echo what has been said about this one in particular, my other half has an N12 engined 1.6 Cooper Clubman (R55) which would be right up your street I reckon. We picked it up for a bit of a bargain knowing it needed a little work.

Ended up putting a chain (£140), vanos sensor (BMW one £90), some oil one way valve (£12) and she used it until the clutch started to slip to which I put one in with change from £200. Recently flew through an MOT.

Done a good few thousand miles now and it's economical, fun to drive, cheap to run and ULEZ compliant (important as her Dad lives in the soon-to-be zone if that excuse for a mayor actually gets away with it). She has two ISOFIX seats in it and it's roomy enough for a around town/short journey car for the girls.

The pre facelifts (late 2010 - you can get a facelift 60 plate and a pre facelift 60 plate!) are obviously cheaper - easiest way to tell by the interior is the buttons for the radio on the speedo are black on the facelift rather than silver on the pre - but facelifts do have the better N16 engine (not sure if the 1.4 appeared in facelift guise or not tbh). Few other changes (aside from engine) but nothing wrong with a prefacelift if you get the right things looked after.

The 1.4 and the 1.6 is nothing between them I don't think, certainly the same tax band and economy much the same. I can't believe how good on motion lotion the clubman is, full tank is just over £50 and seems to do a good 280-300 miles on that which is cracking in my book. I think all Mini One's are 1.4 and Coopers are 1.6's in pre-facelifts.

Everyone does have a moan about how hard they are to work on but I don't find it that bad at all. I did the chain and clutch with a decent tool kit like you would have on my driveway and an amazon special cam/flywheel locking kit. The front end slides forward for better access after wizzing a few bolts out, I took the front end off (taking the radiator and AC condenser off as I wanted to change the condenser) to do the clutch and made an easy job of it. Harder to do a clutch on a SportKa take it from me! Little 'BMWesque' things like the bottom balljoints are bolted to the lower arms so getting the shafts out the box was just wizz the two 22mm bolts out the bottom ball joint to get enough room to pop then out.

Common issues for the non turbo 1.4 and 1.6 are:
- Oil leaks - multiple places, normally rocker cover and the oil cooler housing (that carries the oil filter). This one is only a £12 part but requires the manifold/cat/all in one to come off to do it - me and a friend dispatched this job in about 3 hours. Other one ours had was the rear main seal but I did it when I did the clutch and it's fine now.
- Erratic idle/EMLs/lumpy - normally one way oil valves and/or vanos solenoids - non turbo ones are VVT on intake and exhaust cams. If it isn't this it's a...
- Chain - they stretch and the tensioners get weak. Chatter on startup is the easiest tell tale but they throw vanos/timing codes when they've stretched too. If you get one unless the chain has been done and you trust it has spend the £140 on a kit and £35 on the locking tools (although happy to lend if you need) and do it. I did it in a day, hardest job is getting off and retightening the crank pulley to it's LOL torque setting!
- Oil consumption - 500ml-1l per 1000 miles isn't uncommon. I'm 99.9% sure that it's down to valve stem seals- they don't seem to have been the best quality from the factory and ours seems to like drinking between 300-500ml of oil per 1000 miles. Just have to keep your eye on it and watch for excessive smoking - especially at idle. I might brave doing them this year but her indoors seems to want a newer clubman as she loves this one so much.
- Apparently clubmans like the rear doors to stop working but ours is yet to have this problem!

They really are fun to drive with 120bhp, very roomy (takes 4 of us on local/semi local stuff easily plus all their tut in the boot, 2 scooters etc), the girls love it (Mummy look another mini with a FUNNY DOOR!), like I said cheap to run/tax/insure and do have a certain BMW quality to them - certainly better than any older R50/R53 mini I've ever driven - they feel cheap to me. I love the large speedo in that hark back to the original mini and not a fan of the lack of large speedo in the F55/56 shape now. For those wondering you can have the MPH in the rev counter infront of you on the little display all the time, I don't actually look at the middle speedo when driving (the oldest girl likes to inform me I'm speeding when she reads a roadsign and the needle is a hair over the speed!).

In a world of most cars looking the same or if they are different aren't ULEZ compliant or cost £400 a year to tax (anything that costs more to tax than insure for 34 year old me is now out!) I think it's a great thing for not a lot of money. Ours is so good I'm considering taking it to the Nurburgring when I next go and I think it would be ample fun both driving there and out there. For the same price as a used 1.2 Corsa D do it.