Rate this Mini Cooper please!

[CXRAndy]

When looking at a new vehicle for purchase. After deciding thats a potential,

I research insurance costs, VED, whether it has high maintenance costs, like expensive oil service and tyres.

Case in point, our friends have a BMW EV, it goes through tyres every 8k miles, due to aggressive geometry setup.

Despite being a nice car, I would not entertain buying a vehicle like that.

 

[Drago]

My missus used to munch through tyres on her BMW EV.

When I took it over tyres suddenly lasted 3 times longer.

 

[Exlaser2]

Stopped at the Alvis dealer as they were showing a customer one of their cars . Looked terrific.
Not sure what Accy’ s budget is, but will it stretch to a large five number ? 😀😂

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes I saw that post, but would I as in me, not someone who knows about these things be able to spot it?🤔 I do like that colour, by the way!😎👍

https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/mk3-buye...pWfpWkzDNbhDd0qeTzVtUdS1_Ua2iLexoC5RIQAvD_BwE

 

[Accy cyclist]

I've just sent the dealer my details, asking for a test drive in it. It'll be a day out if nothing else! I'll take some sandwiches, a flask of coffee and of course my daily banana! I've a feeling it might be too long for me to park etc and it might be hard for me to climb out of, but we'll give it a try!😉

Heck, I've just looked at the ad to see it's no longer available! The dealers sent me a reply yesterday inviting me test drive it, so it must've been sold after 11am when they sent their reply. Ah well on looking it up it was over 1.5 feet longer than my Fiat 500, so it'd be a pain to park in tight spaces, plus the long bonnet would be hard to negotiate with my one working eye, depth perception problem.

 

[Drago]

Mrs D is blind in one eye and drives the Volvo and the van with aplomb, albeit she was already a highly trained response and pursuit driver before her eyesight went south.

 

[Accy cyclist]

How about this one? It's not a 'soft top' and is a bit more than I intended paying, but I do like that colour scheme! It's from the same dealers who were selling that Mini Roadster which has now been sold it seems. I briefly saw this Abarth in the video they sent me of the Mini Roadster, with it catching my eye. 🤔

View attachment 791817

https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/lis...l-OiUphXw0OOfGCIR46RSnu3aWc5pfuEaAsbTEALw_wcB

The seller brought it up to east Lancashire for me today. I had a test drive in it. It's nice and tidy inside, very nice in fact and it's quite powerful though not far more powerful than my Fiat 500. Certainly not twice as powerful as I thought it'd be with my Fiat 500 only having around 65 to 70 bhp, while the Abarth has a bhp of around 140. I'd say the Abarth has around 25 percent more power than my Fiat 500. Now for the real negatives! Unless you can pump the seat up, it was very low down. So low in fact that I had difficulty climbing out of it, even when using the handle above the door. With the seat being so low I couldn't fully see over the dash, and with that rev counter thingy on the dash, it added to the lack of ability to see all of the road ahead. Now for the big disappointment! It didn't bang and pop as Abarths are renowned for! I thought the seller had turned the sport control off, but no he hadn't, yet although it had that kind of rumbling sound when not moving, the exhaust didn't bang. I'd say the car looked and sounded more like a glorified/souped up Fiat 500 than a full on Arbarth. A bit like when they made Ford Fiesta Sports, which weren't quite XR2's. Maybe it wasn't what I expected as it's the lesser Tourismo model rather than the top of the range Competizione model. I'm glad I didn't buy it as if I had I'd be sat here now trying to convince myself I'd done the right thing, but having that niggling thought that I'd made a big mistake. The seller wasn't that too friendly either. I think he thought he was delivering the car for me to buy, but no, I had him bring it to me so I could try it out, not just buy it there and then. You could feel him losing his temper when I asked if I could pay with my bank card, with him replying sharply 'I told you, it has to be a bank transfer! I sent you a message showing you how to do it'! Anyway, he left saying if I want the car I'll have to travel down to them, or pay them to deliver it to me!🙄


It's nice, but does it look like an Abarth?!🤔

 

[Accy cyclist]

Seriously, how about one of these?!🤔 They are all cheap and low mileage, especially for their ages. Convertible tops too, which is what I really prefer and they have metal, not fabric roofs which is even better! The 700cc engine has a top speed of 100mph and reaches 60mph in 10 seconds! It looks like there's no storage space in them though, as the boot is used to store the roof when folded back and there's no room at all behind the two front seats. Plus I reckon the fully extended leg room might not be long enough for my long legs. The video below shows a bloke who says he's 6 foot tall, like me, with his knees nearly touching the steering wheel, so that could also be a problem.🤔 They do look pretty quirky though, especially with those very nice looking bright red leather seats

and just the car itself is a head turner, either in admiration or in thinking 'wtf is that'??!! 😯 😉



View: https://youtu.be/EBfcSSCmSJU?si=m5F8Z2w7XwDIrmoZ


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511057659325?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android-app

 

[Accy cyclist]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408233196887?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android-app

 

[Accy cyclist]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511097761750?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android-app

 

[Accy cyclist]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507284897364?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android-app

 

[Drago]

Yoy may struggle with parts and spares to keep a Copen on the road.

 

[Jameshow]

Yoy may struggle with parts and spares to keep a Copen on the road.

Must be a specialist somewhere???

 

[Drago]

Must be a specialist somewhere???

Probably, but I cant see Accy having the knowledge to identify and buy parts off his own bat.

Also I dont expect Bombsite Motors were he gets his services and MOTs will by some amazing chance happen to have an account with them.

Its a specialist car, and requires commensurate levels of effort to source parts (even Hyundai dealers won't support them) or to dig out technical information regards repairs. Its not a drive, service annually and forget in between times proposition.

And if he defies all logic and goes for one he should choose the 1.3. Its not as much fun as the 660, but isnt smoking like Richard Harris on a bender at 50k miles lime the tiny turbo motor does.

 

[tyred]

I'm starting to think a nice Ford Zephyr could be a good choice for Accy. He could cut quite a dash cruising up and down Accrington high street with Buddy Holly blaring from the stereo.