Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: unlucky mark mv6 on 06 November 2010, 21:23:18
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Missus is thinking of having a new mini,well not brand new,but summat such as an 03 plate.Whats peoples thoughts on these motors,not really heard much about em,should she steer well clear or what. :-/
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Not keen myself...but thats based purely on the looks, never driven one, much less owned one.
From what I've heard, try and think of them as a small bmw...so overpriced, not much kit for the money, plenty of trim not quite what you'd expect for the money, great drive, high residuals, expensive parts, prestige badge.
8-)
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Not keen myself...but thats based purely on the looks, never driven one, much less owned one.
From what I've heard, try and think of them as a small bmw...so overpriced, not much kit for the money, plenty of trim not quite what you'd expect for the money, great drive, high residuals, expensive parts, prestige badge.
8-)
Plus not a Mini!! ::) ::) ::) ;)
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Plus not a Mini!! ::) ::) ::) ;)
Excellently put! :y :y A Mini wannabe :)
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a BMW 0.5
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Ahh, true!!!
A friend of mine once spoke the the designer at the launch, and he put to him the question of what does this new mini bring to automotive world, in the same way the original brought fwd, door pockets, separate subframes, hydrolastic/rubber cone suspension, transverse engine, external welds to save space all on one 10ft package.
His answer was a typically political one about how difficult the one-piece bonnet was to make. :o :(
It's a fashion icon, as far as I'm concerned, totally irrelevant to the original mini ethos.
But Im not saying dont get one as a car, just not for me, thats all!
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It's a fashion icon, as far as I'm concerned, totally irrelevant to the original mini ethos.
But Im not saying dont get one as a car, just not for me, thats all!
Just as the new Fiat 500 is and by the amount you see on the road I doubt that Fiat could ever make enough of them ........ even I like them (never driven one though)
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my son's girlfriend has a 2006 Cooper S Convertible which does look good but has had its breakdowns.
I spent ages on the Mini forum some weeks back on mysterious water loss/ overheating etc. They have issues like all cars but it is having a tame person on hand who can fix these things without BMW dealer prices.
I am sure she will enjoy the car but if you have no back up on the repair side then could be expensive as there are niggles. Seem to think we had brake issues some time ago as well - not good for a 3 to 4 year old car.
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take a look at the Mini2 forum and search on colant loss and you willl see quite a lot of threads. Getting air out of the system has a precise procedure
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It's a fashion icon, as far as I'm concerned, totally irrelevant to the original mini ethos.
But Im not saying dont get one as a car, just not for me, thats all!
Just as the new Fiat 500 is and by the amount you see on the road I doubt that Fiat could ever make enough of them ........ even I like them (never driven one though)
Fashion icon :-? or more to do with Free Road Tax ?
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.....or more to do with Free Road Tax ?
Free? Or cheap? :-/
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Colleague of mine at work has a 2004 cooper. He says it is a car that needs to be driven, it is not a car to relax in, it needs 100% concentration to drive. And he says it frightens him to death when he sees old people driving them because of this.
Oh and finally the new mini had more recalls for dangerous problems like suspension in its frst 2 years of production then the Vectra B had in its entire production run.
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BMW Mini is dreadfully unreliable (uses the std BMW techniques of hiding faults), and seats are awful. 20mins in one is more than enough for me. My brother (Mr I will only look at BMW) has one. Bloody horrid.
On the upside, they do handle pretty well, possibly almost on a par with my little Rover (best handling FWD car I've ever driven by a country mile - when on P6000 tyres).
But the reliability alone would stop me getting one - I know 2 people who have had brand new replacement cars after a year due to so many faults, but only on the condition that they waiver further rights, and do not take part in surveys or talk to anyone about it :-X. The replacements have proven unreliable as well. But then I know a handful of other idiots people, who love them, and care little about the raping they get from dealer when serviced - these are the people who say its a BMW. Its not, its a MINI. And its not a Mini.
Lastly, remember, these are built by the same British Leyland people that built poorly made shite such as the Ital, Maestro and Montego
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.....or more to do with Free Road Tax ?
Free? Or cheap? :-/
Free :y
http://www.roadtaxprices.co.uk/Road_Tax_Band_A_Cars.htm
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And what do the engines actually produce in Co2 g/km, I wonder? Is that actually being driven normally? Remember when Top Gear drove round the track at a leisurly 40ish mph in a BMW and Prius....and the BMW did MORE mpg?? I suspect that just like the Omega 2.2 on paper being more economical than the V6, but in reality it's no better, many of these greenies don't in reality chuck out less smoke....
Methinks the world of eco-friendliness is a little awry. I would want FREE road tax is my vehicle is over 10 years old, ad the extra carbons in making me a replacement new car would far exceed the carbons that have been emitted over the last decade.
There was once a Grand Designs episode for an Eco-House...for cost reasons they used conrete, hundreds of tons of it. I worked out that the carbons/damage to the planet in making that tonnage of concrete was equivalent to a Merc S-Class with the thirstiest, least-green AMG engine being left running for.............
....wait for it.......
....you'll never guess........
.....you'll think Im making it up.......
......800 years!!
The very tenuous link from my babbling to the BMW Mini is simple. It has Zero tax from its 'green' credentials. The irony is that this club is FULL of far, far greener machines. By the frankly sheer saving in pollution by being kept on the road, recycling parts from scrapped cars, and NOT being replaced every two minutes.
I'm just emailing the Transport Minister to claim our Car Tax rebate :y
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....Remember when Top Gear drove round the track at a leisurly 40ish mph in a BMW and Prius....and the BMW did MORE mpg?? ......
Actually ........ ;) The Pious was driven flat out and the M3 just had to keep up for 10 laps.
Result
Pious - 17.2 mpg
M3 - 19.4 mpg :y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
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....Remember when Top Gear drove round the track at a leisurly 40ish mph in a BMW and Prius....and the BMW did MORE mpg?? ......
Actually ........ ;) The Pious was driven flat out and the M3 just had to keep up for 10 laps.
Result
Pious - 17.2 mpg
M3 - 19.4 mpg :y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
Yes, that was a bit evil of them. ;D
My milk-float (to accomodate TB) did 54/ish mpg between the last fill-ups.
I simply kept to the posted limits - where safe.
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Ah was it? Yes, a bit naughty of them!
Though my original point still remains, a prius and an m3 going at the same speed, driven in the same way, and the beemers more economical.
But then again I hate Priuses even more than BMWs! ;D
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Funny my wife was looking into getting one of these but sounds like they are more unreliable than her polo and as for the new model (just released) it really has nothing to do with the mini it sits up like a golf only to me it looks all out of proportion.
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I know plenty of folks who really like them, but they don't seem to be the most reliable thing around - and the dealer experience isn't great going by my colleague here (went back to them twice within a fortnight after the failed to do any real diagnostic the first time "It'll be fine sir" followed by "Needs a new fuel pump sir, £350 please")
They can certainly be made to handle pretty well, though, based on how much confidence the Cooper S had around Anglesey in the wet - he kept his foot in much longer around the back straight than I dared to! (And of course he could get on the power quicker and scrabble out of the corners with his FWD while I was still going wheeeeeeoversteer ;D)
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mini's up to around 2004 also suffer with gearbox issues(they use a revamped rover 25 box) later cars have a different box.I have fitted two replacements in the last 12 months both on sub 80k cars
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They can certainly be made to handle pretty well, though, based on how much confidence the Cooper S had around Anglesey in the wet - he kept his foot in much longer around the back straight than I dared to! (And of course he could get on the power quicker and scrabble out of the corners with his FWD while I was still going wheeeeeeoversteer ;D)
Where's the fun in that? ;D
Kevin
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They can certainly be made to handle pretty well, though, based on how much confidence the Cooper S had around Anglesey in the wet - he kept his foot in much longer around the back straight than I dared to! (And of course he could get on the power quicker and scrabble out of the corners with his FWD while I was still going wheeeeeeoversteer ;D)
Where's the fun in that? ;D
Oh I agree entirely :y
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Admittedly, we are fortunate enough to change our other car annually so we don't clock up mega miles but my wife has had six brand new mini coopers in the last six years and they have all been great cars. We only change them so often as my wife is on a car scheme where she has to change it yearly.
I agree that they are seriously overpriced and you would have to really really like them to part with the money they command. We have not had any issues with any of them. As I say, we do minimal mileage so I can only go on personal experience and cannot comment on higher mileage mini's.
We've had four 1.6 petrol models and two 1.6 diesel models and we think the diesel is the better car by far.
It is a cracking 'little' car to drive and brings out the worst in people with its go-kart handling and long journeys have not caused us any comfort issues. I will admit that rear legroom is non-existant but you don't buy a mini for a family of four do you.
As said, ours were all brand new so you could argue that I'm not in a position to comment on older mini's and the later one's are definately better.
You can probably get a lot more car for your money in another brand but thats personal choice. You either love them or hate them.
We have a new 330d bmw M coupe now as well as the Omega but we still like the mini. :y
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Oh you lot have really gee'd up my gander with some of your posts about these cars! >:( ;D
Actually, it's all very minor nit-picking so feel free to ignore me. First, that the MINI ever got to be launched was a bit of a wonder. BMW created a real dog's dinner of a project, from their handling of individuals in both the UK and in Germany, their decision making and their at times quite unfathomable behaviour. Not the first time they have been less than professional mind you, the company has previous in treating badly companies and people it decides to no longer do business with. But anyway, basically the MINI was a Rover product, created to a set of guidelines and an engine imposed on it by the parent. And say what you like about quality, brummies making cars and all that, but it was a superb bit of work hampered by only two problems really - weight (the Mini is a bit porky) and rubbish engines.
Most of the reliability issues have usually been down to component suppliers trying to cut their own costs down on materials. A silly example here was the fuel filler cap early in their production run, which the maker was supplying with a thinner seal that saved them tuppence per unit and caused leaks. Stupid, stupid stupid.
The transmission issues afflicting Minis is a bit of an odd one. The 'box is basically the Rover PG1 unit (itself based on a licenced Peugot box) with some modified internals and I think linkage too. But it has had a bit of a chequered history, possibily as a result of the changes made as the units fitted to the Rover models were way more reliable. Oh, they were built by Midlands Transmissions too. A BMW company. Ahem.
As far as what these cars are like to drive, from personal experience going back to before they were launched I still think the early models are better to drive than most current superminis on sale. They have a lovely intimacy that the likes of VW seem determined to engineer out of their cars. In fact, the last time I drove a small hatch and got out of grinning before the Mini was a 1.6 Pug 205GTI. You'd struggle to give it better praise than that.
I find the driving position is not the most comfortable though (which means the other half doesn't get mugged for the keys to her's too often), the boot is abysmal, the rear seat just weird and it is a quite demanding car to drive in that it talks to you a lot with positive controls and firm pedal weighting. But it's an entertaining sort of attention-seeking, rather like an eager puppy bouncing along than a fully-grown pitbull hauling you all over the place. For that reason I completely disagree about the Cooper being anything like as dangerous as inferred earlier as the non-S models just don't have the power to overcome the weight they drag round and be more than a bit mischievous. And the S version ain't that much different either in reality.
Talking of power and speed, if you have truly forsaken both then get an early diesel. They scarcely worry milkfloats, although the driveline is quite good - a bit of a surprise if you knew about the utter shambles BMW made of the development process for that model.
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they perform really good in traffic (s models and higher).. :-X
if you dont care about maintenance costs , get one..
and you or missus soon will end up with fines ;D
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Think she will give it a miss then i think,as it seems that the cons outweigh the pro's :-/
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I worked at MINI Oxford(thats what BMW call it) The car is VERY overrated Quality is not exactly up there with HONDA I Know this because I spent many years supplying parts to HONDA.
Personally would steer clear of the MINI However Original Mini is a style icon
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Nice to see people referring to the technically correct designation of 'MINI', rather than 'Mini' something I omitted in my original post.
Interestingly we've all forgotten that the original Mini wasn't actually that good in many respects, such as quality, reliability etc.. Of course it was cheeeap, and totally unpretentious.
It never pretended to be perfect, but sold in huge numbers in spite of that....a bit like Staus Quo, then. :D :D :D :D
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Nice to see people referring to the technically correct designation of 'MINI', rather than 'Mini' something I omitted in my original post.
Call me stubborn but I find being told how to spell the name of the Mini by an overrated American stylist and a bunch of Bavarians sticks in the throat somewhat. And if it annoys them that some people don't kowtow to their marketing speak then all the better! :) I'd be surprised if it did though.
Reliability of the models is pretty decent, but if that's a crucial issue then as mentioned, the Honda Civic is a very nice option. Thing is, are we these days maybe a bit spoilt by the comparitive dependability of mdoern cars compared to old versions? Certainly when I was a kid and had a mini it was almost a rite of passage to have stripped the thing down at some point, experience the joys of a damp distributor, continually adjusting drum brakes and playing find the oil leak. Oh, and breaking fingers. I was very good at that. :o
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BMW created a real dog's dinner of a project, from their handling of individuals in both the UK and in Germany, their decision making and their at times quite unfathomable behaviour....
Yep, doesn't surprise me. What you are talking about is Bavarian "management". Something that I've had to work with too. ::)
Everyone sits around in a meeting pretending everything is rosy and desperately trying not to be the person who mentions the iceberg towards which everybody can see they are sailing full ahead, because if they do, it becomes their problem and their fault. They will be blamed for it and blamed for not being able to change course to avoid it purely for being the person who had the guts to mention what everyone else was thinking. Better, then, to just let everyone deal with the crisis when you start shipping water. ::)
Meanwhile the boss is coming up with all sorts of mad ideas based on his 20-years-out-of-date experience from when he was at the coal face. Nobody will challenge this, or even address him by his first name. Oh, how they gasp when a UK contractor does both in a single sentence and gets away with it. ;D
So yes, it's not surprising that folk end up getting stabbed in the back. Not normally out of malice or poor performance, but purely because nobody pulled their head out of their @rse and changed course before it was too late. ;)
Kevin
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Everyone sits around in a meeting pretending everything is rosy and desperately trying not to be the person who mentions the iceberg towards which everybody can see they are sailing full ahead, because if they do, it becomes their problem and their fault. They will be blamed for it and blamed for not being able to change course to avoid it purely for being the person who had the guts to mention what everyone else was thinking. Better, then, to just let everyone deal with the crisis when you start shipping water. ::)
Meanwhile the boss is coming up with all sorts of mad ideas based on his 20-years-out-of-date experience from when he was at the coal face. Nobody will challenge this, or even address him by his first name.
but purely because nobody pulled their head out of their @rse and changed course before it was too late. ;)
Kevin
;D ;D ;D Splendid - some in that country seem to remain blissfully unaware of the harsh lessons taught by early 20th Century history. ;D :y
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Nice to see people referring to the technically correct designation of 'MINI', rather than 'Mini' something I omitted in my original post.
Call me stubborn but I find being told how to spell the name of the Mini by an overrated American stylist and a bunch of Bavarians sticks in the throat somewhat. And if it annoys them that some people don't kowtow to their marketing speak then all the better! :) I'd be surprised if it did though.
Reliability of the models is pretty decent, but if that's a crucial issue then as mentioned, the Honda Civic is a very nice option. Thing is, are we these days maybe a bit spoilt by the comparitive dependability of mdoern cars compared to old versions? Certainly when I was a kid and had a mini it was almost a rite of passage to have stripped the thing down at some point, experience the joys of a damp distributor, continually adjusting drum brakes and playing find the oil leak. Oh, and breaking fingers. I was very good at that. :o
I think the point was that it is a disgrace for the current heap of Oxfordian kak to be called a Mini, so the new name of MINI was given, so as not to confuse with its iconic 'predessor'
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I think the point was that it is a disgrace for the current heap of Oxfordian kak to be called a Mini, so the new name of MINI was given, so as not to confuse with its iconic 'predessor'
I went on a factory tour a couple of years ago. It was full of mincers with their invoices out wanting to know if "their" car had been through the factory yet, and could they see it, etc. ::) Fashion victims. Anyone would think they were made by crApple. ;D
;)
Kevin
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lol when they were first built i spent 2 years based in oxford delivering the things on transporters, you would not believe how many of them came off the production line and were driven
straight to the scrap pile for "recycling"
totally agree with the comments about the management, the amount of times we as transporter drivers nearly punched the bavarian newcomers wasnt true!! eventually it got to much to bear and unfortunately for the german idiot he put his face in the way of a rather large fist :-[ and was asked/told politely that i was persona non grata on site!!
one year later the company was told it no longer could operate its transporters from oxford, even though the company had been at oxford for 17years albeit under 3 different names,had our ownw compound there as well as the railhead,
they just wouldnt honour the agreement we had!