The first Mini Cooper I ever had was one from Scalextric. It was very small. The modern Mini is, how good it apparently is and sells, a mockery of the name. When I see such a modern Mini, I always think of an acquaintance who called his Sint Bernhard 'Truusje'. It's possible. But it pinches.
Entire libraries have been written about the Real Minis
Rob Goldings 'Mini after 25 years' (Osprey, 1984) is a topper from that segment. I bought it after hard negotiation for 5 instead of 6 euro at a fair and the previous owner was GHM Beekman. GHM Beekman or his family can rest assured. The book ended up well.
Minis are meanwhile heathen classics and their prices are no longer Mini.
Of course, an asking price - note: in the classic trade, prices are asking prices! - from € 43.950 less than an asking price of € 45.000. But it remains serious money. On the other hand: yesterday I rode a classic motorcycle where the price - probably no asking price - turned out to be € 50.000.
You can drive a neat Mini for much, much less
But really perfect Cooper 'S' copies? They are so scarce that big money is paid for them. Even so much that you seriously wonder whether such a fierce box after purchase can sometimes be nicely hunted through the autumnal Ardennes. We heartily grant such a car. It was made for it. Even more than his boulemic successors. We received a list from a Mini Enthusiast over the generations. The new Coopers have their own weaknesses: the support of the radiator is sub optimal, the cooling water hose is fragile, movement of the distribution chain can cause noise and vibrations, the electric pump of the power steering was the reason for a serious 'recall'.
When replacing it is advisable to also replace the fan and the belt shop. The VVT, the variable valve timing, is very sensitive at its oil level. The water pump and the thermostat housing tend to leak. Replacing a worn clutch is an expensive business and such a recent Mini Cooper is also not guaranteed to be free of transmission problems. There is little to repair yourself on such a new Mini. And with workshop rates of almost € 100 ex VAT, work on a new Mini Cooper can be very expensive.
The world there is much more attractive for a classic Mini Driver
With such a car everything is easily accessible, the parts are priced humanly and with many specialists and just good universal garages the hourly rate is around € 60-70. In addition, an old Mini is a real driver's car that makes its driver very happy and is always good for raised thumbs. The happy owner of a new Mini Cooper is only on the move.
We came across that Mini Contemplation during a visit to Gallery Aaldering where the Jaguar Daimler Club Holland celebrated the birthday party of Sir William Lyons with an international gathering of pre-war SS jaguars. The Brummense 1275 Cooper 'S' is one of the few Cooper 'S' models, originally delivered in the Netherlands in 1968. The entire history is described and therefore demonstrable. And that has its price. We found the Scalextric Cooper 'S' in Paris, near Lulu Berlu. It is a good driving occasion. For less than thirty euros.
