Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
<<  1    2  >>
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: I have had enough
Kwik

posted on 14/7/11 at 07:30 PM Reply With Quote
I have had enough

I shouldn't really be posting this on here but instead on the mini forum, but i have found myself more and more interested in locosts...

yes the mini, owned since Christmas 09 as a restoration present and restored and finally insured 1st of January 2011... first month or 2 was great, not a problem, but since then there have been more and more problems, and not cheap little fixes.

things like suspension, brakes and engine troubles... exhaust has nearly fallen off and some things knocking underneath the car again just today and i have had enough.

what can i do? insurance doesnt run out until 1st of january still has MOT and TAX... insurance was only £640 (for an 18 year old in london)

now the next car i wanted was a locost for modifying over my uni time, and then driven in the summer when im home, it will be left on the drive but i will find a decent cover for it and thats not a problem.

i was going to sell the car over winter and buy in winter, but im half tempted to just do it now and move on, but what about insurance? would have wasted a lot of it...

grrrrr why can't it just work....

i was hopeing for around £1500 for the mini in the winter with MOT and TAX, it is completely solid everywehre with no rust, i was going to refit the carpets soon but it looks a little shabby inside... plus its a limited edition.

i then have a couple of grand in savings account and a job plus £200 tax return to go towards it. so overall im looking at around £3.5k for a car (CEC) not anything bigger than 1.8 for insurance.

i knid of feel its now or never as summer only has a month or so left in it, and if i dont sell the car over the summer it will have to be winter and the whole idea of selling early will be useless..

i will stop rambling now and let you speak

-end rant/ramble-

[Edited on 14/7/11 by Kwik]

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
jimmyjoebob

posted on 14/7/11 at 07:34 PM Reply With Quote
Pics please!





If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence you ever tried!

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 14/7/11 at 07:38 PM Reply With Quote




paint looks deceivingly good in that picture... dont get your hopes up...

i also have the decals on order for down the sides and boot.

and alloys need a bit of attention, but will be doing that if i decide to wait till winter...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Paul TigerB6

posted on 14/7/11 at 07:38 PM Reply With Quote
Well i'd suggest if you have restored it and things are falling off and rattling then really you should look upon it as an opportunity to learn.............. and figure out what jobs need doing and do them properly.

Not being funny but parts really shouldnt be falling off if you've just restored the car. How far did the restoration go??

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 14/7/11 at 07:47 PM Reply With Quote
it was mainly a bodywork restoration, it had more holes than a sieve underneath and about the size of an A4 piece of paper worth of metal missing in the boot, paint was also bad..

didnt really touch the engine as it just worked, and the exhaust was fitted new before i got it, then had the problem and took it to a garage and now it sounds like it is knocking again (but might not be the exhaust)

and i did have a trained mechanic helping me throughout, and he has restored a fair few cars...

i have learnt a lot from it but there seems to be a new problem every other week and i end up just spending all my money on it.... would rather own a car which doesnt decide to break every week and something i can enjoy more...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
AdrianH

posted on 14/7/11 at 09:41 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Kwik
would rather own a car which doesnt decide to break every week and something i can enjoy more...


Looking at some posts around the locost and other kit car forums you could be better with the mini. we normally take an aged engine, get as much extra we can out of it and then thrash it as much as we dare. A Kit car is never finished.

Adrian





Why do I have to make the tools to finish the job? More time then money.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
morcus

posted on 14/7/11 at 09:54 PM Reply With Quote
If you are going to sell I reckon you'd be best to do it in the summer, but as above things falling off all the time and making more work is part of the hobby.

Only you can decide what to do but it basically boils down to sell it, keep it on the road or keep it off the road.

I wouldn't worry about the insurance, If you sold up I'm guessing you'd buy another car so you'd just carry it over and if you didn't I think you get some of the money back for cancelling it (Though I could be wrong, I had to cancel my first insurance and had to pay a fee but my Direct debits stopped and the fee was no where near the rest of the policy).

I had a friend who wanted a mini and I went to see some with her and really aweful cars were up for strong money and were selling so I wouldn't be too worried, but I'd say stick with it.





In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
belgian2b

posted on 14/7/11 at 09:54 PM Reply With Quote
Hello,

Mini is a beautifull car but the mecanic is crap.

Sell it as son as you can and go for lowcost.

With you budget, you won't find a perfect car, but at least, mecanical problems on a lowcost are more easy to solv thenn on a mini.


Gerardo

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 14/7/11 at 10:07 PM Reply With Quote
what attracts me to a locost is things like:
suspension aren't hidden in the front subframe, like the mini...
there is very little to rust, unlike the mini
better driving experience (i have my reasons, that is a whole other can of worms i dare not open)
no A series engine

but it has no roof
i would guess slightly more insurance
not a winter or wet weather car
i don't have a garage

i kind of feel like i have to make a decision quickly, as summer is coming to an end. the problems i can fix and i will do it all properly like i always have done with the car...

i will think about it for a week or so whilst i fix the problems

thanks for the comments, always a help

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Bare

posted on 15/7/11 at 03:06 AM Reply With Quote
Having owned and raced.. Both.. an S3 Seven and a 1275 'S' .
Both are fun cars to drive and both are exceptionally easy to drive fast. Very unlikely any other cars are as forgiving and easy to learn to use.
MINI is a pretty damn Basic machine IF it confuses you welll..? then a Seven ain't gonna be that much simpler.. IF.. at all.
G'luck Boy.



[Edited on 15/7/11 by Bare]

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Grimsdale

posted on 15/7/11 at 07:25 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Kwik
i would guess slightly more insurance


Well here's some good news - i think the insurance will be less! Plus insurers aren't so bothered about engine size so a 2.0 is feasible.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
bartonp

posted on 15/7/11 at 08:54 AM Reply With Quote
If you can maintain something as simple as a Mini what makes you think you'll fare any better with anything else?
With any restoration, once successfully back on the road there is then the ongoing shakedown/routine maintenance - you get that with any vehicle.
Get to know the Min & put it right (not that hard). I'm speaking as one who restored a Wolseley Hornet (Mini with boot) as his first car & then ran it for 4 years.

Phil.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
David Jenkins

posted on 15/7/11 at 08:58 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Grimsdale
Well here's some good news - i think the insurance will be less! Plus insurers aren't so bothered about engine size so a 2.0 is feasible.


If you can even get insurance for an 18/19 year old, as the OP is at the moment.






View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 15/7/11 at 09:50 AM Reply With Quote
ok i think i should make things a little clearer as i was a bit tired and all over the place yesterday...

i can fix the mini, i can maintain it as i have done for the last 7 months or so...

the problem i have with it is problems keep happening, different problems that weren’t part of the original restoration.

i am pretty sure i could build a kit car given time money and a garage, but as i have none of that i was going to get one second hand.

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
bartonp

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:05 AM Reply With Quote
"problems keep happening" - sound like car ownership!
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Mr Whippy

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:08 AM Reply With Quote
sorry to burst your bubble but most kit cars are constant on going projects and will require plently of work to keep them on the road, probably just as much as your mini. But then again that's part of the fun, if you don't want that then buy a modern production car.





Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:28 AM Reply With Quote
another reason for me selling anyway was because i didnt want to keep spending money on a car that is horrible driving at anything above 50. i dont mind ongoing projects, but if i do have one i would rather a car like a locost which is at least more fun to drive and a car i plan on keeping for 4 maybe 5 or 6 years...
View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
David Jenkins

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:31 AM Reply With Quote
I really, really, REALLY suggest that you enquire about insurance before committing to anything - you might have a nasty surprise (like no insurer will talk to you until after your 25th birthday, or similar... or they will quote some obscene amount so you'll go away.)

There are some advantages to being in my 50s... like stupidly cheap insurance for my kit car!






View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
wilkingj

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:41 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Kwik

owned since Christmas 09 as a restoration present and restored and finally insured 1st of January 2011... first month or 2 was great, not a problem, but since then there have been more and more problems, and not cheap little fixes.

it had more holes than a sieve underneath and about the size of an A4 piece of paper worth of metal missing in the boot,





If its got Tits or Wheels its generally involves trouble... and usually expensive as well


Good luck with the insurance at 18 and in London.
Rather you than me driving a Se7en in London as a daily driver, you wont be seen easily. Mind you, driving an old mini with 75% real filler bodywork is probably not as safe as a Se7en with a full roll cage!

Owning a car is always expensive, and there is often work needing to be done. The older the car, the more the work to be done.
At 18, you have still got a lot to learn about cars, women, life, etc etc.

Stick around on this forum. You should be able to get access to more help and experience than you can shake a stick at..

Dont worry, you will get there (and learn a lot on the way).

Think long and hard before giving up on your mini. After all the work you have done, you may not be far from having a really good car.
Think it through before acting rashly.

Act in Haste, Repent at your Leisure. As my old Gran would say.


View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
wilkingj

posted on 15/7/11 at 10:45 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
I really, really, REALLY suggest that you enquire about insurance before committing to anything - you might have a nasty surprise (like no insurer will talk to you until after your 25th birthday, or similar... or they will quote some obscene amount so you'll go away.)

There are some advantages to being in my 50s... like stupidly cheap insurance for my kit car!



Cheap!!! I paid £158 this year for my V8 Viento... Damn expensive if you ask me.

My Tricked out Land Rover, was only £77 fully comp for me and the wife.
Now thats more like the Price I would expect to pay for you second vehicle!

I also paid £160 for the Daily driver 12 seater Land Rover (at 12 seats its a Minibus)

Yeah!... Being in the "Old Fart" age bracket does have its compensations



EDIT:
Seriously, I agree with David... Check Insurance quotes before getting a Se7en. You may be in for a shock!

Also consider a 1100 or 1300 engine, rather than a 2 litre one.
also avoid Bike engined cars... Lots of fun, but I expect that Insurance will kill it for you.

Do you homework before making ANY decisions.. As we say on LCB... measure 10 times, CUT ONCE!



[Edited on 15/7/2011 by wilkingj]





1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
britishtrident

posted on 15/7/11 at 11:34 AM Reply With Quote
On a real Mini If you are having exhaust problems and knocking noises from under the car then they are symptoms of an engine mount and engine steady problem. The main engine mounts between the sump and the subframe are a pig to change, they may look ok but are almost certainly knackered





[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
morcus

posted on 15/7/11 at 06:48 PM Reply With Quote
should it not be measure 100 times, cut once, mess it up and get really angry then do it again tomorrow, repeat until finished?

Thingsd going wrong is a big part of motoring even if you go out and buy a new car.

If you really don't like the driving experience of the mini then swap it, but make sure that your not just making yourself think that way because of the other stuff.





In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 15/7/11 at 08:35 PM Reply With Quote
engine mounts have been changed in my ownership and found today it wasn’t the exhaust, which is a relief in ways as i must have done something right...

good point about checking insurance, though it will only be for 6 months at a time during summer (away at uni most of the year)

driving experience in a mini isnt nice in london, speed bumps is the main thing. dont get me wrong, there are loads of advantages with parking and getting out of tight spaces etc. but i dont see that many advantages over say the corsa i drove before the mini...

the biggest gripe i have against the mini is those little speed bumps that were designed so fire engines and ambulances can speed over them, so they only take up the middle of the lane. most cars can straddle them no problem but in the mini i need to slow right down due to the combination of the trumpet suspension being rock solid and a narrow track. do locosts have the same problem?

in all honesty these thoughts had been floating in my head for a whilst but ignored the numbers and asked if i really wanted it, answer was yes for the locost then all the trouble started to happen recently...

talking of numbers though, i have 4 months insurance left, which is a third of a year, insurance was £640, third of which is £212ish MOT and TAX will come to around £170. so if i sell now i dont need to redo tax and MOT and if i get nothing back on insurance its only a loss of around £50...

ill see how it goes once its back and running again though, i have decided not to use it this week at all and instead work on it, see if i can recoup some enthusiasm...

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
chrisxr2

posted on 15/7/11 at 08:41 PM Reply With Quote
More pics and info

Selling the mini you say, hmmm fancy another mini whats the full spec as it stands??





Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Kwik

posted on 15/7/11 at 09:02 PM Reply With Quote
U2U'd everyone, didn’t realise i had them...
View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
<<  1    2  >>
New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.