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I've got one with the intention of keeping it hoping it will go up in value, although there seems to be a lot of people doing it too..

Modern classic maybe and probably is. But only because all minis are now classic..

People say they are complicated and wont can't people restored like the old one well people manage it with SPIs and MPIs they are no more complicated

One thing is they don't seem to suffer from rust lol

I bought my 2002 R50 MINI below back in 2006 off the first owner when it still had 1 year of its 5 year TLC free servicing to run (TLC transfers to new owners). It seemed quite strange dropping off a secondhand car at a BMW Main Dealer and picking it up later serviced and with no bills to pay!
Since I have owned it has had new discs all round, a battery and some electrical gremlins which were caused by water getting into the Body Control Module. All jobs I sorted myself using the UK & USA MINI Forums. The Mk1's are not as complex as some think compared to latest cars, mine does not even have air-con. Suprisingly it is still on its original steering pump (I love the characteristic whine on early MINI's) and as it is an early R50 it still has the Rover gearbox which has a reputation for failure like the steering pump (both Rover items!). I love the slick change on the early Rover gearbox which is much nicer than the later 5-speed Getrag (The 2002 on R53 Cooper S always had the 6-speed Getrag which is bulletproof) but I do change the gearbox oil every 2 years to prolong its life. (BMW marketed it as sealed for life - no oil change necessary - but once out of warranty you were on your own!). No visible rust yet and it is still on its original exhaust system.
Gear selection recently became difficult which turned out to be a cracked clutch arm and the gearbox had to come out to replace it, while we were at it we of course replaced the clutch assy......obviously a job like that would often cause a modern owner to scrap the car as financially not worth the bother, so I guess if I did not currently own it, this MINI would now be joining many others in a scrap yard or being sold for spares on ebay. As others have said these cars are such fun to drive with great handling and feedback, get one while you still can in good nick......and if you really do dislike BMW MINIs remember the early 2001-2006 R50/53 Mk1 are more Rover than BMW with a unique MINI only platform/underpinnings.......even the 'R' code is the original R=Rover Project number........all current MINI's now use BMW 'F' Code numbers and share there platform with small BMW's to reduce production costs, a trend first started by VAG (VW-Audi-Skoda-Seat, etc).

Certainly agree with the latter

I'd have thought SPI's and MPI's are somewhat less complicated (SPI's certainly) than the BMW MINI

For what its worth, a workmate is converting his 95 SPI to twin carbs and ordinary ignition to alleviate any later difficulties in obtaining parts and for overall reliability. Some parts for SPI's I believe are unobtainable or very expensive.

I hope I'm wrong in my thoughts and that some modern classics do survive, but the way things are going with cars they really are becoming a throw away commodity and are only going to get worse. It's OK if you can afford a new car but buy one 10 or so years old, your in the lap of the gods and the parts and/or labour costs can be horrendous.

Here's a list of items that failed on my 2002 MINI R50 in 11 years of ownership. The car was purchased with 19,000 miles on the clock and sold with 71,000 miles on the clock.
Lets start with the mechanicals.
45,000 miles complete loss of drive due to gearbox failure.
62,000 miles spark plug blew out of head requiring helicoil
68.000 radiator started leaking.
The steering pump was always noisy and there was a notchyness in the column, never repaired.
Interior used to fill with water during heavy rain as the sunroof drainage could not cope.
Drivers door lock stopped working from remote, but would work by inserting key.
Electrical faults
Door microswitches would regularly fail. These would cause various things to happen like setting the alarm off, opening the windows, unlocking the car. All a pain especially when the car is parked in the street and it happens at 2am.
Headlamp motors would seize so the headlamp aim was to low, sometimes a quick opening and shutting of the bonnet would cure this, just a bit annoying on a cold night when you start a journey.
Runflat control module broke and new part is over £230 if you can find one. The car was part-ex'd before the MoT was due as this is a fail.
Key switches broke, the first time you could only go to BMW to get these fixed, fortunately the second time it happened the local locksmiths can now do it. But it still broke twice.
Sunroof operation became intermittent, probably due to dampness in the car from poor drainage effecting the switch.

There other minor issues that I have forgotten but due to the car being one of the moderns that have required the most repairs I will not bother having another.


PS A BMW MINI is far far more complex than an SPi or MPi Mini. Those just have a couple of generic sensors on the engine to get the MEMS to work.

A friend of mine recently bought a low mileage Nissan Qashqai just out of warranty in a private sale.......2 weeks later the CVT Auto gearbox failed and Nissan wanted £6000 for a new gearbox and £800 labour. After much internet forum research (it seems its a common problem in UK & USA) he managed to convince Nissan UK to consider the low mileage (only 28k) and got away with only paying the labour charge and he then sold it shortly after!

I have a 2002 R53 that I have had from new it's now on 189,000 miles . It's now worth next to nothing but I enjoy driving it and I think is buy far the best looking of the BMW mini,s . They just seam to get fatter and uglier as time goes on .

Work mini has had over years is

Roof painting before delivery ( wrong colour )
New clutch and gearbox in first few months ( input shaft rattle )
Another clutch at 100,000 ,
2 windscreens
Dumped runflats at 20,000 , greatly improved ride , loads of sets of Toyo,s and Yokohama,s since
2 power steering pumps , first burnt out
Lost count of how many sets of brake it's had .
New supercharger at about 150,000
Head gasket last year and new water pump
Another water pump , genuine one this time , pattern one lasted 4 months
Rust holes round rear lights welded up and painted
Dash still rattles , but a lot better than it was
Passinger window not worked for about 10 years
New rear wiper motor and arm assembly last year

Use,s loads of petrol if you drive it properly .

I have never had one, driven one or looked under the bonnet. I joke that next year you will be able haul 4 x 8 plywood sheets in the new Clubman. If I find someone giving away their dead auto box early new mini I may pick it up and find out why people are not stuffing Honda and Ford FWD units under the bonnet. Steve (CTR)

ZCARS - BMW R50 MINI Converted to Honda Turbo making 450bhp.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyvfx8BTZGE

New R50 MINI race series for 2018......A standard Mini R50 door vehicle must be used. LHD or RHD is permitted.

"The Mini 101 Endurance series is designed for those just starting out in the Motorsport world. Welcoming first time racers and education teams in particular!
Taking place at a variety of tracks around the country, the Mini 101 brings Mini Hatch endurance to the masses and provides an excellent portal into the world of competitive motor racing. To find out what you need to get started, head to the Starting Guide."
http://mini101.co.uk/

The 2018 Season Calendar:-
http://mini101.co.uk/index.php/2018/01/ ... -calendar/

Very good point on the R53 fuel consumption it's crazy!

I have to admit I think twice about using it and take the van because it's so bad..

Should we do a MK1 Bini action day at blyton lol