2001 MINI ONE
Used car addict Keith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, a pre-production MINI that reminded him why flattening the battery is a bad idea…
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE?
I’d always been a fan of the newgeneration, post-2001 MINI and noticed in 2015 that prices had started to slip after years of strong resale values. In fact, they had dropped so much that even I could afford one. So I started looking for one when it became clear that there were still plenty of launch cars still around sporting their Y-OBL registration numbers. I picked up an early Cooper initially, but Martyn Knowles, editor of Car Mechanics magazine, called me just after I got it home to say that he had spotted an OBL car in an upcoming auction. Without further thought, I asked him to secure it for me, despite knowing the scantest of information about the car. I sat with him at the other end of the phone when the auction came up with him live-bidding on my behalf. I may not have been there in person but the auction experience was so exciting that emotionally I felt like I’d done ten rounds with Oprah Winfrey when the hammer fell and I’d won the car for £550 plus £150 delivery.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
This was an easy one to live with. It didn’t stay with me very long but certainly made quite an impression. Firstly, this was a car that I’d bought unseen and as such it was a case of getting what I paid for – so the tailgate and bonnet didn’t fit very well, the paintwork was rough and the plastic wheel arch trims were hanging off. I guess that comes down to at least a few of the 12 (!) former keepers not looking after it as well as they might have done. Popping the bonnet and servicing looked easy enough, so I gave it a wipe with an oily rag, popped in some new plugs, cleaned up the paintwork and proceeded to enjoy this really early production car. How early? Well, it bore chassis number 77 and had quite a few little foibles – such as non-standard seats – that you’d expect on a car built before its official launch date.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
What a fantastic little car it was! It drove like a dream and felt far nippier than its maximum power of 89bhp would have you believe. But as it was sharing my garage with a number of other cars (nothing changes) I didn’t drive it nearly enough. And as autumn turned to winter, I parked it up at the office and concentrated on other things. The problem was that the driver’s door lock was broken and I didn’t realise until it was too late. In the bitter cold, the battery packed up and I couldn’t open the door. Despite trying everything I could to get in, including calling the RAC, I admitted defeat and had it shipped to DanKan – a MINI specialist in Peterborough. How did they get in? They had to smash and replace the driver’s side window, replace the door lock and interior central locking button and put a new battery on it. Oops. A bill of £500 later, and I was over the car, selling it on to friend and former colleague, Neil Campbell. Since then, it’s been restored, and is now part of his collection – bravo Neil. I’m glad I saved this car from an uncertain fate, even if I never really got to benefit from it!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
MINIs have a number of known issues that you do need to take into account when viewing a car. Values are still low for all but the earliest cars, so it could well have been run on the cheap, so do check that it has a decent service history with a good garage or specialist and look for the usual signs of wear or poorlyrepaired accident damage. Check for the airbag warning light (usually the wiring) and the ABS/TCS, which can be costly to sort if it’s the pump or wiring to it. Other weak spots are the steering pump (it needs changing if it whines too loudly) and R65 ‘Midland’ gearbox on pre-2003 cars. It probably needs replacing if selection is difficult or it’s noisy.