23 Aug 01
Prices: £700-£8500
Engines: 1275cc, 63bhp, four cylinders
Check for: Rust in floor and rear subframe, accident damage, overheating, clutch and gearbox problems, worn driveshafts and cv joints, blown head gaskets
Well, it's not a hatchback, but no list of small sporting cars would be complete without a mention of the classic Mini Cooper. You either love Minis or hate them - everyone knows some 6ft-plus person who quite happily squeezes behind the wheel, but equally, many find the driving position uncomfortable and well-nigh impossible to get on with. The original classic Mini Cooper was dropped back in 1971 (although later authorised John Cooper conversions of the standard car do exist) but Rover brought the Cooper badge back 20 years down the line when it twigged that it could cash in on its rich heritage.
Minis of this era are relatively simple to work on and cheap to run, even if they are now seen more as fashion accessories than a serious transport solution. Coming into the '90s (sort of) with a catalytic converter, single-point fuel injection and - would you believe it? - electronic engine management, the Mini Cooper 1.3i of 1991 pumped out 63 bhp. It then remained unchanged until all the range was revised in 1996, when it really came into the modern age with - gasp! - multi-point fuel injection, side-impact protection beams to meet minimum European crash-safety standards, a driver's airbag, an alarm, an immobiliser, a brave attempt at better sound insulation and revised front seats. At the very end, the radiator was moved from the side to the front, improving refinement still further.
The end of production of this much-loved British legend is well-documented and lamented, but suffice it to say that the final days of the Mini, now called Mini Classic, were seen out with a series of thoroughly over-priced and cynically marketed special editions, which were mainly snapped up by the retro-crazy, Anglophile Japanese market. Many Mini fans found the four-headlamped Paul Smith edition (?10,225), anniversary 40 LE (?10,500) and John Cooper (?10,995) somewhat distasteful and far away from the spirit of the original, and the final run, including the Mini Cooper Sport - 22 times the cost of the first Mini, at £9995 - verged on the exploitative (or desperate). But don't let this put you off buying a second-hand Cooper - this car is iconic for a reason, and that's its fun factor, still unsurpassed for many people after all these years.
Links:
Checking out a Mini
Road Test: Rover Mini
Mini History
Mini - the first and the last
Guide to checking out a used car
Mug's guide to tuning: More bhp for your bucks
