Faults:

General minor Mini oil leaks.

Driver's seat fabric has given up the ghost (25 years old!).

General Comments:

I bought this car from a friend and it's my second Mini.

I've fitted a Stage1 tuning kit and the difference is fantastic. The engine is so much more lively.

I replaced the front drum brakes with discs ready for my next performance upgrade - a 1275cc engine.

These cars are very addictive and horrendously good fun. I can't recommend the Mini enough.

Thank you Sir Alec!!

Faults:

Everything basically wore out!! Needed a new engine, it uses more oil than OPEC.

Brakes and steering always needed work at MOT time.

Suspension so hard I kept a bag of suppositories handy, this car will give you haemmorhoids at any age!

General Comments:

How British Leyland got away with making this for 40 years is beyond me. I needed a car VERY quickly after writing off my previous set of wheels. It was a straight choice between the Mini and a Talbot Horizon. How could I make such a decision? It's like being asked to choose a date with either Jo Brand or Anne Widdicombe.

The car handles very well, like a go-kart, but I suspect part of this phenomenon is that you are not actually going very fast, it just feels like it.

Forget refinement, I felt as if I was sat inside the engine block on long motorway trips. After driving from Manchester to London I thought I had just been to a Led Zep gig! I couldn't hear a thing and ended up talking like Steven Hawking.

It's a rubbish car, but I will remember it fondly as a custard yellow bird magnet!!