MINI cars for sale

Overview

MINI sells the go-kart feeling — short overhangs, wheels at the corners, quick steering and a firm ride, in a car that trades on its own history harder than almost any other brand. The Cooper and Cooper S hatches are the core; the Countryman is the practical one.

History

Alec Issigonis designed the original Mini for BMC in response to the Suez crisis and the demand for economical cars it created. Launched in 1959, its transverse engine and front-wheel-drive layout freed 80 per cent of the floorpan for passengers and luggage — a packaging solution so effective that essentially every small car since has copied it. In 1999 it was voted the second most influential car of the twentieth century, behind only the Ford Model T.

The Mini Cooper S won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967, with a fourth win in 1966 controversially disqualified over headlamp specifications. About 5.3 million were built before production ended in October 2000. BMW, which had acquired the Rover Group in 1994, relaunched the brand as MINI in 2001 with a car designed by Frank Stephenson.

Buying a used MINI

Check the service history closely, particularly on turbocharged Cooper S models, and listen for timing chain noise on cold start on the earlier generations. The cars are engaging and hold value reasonably, but they are BMW-priced to service.

Classic Minis are a different market entirely and are bought and sold on rust: check the subframes, floors, sills and A-panels before anything else.