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Why is it that I can't find many minis for sale with panoramic roofs in my local area?
Weren't many first generation minis made with them fitted?
There seems to be lots of minis available locally but very few have sunroofs. It seems I will have to travel 60 miles and more to find some.
Were they only fitted as an optional extra, meaning the people who bought a new mini in my area all those years ago were too tight to splash out on a sunroof?
Yeah it's hard to find one with a sun roof locally. It's worth the travel doe. Ion people that have traveled a long way for a car with the extras they wanted.
Theyre £600 extra, so you really have to want one to pay that for it.
Ive had 2 cars with sunroofs, one leaked, and the other rattled, now Ive got air con Im not bothered and Im not paying 600 for it.
Then the age old comment when you come to sell it, Wheeler Dealer says oh the extras dont add anything to the cars value, until they try to re sell that is.
Maybe some limited edition models might come with the roof as a standard feature, nice if you can get it with that I suppose.
On an older car (not just Mini's) they are also an expensive item to repair or replace if and when they go wrong.......at the first sign of trouble I always advise older Mk1 Mini owners to keep the panaramic roof shut unless they can afford the repair/replacement cost if it jams open or the motor fails, which can exceed the value of an older car. However if you are good at home mechanics and can locate a good secondhand roof cassette it can be also be a way of getting an otherwise good but cheap Mini written off by a high Main Dealer repair quote, using new parts and BMW hourly labour rates.
Thanks for the replies...you've got me thinking now !!
To be honest I'm not too bothered about most of the extras but I would like a sunroof.
Finally, are there many minis in that age range written off due to mechanical repair costs? The reason for asking is that I am quite good at car repairs both mechanical and bodywork as I have restored several classic minis as a hobby, so might it be easy to find a straight one with say, a blown engine or gearbox or sunroof that I could quite easily put right over a period of time and do it as a project?
Or do minis with issues like these usually go straight to breakers? Where might I start looking?
I am also a long time classic Mini enthusiast, so like you am used to repairing old Mini's that are beyond economic repair for others.
It can be a cheap way into owning a New MINI as the early R50 MINI's are dropping in value and some are being written off for quite minor body damage and mechanical failures which are uneconomic at garage/BMW labour rates with new parts.
Panoramic sunroof sounds like a possibility for you if you can use your knowledge to diy repair or locate a good replacement unit from a breaker. They are a cassette type unit and at least one has even been grafted into a classic Mini!
Also superficial front end damage to bonnet, bumper, bumper carrier, radiator and air con rad can easily write off an early MINI for insurance purposes although all bolt on and easily repairable diy if you know how.
Favourite mechanical problems for picking up a cheap early MINI include failed gearbox, clutch, steering rack and hydro-electric steering pump.......expensive in a garage due to number of hours labour but also not beyond a good diy home mechanic with basic tools.
One other thing, I have read various posts on here and some american websites about minis with failed CVT gearboxes which are about to be scrapped due to the high cost of repairs to this particular gearbox and lack of faith in secondhand units. They claim it is possible to convert the CVT to a six speed getrag but no one claimed a successful conversion. Lists of parts required are shown but nothing else. Unfortunately my searches ran cold after that.
Has this conversion been done successfully since those articles first appeared?
Is it a financially viable option?
We bought our Cooper new waaay back in 2003 and it was the panoramic sunroof option that convinced my wife to go for a Mini.
She only does about 5 miles each way for work so quite often turns the aircon off and slides the roof back rather than have the fan going ballistic all the way home.
It's also very nice inside with all that light above you but unruffled hair.
My CooperS has the panaramic roof, but it rattles like a b#stard when it's in the tilt position and I gather from other users that this is very common and also un-curable. When it's closed or open it's fine, but given the weather in the UK, it's not open all that often but I would use the tilt position on most journeys if it wasn't for the rattling. Grrrr.
Back in 2004 when I bought my MINI, there was a lot of discussion on the boards about whether to get the sunroof. The weight of the sunroof was a consideration as it affects the handling.
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Pan roofs are very, very desirable, but one of the more expensive options that's why there arn't many available generally and in my experience, normally, but not always, they're fitted to the high end Mini i.e Cooper 's'.
I'm sure there are vehicles in your immediate area with them they're just not up for sale. So, if you're serious about buying one with a pr I'm affraid you will have to increase your viewing area, or wait for one to come up locally?
Have a look on Piston Heads classified - I've got a 2006 Astro metallic black Cooper S 47,000 miles, one previous owner, for sale with a Pan Roof, Factory Sat Nav, Full leather, Heated front seats, Rear Privacy glass, Center arm rest, 17" Bullet alloys, Visability pack (heated front screen - washer jets - door mirrors), Xenon, automatic, headlights with power wash, auto dim interior mirror, aircon, power steering, cruise control, pretty much everything in fact - £6,995.
We must be lucky here in the US as our Mini came with full panoramic sunroof, and after 6 years works flawlessly and of course here in the States we are spoiled as i don't think you can get a new car since 2000 without aircon (AC) so we have the best of both worlds. I don't think handling will be that much different due to the weight of the glass and motor.
Back in the EU at least you got motor options we don't have here, with any car.
Love driving the car with roof fully open and windows down, it is almost like driving the MG with top down. It's like having a cabriolet(convertible) but not having to pay the premium for one.
What year are you after? Apologies if you've already said. I have a 53 plate silver cooper chilli pack with black roof and Panoramic sunroof which I am planning to sell. It could be that I'm convinced to sell sooner to the right person. It's 33k mileage 1.6 manual. Great mileage for a 2003 car. I bought in 2010 with 29k miles. As you can tell, I hardly drive it! Based in East London.
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gnorw si wonk uoy gnihtyreve
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