Mini 1275 or Super Compact?

Cars

We at Influx towers are in the middle of a practical car debate. Sometimes you need a little runabout. And we at Influx towers are in need of a runabout in the shape of a Mini 1275 GT. There are a couple out there that we have our eyes on and our man, local Mini Guru Malcolm, is placed, socket-set in hand, to bring our new family baby up to full runabout prep. We reckon that for around a grand, we’ll get a nice one. Nippy school run transport, loaded with fun and oodles of style.

We love the 1275 GT for its evolutionary square end and that sense of being design step away from cliché and a move toward that 1970s style futurism we love so well. Not that we feel nostalgic for the horrid days of Leyland: there’s just something about the boy racer-ish feel and the graphic detailing on the side of the 1275 GT that will lend the school run a perfect sort of piquancy.

On the other side of the debate are the voices saying that we should invest in a little entry level Toyota IQ, a Smart or a Saxo-type thingy. Stick that grand down they say, pay a paltry amount a month and have full service warranty stuff and a balloon payment at the end of the process.

We want the car to be economical, stylish and safe for the wee ones. And we don’t want to feel as if we’re plugging wholeheartedly into a consumerist nightmare of crappy build quality and zero kudos, all for the sake of a few airbags.

What would you do?

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3 Responses to “Mini 1275 or Super Compact?”

  1. Amazing! my sister used to have a black one, one of the most fun cars I've ever driven, not to everyone's taste but I always liked the clubman front end. Not sure of it's crashworthyness compared to modern cars but it's got a lot of charm

  2. Cliff leadsham

    “GO MINI” I have recently purchased a 1275 mini cooper its not the clubman but a mini all the same. It has no AIR CON,ELECTRIC WINDOWS,ABS,ELECTRIC SEATS/MIRRORS etc, but it has a style all on its own.You get waved at by other MINI drivers,people come up and talk about when they had one years ago, its back to basics driving and it puts the biggest smile on your face………..

  3. Dodger

    I have a 1998 Mini Cooper Sports Pack. The difference between this and more modern, boring cars is definetly the character BUT – we have just scrapped our 98 Zafira – not a spot of rust +no problems in ten years of ownership (and this includes the original battery). The Mini is a complete rust bucket – to the point where I now have to take it off the road for a rebuild + I am constantly making repairs. Old (designs) cars are great but ownership requires dedication.