How to get a Mini on your drive for £2000
Overall the Mini is a reliable, well built small car that shouldn't cause you any major problems. Indeed, it is not totally free from mechanical gremlins, but by now any recalls will have been addressed and dealers, as well as independent specialists, are familar with the issues that might afflict them.
For more peace of mind, the Mini Hatch ranked fifth out of 19 cars in the small car class in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, with an impressive overall rating of 97.9%.
Engine: Be wary of Cooper S Minis built between 2014 and 2015: a recall was issued to repair a defective crankshaft bearing and engines were either rebuilt or replaced. Check that the whole engine has been replaced because other parts may have been damaged by the faulty crankshaft.
High oil consumption is common on hotter models so check oil levels and make sure the car is serviced every year.
Exhaust: Ensure the Pro exhaust on the JCW cars is fitted properly. You'll know it isn't if the heat shield is rattling underneath the car.
Suspension: Listen out for a knocking noise from the front suspension as the control arm bushings like to make a racket when they're worn. A new bushing is around £30.
Body: Door seal rubber can rub away the paint on the inside so check for any damage. You can buy door-shut paint protection film to stop the issue from recurring.
Check for clouding in the wing mirrors. New glass is around £20.
Interior: Don't be surprised if the dashboard rattles, especially on higher-mileage cars. A creaky sunroof isn't uncommon either and some lubricant around the seal can assuage the issue.
Check that the heated seats work and that the light doesn't go out on the dashboard when they're switched on. If they're faulty, then it could be either the heat element or control module that's to blame.
An owner's view
Rachel Lowe: 'I was looking for a step up from my 2013 'R56' Cooper and the F56 model was what I was hoping for in terms of reliability and performance. In the end, I bought a 2016 JCW from Scotland and the seven-hour drive home proved that this was the right car for me. It's very responsive, handles superbly and is surprisingly economical on longer journeys. I've added a few modifications, including a wrap, JCW Pro exhaust, front splitter/side skirts and the JCW Pro suspension kit. It's been very reliable and easily the most fun car I've ever owned.'
Also worth knowing
If you want the fastest version of the F56-gen Mini, your best bet is the John Cooper Works GP, launched in 2020. This track-focused hot hatch is an absolute riot to drive thanks to its lowered suspension, larger brakes and 302bhp turbocharged motor.
There are plenty of special editions to choose from, such as the 1499GT, a play on the 1275GT of the original car. There's also the 1to6 Edition, a limited-run version of the JCW that was the last Mini to feature a manual gearbox.
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The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
I fear the worst for my dear pal Michael Schumacher – if only we could know more about how he is
MICHAEL Schumacher's former pal says he fears the worst over the F1 legend's condition. Details surrounding the star's health have been kept under lock and key since he suffered a near-fatal ski accident in 2013. 4 4 4 Ex- Red Bull boss Richard Hopkins - who enjoyed regular coffee breaks with Schumacher in the early 1990s - said the lack of information for more than a decade stokes his fears about his condition. Hopkins, Head of Operations at Red Bull from 2013 to 2015, met Schumacher he was a mechanic at McLaren and the F1 great was at Benetton. He watched as Schumacher's career skyrocketed until he retired in 2012 with a joint record seven world titles. But the following year, Schumacher - now 56 - suffered a devastating head injury while skiing on Alpine slopes in France. Protective wife Corinna has not revealed any details about his condition and he has not been seen in public since. And Hopkins says the longer time goes on without an update, the more he fears about the true nature of his health. He told The Sun: "It's a shame and I wish we all knew a bit more. I get it and I understand it, it's very private to them. "But the danger of course is that we all make assumptions of how he is, and probably none of our assumptions are accurate. "We create an assumption that is probably worse and darker than his condition probably is, and then a lot of us look on the bright side and hope it's a lot better than it actually is. "I saw the recent story about him signing a crash helmet, and there's an MS on it. We'd all love to believe he got a pen out the draw and signed it but there was probably some assistance along the way. "I wish we had a better idea, not just me, all of us in motor racing. It's sad because even the 'keep fighting Michael' message has kind of been forgotten. 'But it's life and we all move on. It's very sad that we just don't know and we don't hear from him. It's sad that he doesn't attend races or make public appearances. 'He was an amazing guy, extraordinary character and amazingly successful." Close pal Flavio Briatore, who led Schumacher to his first two titles at Benetton, recently offered a heartbreaking insight into his health. He appeared to confirm Schumacher, who joined Ferrari after Benetton where he won five titles, was bed-bound. What do we know about Schumacher since his accident? MICHAEL Schumacher's life changed forever on December 29, 2013, when a skiing accident left the seven-time F1 champion with a severe brain injury. Since then, his family has protected his privacy, with only a select few remaining in contact with the racing legend. December 29, 2013 - The skiing accident: Schumacher suffers a life-threatening head injury while skiing off-piste in Méribel, France. He falls and hits his head on a rock, causing severe brain trauma despite wearing a helmet. He is airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble, where he undergoes two emergency surgeries. Doctors place him in a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain. January 2014 - Schumacher fights for his life: Schumacher remains in a coma. Doctors describe his condition as 'critical but stable'. His family, led by wife Corinna, remains at his bedside. The world's F1 community rallies behind him, with fans holding vigils outside the hospital. June 2014 - Schumacher brought out of his coma: After nearly six months, Schumacher is brought out of his coma. His family confirms he is no longer in a coma but gives no further health details. He is transferred from Grenoble to a rehabilitation facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. September 2014 - Back home: Schumacher is moved to his family home near Lake Geneva. Corinna announces he will continue his recovery at home, with a dedicated medical team. 2015–2018 - Mystery surrounding his health: Reports suggest Schumacher is receiving round-the-clock medical care at home, costing £50,000 per week. Jean Todt reveals he still visits Schumacher and that they watch F1 races together. May 2017 - German magazine sued by Schumacher's family: The magazine Bunte has to pay Michael Schumacher €50,000 (£42,000) in damages after claiming in 2015 that Schumacher would walk again. The Hamburg regional court determined that the statement was false and infringed upon Schumacher's right to privacy. September 2019 - Schumacher secretly transferred to Paris: French media reports that Schumacher is taken to Paris for stem cell therapy at the Georges-Pompidou Hospital. The procedure is led by renowned surgeon Dr. Philippe Menasché. Details of the treatment remain undisclosed. December 2019 - Manager issues rare statement: Schumacher's longtime manager Sabine Kehm says his condition will remain private. She dismisses speculation and false reports about his health. September 2021 - Netflix documentary 'Schumacher' released: A new Netflix documentary, Schumacher, provides rare insights into his life. Corinna speaks publicly about his condition for the first time, saying: 'Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength.' December 2023 - 10 years since the accident: Schumacher turns 55. The anniversary of his accident is marked by tributes from the F1 world. Jean Todt confirms he still sees Schumacher regularly and describes his visits as 'full of affection'. September 2024 - Daughter Gina's wedding: Gina Schumacher, 27, marries longtime boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family's £27million Majorca villa. Reports claim Schumacher attends the wedding, but close friend Johnny Herbert later calls it 'A1 fake news'. Guests are reportedly required to hand over their phones to prevent leaks. March 2025 - Schumacher becomes a grandfather: Daughter Gina announces arrival of first child with husband Iain Bethke. The pair tied the knot in September 2024. Gina revealed the birth on Instagram and wrote: "Welcome to the world, Millie. Born on March 29th, our hearts are fuller than ever." Briatore told Corriere della Sera: 'If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. 'I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed.' Hopkins said he used to bump into Corinna but hasn't seen her, or anyone else close to him, since the crash. He added: 'I just haven't crossed paths with them. 'The circle of people close to Michael is very small, Jean Todt, Corrina, Mick, and a few others who spend time with him. 'Everything about Michael's situation is kept private, and those who are close to him, including his nursing team, are bound by an absolute circle of trust. 'I did meet Corinna a couple of times, if only just to say hi and everything else. My interactions with Michael weren't shared with Corinna. 'But even if I did bump into her now, and I asked how Michael was, she would probably just say he's fine. I didn't know her well enough for her to share information with me." What happened to Michael Schumacher? MICHAEL Schumacher's life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries. The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain. Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel. Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow. He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations. At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed. At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered. But the coma ended up lasting 250 days - more than eight months. After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment. Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status. Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him. In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system. Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain. Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be "conscious", although few other details were given about his state. He added: 'If he could be at a race today, I wonder if he would be? I wonder if he would love it today, rocking up at a race track, everyone would love him being there. "But I don't think he would, actually. I think he'd spend more time on other interests, spending more time on a bloody horse than a race track now!" Schumacher retired in 2006 but made a brief comeback for Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. He is widely considered among the best to ever race in the sport. Only small hints have been released about his health since the accident. Briatore's ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, previously said he doesn't speak but communicates with his eyes. Corinna has also previously said he is now 'different, but here'.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Austrian Grand Prix final practice before qualifying
Update: Date: 11:42 BST Title: Norris gets ready Content: Lando Norris has his helmet on and has hopped into his McLaren. He was the fastest driver in second practice and will be hoping to replicate that performance. Update: Date: 11:40 BST Title: Sea of orange Content: Fans are decked out in their gear with their signs and there is a sea of orange across the crowds. Max Verstappen performs strongly at the Red Bull Ring, will he get pole? Update: Date: 11:38 BST Title: Verstappen fastest Content: Max Verstappen is on a flying lap, going purple in all three sectors. He loves this track, grabbing race and sprint wins - can he do it again? He's joined on track by the Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Update: Date: 11:35 BST Title: Post Content: Our first car is out on track. Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin is the first car to get going at the Red Bull Ring. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is sat on top of a counter having a chat to his trainer Jon. It's all very cool and calm at the moment. Update: Date: 11:34 BST Title: Tyre talk Content: What tyres have Pirelli packed for the trip to Austria? It's the C3 hard tyres, C4 mediums and C5 soft compound. The green intermediates and blue full wets are also available, if needed. Update: Date: 11:32 BST Title: All quiet on the track Content: The drivers are not in a rush to head out on to the track just yet, Charles Leclerc's been signing hats for fans before he made his way into the garage. Update: Date: 11:30 BST Title: Go! Go! Go! Content: Lights out, time for third practice! Take your Brad Pitt and Sebastian Vettel masks off Max and Yuki, it's time to go driving. Update: Date: 11:30 BST Title: 'Zero chance of rain' Content: Rosanna Tennant5 Live F1 reporter at Red Bull Ring It's lovely and warm here, 24C. But if you look up, there is a lot of cloud cover, especially over the circuit. There are some dark clouds but I've checked the weather forecast and there is a zero chance of rain, so hopefully we get a dry final practice session. Update: Date: 11:29 BST Title: What is the weather like in Spielberg? Content: Sunny intervals and gentle breeze is forecasted for third practice. There is also no signs of rain. Update: Date: 11:27 BST Title: Tune in Content: BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra Rosanna Tennant, Ben Edwards, British racing driver Alice Powell and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson will be joining us for the radio commentary. Commentary is available via the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page. You can also listen on BBC Sounds or by asking your smart speaker to play BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. Update: Date: 11:25 BST Title: Drivers' dinner Content: F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took the drivers out for a meal on Thursday before the Austrian Grand Prix weekend began. Lots of smiles from the 19 drivers that were in attendance. My question is, who would you sit next to? Update: Date: 11:24 BST Title: Mercedes move to second Content: After their double podium, Mercedes have moved up to the second spot, Ferrari are in third with just 16 joints behind them. McLaren continue to show their dominance this season, with a total of 375 points in the constructors standings. Update: Date: 11:22 BST Title: Piastri continues to lead Content: McLaren's Oscar Piastri continues his lead in the championship, 22 points ahead of his team-mate Lando Norris, who did not finish the race in Canada. Max Verstappen may be in third place in the standings, but the gap between him and Norris is just 21 points. George Russell is comfortably in fourth after he won in Montreal. Esteban Ocon moved up to ninth, after collecting points last time out. Update: Date: 11:20 BST Title: Why isn't there a sprint race in Austria? Content: Ask Me Anything BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team have been answering F1-related questions. Here's one on why there isn't a sprint race at the Red Bull Ring this year. Formula 1 have replaced the Austrian Grand Prix sprint race with Belgium for the 2025 season. Austria held a sprint at the Red Bull Ring on three occasions from 2022-2024 – all three won by Max Verstappen. It had become a staple part of the race weekend's schedule over the years because of the short, fast and high-speed nature of the circuit, making it the perfect location for a sprint. Although Formula 1 has not said why Austria has been dropped, it can be assumed, because of the growing popularity of the sprint, the sport wants to widen the sprint race format to different locations. Update: Date: 11:18 BST Title: What happened in Friday's sessions? Content: If you missed yesterday's sessions or need a recap, here's what happened: Now you will notice that this session will not be the sprint race we are all used to seeing at the Red Bull Ring... Update: Date: 11:16 BST Title: Welcome! Content: Hello everyone, welcome to our live text coverage of third practice and qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix. Third practice goes green at 11:30 Lights out for qualifying at 15:00 Will McLaren continue to show their dominant performance? Or will we see someone else on pole? We will find out later in qualifying, but for now there is just 15 minutes to go before an hour of third practice.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Yamaha's Quartararo pips Ducatis to clinch Dutch Grand Prix pole
June 28 (Reuters) - Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo claimed his fourth pole position of the season in qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday while Ducati's MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez will start on the second row. Quartararo is joined on the front row by Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez while Marc was only fourth fastest at Assen, where he crashed twice in practice on a bruising Friday. Marc leads brother Alex by 40 points heading into the sprint while Bagnaia, third in the championship, is 110 points behind. But the session belonged to Quartararo who clocked one minute and 30.651 seconds to claim his 20th MotoGP pole. "The goal is to try to make a great start, great laps in the sprint and see a little bit how it's going on," Quartararo said. "I love this track... So hopefully we can turn this pole position into a great result on Saturday and on Sunday." As expected, it was the Ducati machines of the Marquez brothers and Bagnaia who traded fastest laps early in the session but Quartararo laid down the gauntlet when he clocked one minute and 31.047 seconds. Alex and Marc then broke the one minute and 31 seconds barrier but Quartararo and Bagnaia responded by going faster to take the top two spots. A desperate Marc pushed too hard on his final lap and went off track, settling for fourth-fastest, marking only the second time he is off the front row on the red Ducati, while Alex was livid with himself when he could not set a faster lap. Bagnaia has won at Assen in the last three years and the Italian said he was happy with the feeling on the bike after struggling early in the season, with the twice champion claiming only one victory in the first nine rounds. "I'm very happy. It's the best weekend so far this season... Surely this afternoon will be tough but we need to start well, set our pace and see if I can win," Bagnaia said. Marc will have Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi and VR46 Racing's Franco Morbidelli for company on the second row.
