Second-hand Sense: The Mini should have been destined for a final resting place in the annals of British motoring, but for the emotional hold it held over the man in charge of BMW at the time, who happened to be a relative of the engineer who originally designed the Mini.
This bond eventually led to the Mini becoming the only positive result of the ill-fated marriage between the Rover Group and BMW, a marriage that almost crippled the Munich giant.
So, what is it about the Mini that prompts so much affection from the rest of us? There is no doubt that it was one of the cleverest engineering achievements of all time. It was also very cute in all its guises.
And the same is true of the new Mini. It has all the lively attraction of its predecessor, but it is a far more striking and funky car. It is also great to drive, especially the sportier Cooper version and, most importantly, it has all the attributes of a BMW. It is incredibly well engineered for a car of its size.
The new Mini's greatest asset is its looks. Cool and modern it also benefits from a retro blend internally. The single dial in the middle of the dash reminds me of the one in my mother's Cooper all those years ago. Add a lot of technical extras such as cornering brake control, ABS and airbags and you are then reminded of that fact that this is a well equipped small BMW.
There are a few drawbacks. The standard 1.6 version lacks poke, the Cooper version with the sports wheels will rattle your fillings, the boot is tiny and the rear passengers need to spend a deal of their time with heads stooped. Neither is the urban fuel consumption range great.
The car is also expensive on the second-hand market, and there are not even that many around. A 2001 Cooper S version with 28,000 on the clock has an asking price of €20,500, while a 2003 Cooper S with just 12,000 on the clock is tagged at €28,950. A one year-old standard 1.6 Mini One with basic equipment on board (electric windows, remote locking, multiple airbags and CD player) is priced at €20,500.
There are no crash test data available on the Mini, and there are no recalls listed. No significant faults have been reported with the car and servicing costs are described as reasonable, given the fact that this is a small BMW car.