Iv'e been thinking about having one of their Vtec powered Minis for years now. But I have read a couple threads about people who have had nothing but problems with their Mini, and eventually sold them.

Now, I know enough to know that these cars are beautiful cars when they are finished. And I know that Norman pours his heart and soul into each one he makes and that he is the best at these conversions. But, even at that, If a lot of these cars are just money pits and are in the garage being fixed most of the time, then I would just have to pass on this dream. I don't mind having some problems, every new car does. And from what I have read, Norman takes care of the problems. But, If I'm going to spend this much money, I want to be able to drive it to work everyday.

So, I would like to hear from people who have first hand experience only with Mini Tec Vtec minis, I'm not looking for opinions from people who don't have experience with them. Not trying to be a jerk, I just don't want to read through the crap.

Thanks,
Shawn

 

My MiniTec pick-up is on the opposite end of the Vtec spectrum versus Meno's supercharged K-Series that you have read about. Mine only has about 130-140hp and rides on 10" tires. I have driven it 5000 miles during the 1.5 years since completion. It's wayyy fun in a visceral fashion. My daily driver is a 2006 JCW MCS, and after a weekend of Classic Vtec fun, I am very, very, very happy to return to the '06 BINI and leave my earplugs behind, literally.

My Vtec is clearly a toy, not a vehicle that any sane individual would choose as a daily driver for the work commute. It's as safe as riding a motorcycle. Crumple zones begin with your ankles, followed by the knees. Side impact protection are two sliding glass window panes between my face and the bumper of any SUV.

If you haven't done so, you really need to drive some classic Minis to get a feel for what they are and more importantly what they are not. Next step would be to drive as many Vtec-powered Minis as you can as each has it's own personality.

As for reliability, I've had no engine/transmission problems, but I've encountered some issues resulting the hybrid engineering, which raises the concern for any Vtec Mini owner to think about who would be able to service the car if the issue exceeds DIY maintenance/repairs.

I'm pretty sure the warranty issues have been sorted out and from here on, it's a weekend track toy that is streetable and will require typical maintenance for this type of car. The front end is made entirely of tube frame and rides on a hime-jointed suspension--which works well on a track but not so comfortable on trashed-out city streets.

I'm not bashing my Vtec "truck"--I love it, but clearly it is no more practical as a daily driver or commuter than any '32 Ford street rod you might see at a car show. I routinely drive my car--it's not a garage queen. I drive it regularly and take it on 400-mile weekend trips. I don't carry tools, but I give it thorough "pre-flight" checks before any trip or spirited driving sessions because Vtec Minis vibrate notoriously, which as you can imagine, has a way of loosening nuts, bolts and other fasteners.

 

[quote=dimini;2954721I've encountered some issues resulting the hybrid engineering, which raises the concern for any Vtec Mini owner to think about who would be able to service the car if the issue exceeds DIY maintenance/repairs.[/quote]

What issues have you encountered?

 

I'm with Don on this. Not knocking Norman's brilliant engineering at all, but you have to realize it's a custom built system that must be fitted to each individual car, truck, or even Elf that it goes into, and hasn't had the benefit of a few million test vehicles on the road for the past 50 years to work out all of the kinks. I think mine was the third D-Series that MiniTec put together. Other than a clutch failure, which had nothing to do with the conversion, I've only had little teething issues that required tightening this or aligning that. Someone without any routine maintenance skills or desire to spin a wrench once in a while should probably stick to driving their BINI.

 

My Vtec P'up is more reliable than the backbone of NAM's website. Sorry for the rant, but since Mark's departure NAM appears to be run by former Lucas engineers. On a good day, it's as slow as a worn out 977, on a bad day, my posts vanish in a cyber crash.

It's a new day and my second attempt to make this post:

In my case, the issues with hybrid engineering pertain to an upper control arm which failed. MT promptly replaced both control arms with revised, stronger versions. Problem solved. My other engineering concern is whether my air conditioning will work properly on humid days hotter than 85F. Mine apparently had a bad compressor, which has been replaced, but can't be tested until late spring 2010.

Red Riley summed it up well by saying that our problems amount to teething... Even though Mini Tec now has several years experience at designing/building VTEC conversions and components, no two Minis are a like, therefore each one has it's own custom applications which introduces the potential of unique issues and conversely, unique repairs.

I think all toy cars are money pits. I consider it one of the costs of having fun in life. My P'up makes people smile, it makes people laugh, which in turn makes me smile and laugh and that is a good thing.

 

Thanks dimini for the replies. I did hear about a new site, http://www.motoringalliance.com/ . I haven't looked at it yet, so I don't know if it is a good site.