Mini Reliability

Sir,

Having read each month the unending tales of woe from readers on the numerous faults and tribulations connected with their motor cars, I wonder if you might like to print one that tells of excellent reliability on a BLMC product?

One year ago my wife, an architect, purchased from a friend a 1960 Austin Mini with over 63,000 miles on the clock. Since then it has covered over 15,000 miles in connection with work and the occasional weekend jaunt, has never failed to start after being left outdoors each night, nor has it ever let us down. The original purchase price of £30, a set of tyres, replacement wiper motor, battery and exhaust system have cost under £60 and this, combined with an overall average of 43 m.p.g. makes it a most reliable and cheap workhorse.

Although I am of the dyed-in-the-wooltype open-air motorist, being an enthusiastic owner of my third Fairthorpe and second MG TD, I must, in all honesty, admit that I find the Mini a pleasure to drive; its only faults being rather .excessive tyre scrub and fairly high interior noise level but then, this is a very early example and has little in the way of the soundproofing that the later models possess. Take heart then, BLMC, in England you have at least two satisfied owner/drivers!

Long Crendon Robert B. B. Gibbs