My first MINI cooper was purchased in 2005 after a horrible board meeting that I was in charge of, normally after a bad day I have some candy, or ice cream, this tells you how bad I thought the meeting had gone. So after a year of ownership was was knee deep in the MINI community and I had the chance to purchase a “classic” Mini. Right hand drive, 4 speed, in pretty good shape at least that’s what I thought.
“Tink” (longtime readers of the comic will know of stories that involve Tink) has been a faithful companion and has been on many long road trips. This is not a tale of the joys of owning a classic car, this is a story of neglect. Well after the initial fun of owning a classic started to wear off. Not that it really ever does, but a MINI or a Mini are fun cars to drive so it becomes a choice as to which fun car do you drive. If I had the choice between a Mini and a Honda, I think Tink would get out of the garage a lot more.
First thing you need to understand is that We have a 2 car garage… and three cars. So while it is easy to fit all them in, it can be a chore to get Tink out since it requires playing Tetris to move the cars around. Not being a morning person, it is usually easier to take the Roadster since all I have to do to is pull straight out. Besides that, I do not consider myself an expert on cars- yes, I like them but turning a wrench is not something I ever learned to do when growing up. I was taught to take the car to a mechanic and nod my head knowingly, while he spoke in some weird language. When he was done, I handed him money and drove off. This is not the best course of action with a classic car, you really should understand something about how the car works… silly me.
So after purchasing Tink I took her to my regular MINI mechanic who gave her the once over and told me there would be some work that needed to be done. No problem, I was happy to get the car running well. Parts were ordered, we started heading off on some trips and ended up breaking a few things along the way (steering? who needs steering?). So when we got back and the parts were not to be seen and we realized that a steering rod for a right hand drive car is different than one for a left hand drive, it was time to start considering other options. That and the mechanic I was using was planning to move. I found a great little garage that tore the car down, and gave me a laundry list of things that needed to be fixed. I nodded knowingly and wrote a check.
Tink was doing great and then winter kicked in… the garage became the home of the poor little Mini and as Spring arrived with rain, there she stayed. When I finally got around to getting her out of the garage… her battery was dead. This was the original battery so I simply replaced it (Yes, I did it myself) and off we went. There were a few other issues as the years went on mostly due to my neglect. Which is what you really can’t do. So when summer arrived this year after ignoring Tink for over a year (The new Roadster was such fun to drive…) I gave her a once over- flat tires, and again a dead battery. So I added getting Tink working to my summer to do list. Today I started on that project. First was getting the old battery charged, or replaced. Fortunately, the battery was basically unused so recharging (for free) was all it needed. Now, I’ve gone ahead and ordered tires, now if you think this is a simple task, it kinda sorta is. After a quick search online I decided to call the local tire store I go to and ask if they could get them for me.
“Do you carry Yokohama?” I asked.
“Yes, what size do you need?”
“165-70-10”
“Did you say 10?”
“Yes?” I could then hear tapping at the computer.
“It might take a while, can I call you back?”
“Sure”
For those not in the know 10 is the diameter of the wheel the tire goes on,to compare, the Roadster has 17’s. 10’s to quote MINI advertising are “Not Normal.” When I got the call back, I decided that the white walls at $300 each were a little too much for Tink (although they would have been cute), but in about a week I will have four new tires (the tires that were originally on Tink when I bought her are still on her, 3 Dunlops and a Yokohama) and it will be time to go and play a bit. Actually play time will happen after I have her checked out by the mechanic to make sure everything is still working and we didn’t end up with mice or raccoons nesting in the engine.
So what have I learned about classic car ownership? I really need a three car garage. I need some tools, and I need to learn a bit more about cars. Mostly I cannot neglect the classic car, I need to take time, at least once a month, to check on things and keep the battery on a tender (which I do own) when I’m not planning on driving.