MINI GP or B10

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun May 28, 2017 2:49 am

Hello all.

I am having a bit of a dilemma and would like your positive thoughts.

* B10 3.2 number 79

I have had this car since 2010 and I have only covered 10k in the past seven years. She has just over 100k on the clock.

For one reason and another she has not moved for a good four years and now I fancy blowing the cobwebs off her. I am also considering selling her for a MINI GP built in 2006.
The reason for the mini
* potentially a better financial investment
* The Mrs will never drive the B10
* More grin factor in the mini.
* The B10 requires a huge financial investment to make her 100%

Ok so what is wrong with the B10 - what work is required?
* clutch
* Full service
* Main ABS module requires replacement
* Water pump as part of the service
* Main console is pixelated

The above list is just what I have noted. I imagine that there shall probably be some other niggles come to light after all of this repair work comes to light.

On the one hand I do not mind spending the money on her to be in tip top condition again BUT what price are these old ladies selling for nowadays. If in fantastic condition I would imagine 7k. If I invest 2-3k into her would this be a logically way forward or should I simply sell her in the state she is in, cut my losses and put the money, time and effort / energy into a mini GP?

Cheers and regards

jolls · Post by **jolls** » Sun May 28, 2017 11:10 am

Regardless of money what car would you enjoy most?

BarryM · Post by **BarryM** » Sun May 28, 2017 11:25 am

I've never thought about a car as an investment and not sure either of your choices are, you should be doing whatever will give you enjoyment. If you've not driven the B10 in 4 years I'd say it's gonna take some time, money & effort to get it tip top and it doesn't sound like you're that interested in it so get the Mini and hopefully drive it!

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun May 28, 2017 1:46 pm

jolls wrote:Regardless of money what car would you enjoy most?

Having owned a R53 Cooper S ( supercharged) I have always had a soft spot for MINI.

The crazy thing is, the MINI GP woukd be a blast to drive around town but having owned the ALPINA for the past seven years of course I am attached to it.
She owes me nothing apart from Â£100 per month heated garage fees.

I wish I could decide if the ALPINA would be worth the investment getting back up to tip top condition.

All work would be carried out with a German BMW ALPINA speacialist so I cannot imagine having any change out of a couple of grand!

Mannnn decisions decisions!

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun May 28, 2017 6:34 pm

Teehee 😜

Thanks for your reply.

When I say investment what I mean is that hopefully they hold onto their residuals a little better than their normal counterparts.

At the end of the day the ALPINA and the MINI GP are nice limited run editions.

I hardly ever need a car and maybe the MINI GP like you say will provide greater grin factor for those short weekend blasts.

The ALPINA is wonderful for motorway cruising and arriving at your destination chillaxed !

On the other hand invest a couple of grand into the ALPINA as she owes me nothing?

I wonder what I could expect if I were to place her on eBay?

Alpina Jim · Post by **Alpina Jim** » Sun May 28, 2017 8:38 pm

I guess it is time for a totally unbiased opinion, keep the B10.

Having owned my 3.2 for nearly 15 years, I have on the the odd occasion, and even recently, questioned my reasons for keeping the car. Especially as I too do a pretty low mileage nowadays.
Yesterday and today I have spent many hours giving her a really good carnauba wax polish and she is looking great and once again I know keeping her is definitely the right decision. A great looking model and relatively rare with the 3.2 motor, and yours is in Estoril Blue, a beautiful colour.

I have parted with a car before that I owned for may years and still kick myself for doing that and it wasn't such a good car. if you are still unsure then leave her in storage for a bit longer until you are 100% sure which way to go.

I mentioned on an insurance thread recently that I have now got mine on an agreed value of Â£8000. This is based on the availability of replacement 3.2 models which on Ebay classified are between Â£6-10k dependent on mileage etc. Maybe the prices seem high but where else can you get one from if you want a good one?

Good luck with your deliberation.

nealpina · Post by **nealpina** » Tue May 30, 2017 8:21 pm

B10 every time for me.

I find Mini to be too front heavy, I would rather have a nice WAG car or a 1 series

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:48 pm

Hi everybody

Sorry for the late response.

I had been away on holiday over the last weeks and it was a royal pain in the you know what trying to update and follow the forum via my iPhone.

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:55 pm

Alpina Jim wrote:I guess it is time for a totally unbiased opinion, keep the B10.

Estoril Blue, a beautiful colour.

I mentioned on an insurance thread recently that I have now got mine on an agreed value of Â£8000. This is based on the availability of replacement 3.2 models which on Ebay classified are between Â£6-10k dependent on mileage etc. Maybe the prices seem high but where else can you get one from if you want a good one?

Good luck with your deliberation.

I must admit I absolutely love the colour especially with the silver grey leather interior.

That is a really great idea in regards to the insurance.

If you have a look at mobile.de ALPINA B10
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/sear ... 0;2&vc=Car

The prices appear to be rising quite nicely - It may pay to increase the insurance value???

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:59 pm

nealpina wrote:B10 every time for me.

I find Mini to be too front heavy, I would rather have a nice WAG car or a 1 series

I could not agree more...

When I had my last two previous MINI it did frustrate me at times with the front being heavy.

MINI has such great branding and is a car that is accepted amongst all walks of life.

I am leaning on possibly keeping her or at least until the next itch comes along

DAN@ADRIAN FLUX · Post by **DAN@ADRIAN FLUX** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:57 pm

Hi,

If anyone is looking for agreed value insurance then please feel free to give us a try. We also have access to both specialist mini and BMW schemes.

We can offer a fixed agreed value for pretty much any car as long as it's over 12 months old.

Regards,
Dan.

PhillV8S · Post by **PhillV8S** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:05 pm

I have had the joy of having a brand new mini clubman cooper for the last 7 weeks as a courtesy car and it is without doubt the most claustrophobic, plasticky, back ache inducing pile of crap I have ever driven! Not a fan.

P3CCA · Post by **P3CCA** » Wed Jul 12, 2017 9:57 pm

Hello every body

Well it looks like I have decided to get the cheque book out and keep her!

I shall start another topic highlighting all of the parts that are being replaced / serviced and any other details I may stumble upon.

I cannot wait to drive her again...

peace