1997 Rover - Austin Mini Cooper review from UK and Ireland

Several problems in it's first year, all of which were rectified under the dealer's warranty.

Firstly, it kept jumping out of reverse gear, and had a new gearbox put in at 27,000 miles.

Then, it overheated on three separate occasions before any fault was found. This was just a failed temperature sensor on the fan.

Clutch master cylinder went at 42,000 miles.

Rust has been apparent on the car from within months of me buying it. All the usual places around the headlamps and along the front seams.

Blows a greyish smoke when starting from cold, but only on start-up. Has been doing it for over a year, with no apparent effect on oil or petrol consumption or overall performance.

Have often laughed at the speed it can take corners (only on dry roads!). On standard 12" rims, so is not affected by the tramlining effect you get from the 13" wheels.

Interior screwed together very well, with nothing falling apart or squeaking. Suspect build quality seems to be confined to the bodywork.

Despite scoring low in reliability tests, all it has cost me for the last year or so is petrol, two front tyres and an annual service and rolling road tune.