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Despite the Mini being faster and handle better than the MR2 NA, I am missing the whole
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![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
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Here's the car, already spent over
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It's not a lemon, the problem is me
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![d'oh! #-o](./images/smilies/eusa_doh.gif)
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/IMG_1942_zps7f3660c1.jpg)
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/IMG_1948_zps55857459.jpg)
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/IMG_1962_zpse2d29114.jpg)
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Here's where some of the money has gone.
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Found some spoon had changed a single spark plug
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/SparkPlugsOld.jpg)
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Brakes had plenty of life in them, but weren't up to the standard I'd become used to with the Carbotechs on the MR2, so had to be replaced
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/2012-10-04150509.jpg)
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BMW/Mini say the fuel filter NEVER needs replacing, so I change that
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/DSC_0455_zps8966dc4b.jpg)
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BMW/Mini also say the gearbox oil never needs replacing
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/IMG_1664.jpg)
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Crazy oil change intervals, something like 20,000 miles.
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/IMG_1678.jpg)
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Car has reasonable service history, but some garage skimped here so I've been breathing in some new diseases
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/043_OldVsNewPollenFilter_zpsdebb8277.jpg)
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Discover the car has a mushroomed strut tower
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Car drives perfectly though, so it probably wasn't essential that I did this
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/002_Bits_zpsc5bd63c4.jpg)
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Thanks to the incompetent designers at Rover, shock absorber is attached to the hub via a single bolt
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/023_NewWheelBearingAndBallJoint_zps2c4e5b81.jpg)
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Bought some plates that fit above and below strut towers to help prevent future mushrooming, and use them to also fix it
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/013_NSFFixingMushroom_zps6bab048b.jpg)
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Latest pic with an Aero grille
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![Image](http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh374/JohnnyC1969/Mini%20Cooper%20S/051_CarPark_zps91846aad.jpg)
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So life after the MR2 NA,
The good:
The Mini is faster, better handling, a lot more modern
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The bad:
The Mini is very poorly designed in many areas and has many common problems.
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I think I need a Japanese sports car
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