My experience with BMW Mini in Cambodia (more pictures added)
My experience with BMW Mini in Cambodia (more pictures added)
Hi all,
I can't help but writing and sharing experiences, hopefully for the benefit of someone reading.
So you're like my family, you rather dislike the sea of Camrys, Prius, Lexus, Kia Vistos, and Range Rovers and want a little variety when it comes to choosing a car. My family has owned their last two Prius for the past 3 years, so this time around when a "new" car option was on the table, it was decided that something different was on the menu.
Enter the mighty BMW Mini.
About the car Fresh off the boat, and a wreck.
$10,000, fully taxed and licensed. This car was purchased 5 or 6 months ago, me being present with the family, so I knew it was fresh off the boat from the U.S. It has 158,000 actual miles and was a rear end wreck (which is why I gave the go ahead to buy it). It's an automatic unfortunately, or fortunately, given the traffic in Cambodia.
The car doesn't seem to be nicely treated in it's previous life, but compression was good and the gearbox responded quickly and went through all of it's gears. It smoothed out considerably after the fluid exchange. A/C compressor seized however, and still to this day it has a leak at the water pump bearing.
Still a nice package though with double moonroof and auto climate control.
What's it like to drive in Cambodia Fast (but slow because of traffic), thirsty, and uncomfortable
Now I'll be frank, I've driven Range Rovers, Lexus LXs...Ticos, in Cambodia, but nothing has drawn so much attention as this little car. Everyone seems to love it, and I've even received an offer to buy it from me on the street. Wasn't a very good offer, but nonetheless, more that's one more offer than the Range Rover ever brought in until it was put for sale.
However, despite the attention, the driving experience hasn't been that great...actually, it's been bloodly awful. Okay, so a suspension better suited for a track vs. potholes, combined with low profile tyres might not be the best combination for Cambodia's roads...actually, that's all there is to say about that. My back is broken. To be fair though, a "normal" MINI I suspect would be MUCH better than this car in coping with the potholes and such.
The size is great however, and unlike the wobbly uncertainty you get with a Visto/Mourning/Atoz, the car really does help you feel where you are going. I suppose that's due to the "racing" setup it has on it, totally overkill sure, but what the hell?
Fuel economy average: 14 mpg, (17L per 100, or 6 km/l)
Total distance, I've been able to put about 1,000 miles on it total, or 5 tanks of fuel. Yes, this is a thirsty beast, and it's average fuel consumption has been a steady 14 mpg (US) for me (17L per 100, or 6 km/l). Plus with premium petrol required...well it's not that much more expensive, but still. The fuel bills are a lot more than I expected for a little 1.6 litre motor. Phnom Penh netted me the worst mileage at 7.6 mpg, (30L per 100km) and tank was flashing empty after just 85 miles, on rural roads however that figure jumped to 19 mpg (12.38L per 100 or 8.3 km/l) and best run netted 29 mpg (8.11L per 100, or 12.33 km/l) which was from Kep to Kampot and back to Kep again, averaging 30-40 mph and no traffic. The city really does murder on fuel economy on this little car.
Reliability and running costs $1,160 for servicing, and only two punctures, an A/C compressor, window track, rear wiper and temp gauge have broken.
This car wasn't treated nicely to begin with, and being familiar with R50 Minis I know they don't take well to abuse, so nothing that happened surprised me here. They're no more plasticky than Toyotas or Kias, and if you get yourself genuine or compatible fluids, filters and coolant into it, the car isn't all that bad. However as a caveat, unless you understand cars at least a little bit, I would not depend on this car, especially if you don't live in Phnom Penh.
As for servicing, a service with BMW fluids: coolant, oil and automatic transmission fluid (special ordered), plus air filter, oil filter and A/C compressor (which had seized) wound up being $1,160. Surprisingly however, these parts were available through Thailand and arrived next day, so keeping your MINI maintained isn't as bad as it seems if you care to do so. Again though, should you buy a MINI, get the right fluid! You will destroy your car if you don't, I've seen it happen in my own shop (in the U.S.).
In closing
So, you're probably thinking, "NO WAY IN HELL WOULD I EVER THINK OF TOUCHING ONE!". And I understand. However I'm not on that boat. I absolutely love this car, and it's been a blast to drive, albeit a very expensive blast, but nonetheless, it really has been a fun car to drive and play around with. There's something special about it, and I don't say that to be stupid, I mean that after driving it and listing all the "fun" it's been to run, I would buy another one for sure. The only thing I'd do differently is find a "normal" spec version with fatter tyres, softer suspension, and maybe a little less power. A 1.4 or a diesel would be swell.
So yes, I would absolutely consider buying another one, and after all, you have to remember this whole package (service and breakdowns included) was $12,000. That's the exact same price as my old beige Camry was. So really, when it comes down to it, you decide if it's worth it or not, but for me, the answer is a resounding yes. I love this car.
-AE86
I can't help but writing and sharing experiences, hopefully for the benefit of someone reading.
So you're like my family, you rather dislike the sea of Camrys, Prius, Lexus, Kia Vistos, and Range Rovers and want a little variety when it comes to choosing a car. My family has owned their last two Prius for the past 3 years, so this time around when a "new" car option was on the table, it was decided that something different was on the menu.
Enter the mighty BMW Mini.
About the car Fresh off the boat, and a wreck.
$10,000, fully taxed and licensed. This car was purchased 5 or 6 months ago, me being present with the family, so I knew it was fresh off the boat from the U.S. It has 158,000 actual miles and was a rear end wreck (which is why I gave the go ahead to buy it). It's an automatic unfortunately, or fortunately, given the traffic in Cambodia.
The car doesn't seem to be nicely treated in it's previous life, but compression was good and the gearbox responded quickly and went through all of it's gears. It smoothed out considerably after the fluid exchange. A/C compressor seized however, and still to this day it has a leak at the water pump bearing.
Still a nice package though with double moonroof and auto climate control.
What's it like to drive in Cambodia Fast (but slow because of traffic), thirsty, and uncomfortable
Now I'll be frank, I've driven Range Rovers, Lexus LXs...Ticos, in Cambodia, but nothing has drawn so much attention as this little car. Everyone seems to love it, and I've even received an offer to buy it from me on the street. Wasn't a very good offer, but nonetheless, more that's one more offer than the Range Rover ever brought in until it was put for sale.
However, despite the attention, the driving experience hasn't been that great...actually, it's been bloodly awful. Okay, so a suspension better suited for a track vs. potholes, combined with low profile tyres might not be the best combination for Cambodia's roads...actually, that's all there is to say about that. My back is broken. To be fair though, a "normal" MINI I suspect would be MUCH better than this car in coping with the potholes and such.
The size is great however, and unlike the wobbly uncertainty you get with a Visto/Mourning/Atoz, the car really does help you feel where you are going. I suppose that's due to the "racing" setup it has on it, totally overkill sure, but what the hell?
Fuel economy average: 14 mpg, (17L per 100, or 6 km/l)
Total distance, I've been able to put about 1,000 miles on it total, or 5 tanks of fuel. Yes, this is a thirsty beast, and it's average fuel consumption has been a steady 14 mpg (US) for me (17L per 100, or 6 km/l). Plus with premium petrol required...well it's not that much more expensive, but still. The fuel bills are a lot more than I expected for a little 1.6 litre motor. Phnom Penh netted me the worst mileage at 7.6 mpg, (30L per 100km) and tank was flashing empty after just 85 miles, on rural roads however that figure jumped to 19 mpg (12.38L per 100 or 8.3 km/l) and best run netted 29 mpg (8.11L per 100, or 12.33 km/l) which was from Kep to Kampot and back to Kep again, averaging 30-40 mph and no traffic. The city really does murder on fuel economy on this little car.
Reliability and running costs $1,160 for servicing, and only two punctures, an A/C compressor, window track, rear wiper and temp gauge have broken.
This car wasn't treated nicely to begin with, and being familiar with R50 Minis I know they don't take well to abuse, so nothing that happened surprised me here. They're no more plasticky than Toyotas or Kias, and if you get yourself genuine or compatible fluids, filters and coolant into it, the car isn't all that bad. However as a caveat, unless you understand cars at least a little bit, I would not depend on this car, especially if you don't live in Phnom Penh.
As for servicing, a service with BMW fluids: coolant, oil and automatic transmission fluid (special ordered), plus air filter, oil filter and A/C compressor (which had seized) wound up being $1,160. Surprisingly however, these parts were available through Thailand and arrived next day, so keeping your MINI maintained isn't as bad as it seems if you care to do so. Again though, should you buy a MINI, get the right fluid! You will destroy your car if you don't, I've seen it happen in my own shop (in the U.S.).
In closing
So, you're probably thinking, "NO WAY IN HELL WOULD I EVER THINK OF TOUCHING ONE!". And I understand. However I'm not on that boat. I absolutely love this car, and it's been a blast to drive, albeit a very expensive blast, but nonetheless, it really has been a fun car to drive and play around with. There's something special about it, and I don't say that to be stupid, I mean that after driving it and listing all the "fun" it's been to run, I would buy another one for sure. The only thing I'd do differently is find a "normal" spec version with fatter tyres, softer suspension, and maybe a little less power. A 1.4 or a diesel would be swell.
So yes, I would absolutely consider buying another one, and after all, you have to remember this whole package (service and breakdowns included) was $12,000. That's the exact same price as my old beige Camry was. So really, when it comes down to it, you decide if it's worth it or not, but for me, the answer is a resounding yes. I love this car.
-AE86
Last edited by AE86 on Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Lucky Lucan
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I'm always amazed at how big these new Minis are. Is that an average price for one?
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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I had the Cooper S for a year in Austria ,with a Union Jack on the top. Drove well on the mountain roads ,I never had any complaints , but it was brand new.
$10,000 for a 158k miles car FFS! an 14MPG? something way wrong there
And yes I would not touch one of these - but not just here not even back in the UK ....
And yes I would not touch one of these - but not just here not even back in the UK ....
02 and 03 Coopers are around $8k fresh off the boat with no work done, and an S around $9k and above. When this car was bought (as a wreck), the hatch, bumper etc had to be replaced, along with a few other bits which brought the car to around $10k out the door. Purchase price for this one was...$8,400? I think.Lucky Lucan wrote:I'm always amazed at how big these new Minis are. Is that an average price for one?
And yes, it really is "huge" compared to the real Mini. Had it been possible to find a classic 1275 Mini here I would have gone for it in a heartbeat, but you go with what you can, and this thing is really quite fun.
Last edited by AE86 on Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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You haven't got much experience with cars in cambodia and even less when it comes to second hand cars have you?Baconroll wrote:$10,000 for a 158k miles car FFS! an 14MPG? something way wrong there
And yes I would not touch one of these - but not just here not even back in the UK ....
Thanks Akira I always wondered about them since my wife would love one. She will however keep her corolla 02 for now $
Ps: what do you think of the clubman/mini suv models?
What mileage should you be getting? 14MPG US (17MPG UK) seems a bit low.
I'm not a fan of the countryman (SUV), but the Clubman I actually like. I like split door "vans" more than single hatches.Barang_doa_slae wrote: Thanks Akira I always wondered about them since my wife would love one. She will however keep her corolla 02 for now $
Ps: what do you think of the clubman/mini suv models?
Truth be told though, I think the Clubman is somewhat ugly in an unlikeable way, and the Cooper is ugly in a likeable way. I still like both of them though.
I think less time in Phnom Penh traffic and you could average around 18 mpg US with this. Considering my average in an RX300 was 9 mpg in Phnom Penh traffic before, I think MINI is doing fine. As mentioned though, I topped nearly 30 mpg from Kampot to Kep and back.dv8inpp wrote:What mileage should you be getting? 14MPG US (17MPG UK) seems a bit low.
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Whoa! 17 L/100 km is atrocious. Anyway, love the Mini. But Cambodia is definitely the wrong environment. Smooth pavement and sharp corners are its metier. I do remember how bad it was on anything but smooth asphalt. Running the truck lanes meant constant corrections through its darty steering and short wheelbase. The merest irregularity in the asphalt was sent straight to your hands and wrist. Fun car and good on auto slaloms.
Great report there Akira.
Great report there Akira.
"We want our country to develop step by step. But that is such a long way off . . . as far away as the stars."
Jobless father in documentary Cambodia: Country of Scars.
Jobless father in documentary Cambodia: Country of Scars.
Your right I have no experience with cars here. Sold my last car in 2006 and dont really want a life style that requires one and I have that now. That does not mean I don't know anything about cars. I know they are way overpriced here compared to say US or UK and cars from the 90's running about here would be scrapped elsewhere. And 14MPG if a joke from a modern what 1600cc motor? shit I had 3.5L V8's that would get 25mpg... even with err brisk driving. And 158K miles is probably 3/4 of the vehicles life - when all sorts of parts are going to start to show wear....Barang_doa_slae wrote:You haven't got much experience with cars in cambodia and even less when it comes to second hand cars have you?Baconroll wrote:$10,000 for a 158k miles car FFS! an 14MPG? something way wrong there
And yes I would not touch one of these - but not just here not even back in the UK ....
The measure of fuel economy is dependent on two things. Rate of fuel consumption & average speed.
The little MINI's average speed has been 13 mph in Phnom Penh. So @ 14 mpg it's consuming fuel at a rate of around 1 gallon every hour.
Your Rover V8 doing 60 mph on the motor way getting 20 mpg (assuming US gallons), is consuming fuel at a rate of 3 gallons every hour.
If you bring the 3.5 litre motor here, at 13 mph average you'd be doing 7 mpg.
The little MINI's average speed has been 13 mph in Phnom Penh. So @ 14 mpg it's consuming fuel at a rate of around 1 gallon every hour.
Your Rover V8 doing 60 mph on the motor way getting 20 mpg (assuming US gallons), is consuming fuel at a rate of 3 gallons every hour.
If you bring the 3.5 litre motor here, at 13 mph average you'd be doing 7 mpg.
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Latest fillup, 15.4 mpg.
Reckless driving cucumber - 成
Nice write up. Cool.
But yes it's "BMW MINI" or just "MINI".
(The "Mini" is the proper British one, 1275 Clubman (Square front end) in black and gold thanks or a bored out round wing/fenders 1380 with twin Webers - you will have to cut a bigger hole in the firewall or a 60's Cooper S with Monte Carlo heratige. Cheers!)
But yes it's "BMW MINI" or just "MINI".
(The "Mini" is the proper British one, 1275 Clubman (Square front end) in black and gold thanks or a bored out round wing/fenders 1380 with twin Webers - you will have to cut a bigger hole in the firewall or a 60's Cooper S with Monte Carlo heratige. Cheers!)
pew, pew, pew, pew!
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