This is a story written by Koh from Penang Malaysia and submitted to MalaysiaMiniLover.com. It’s a 1,000km road-trip in a 1993 MK6 Classic Mini Cooper. The full story goes here:

As a Mini lover, I’ve been driving a classic Mini for at least 18 years and also the BMW Mini Cooper for 10 years. Couple years ago, I drove a 2005 Mini Cooper to Thailand and clocked a few thousand miles during that trip. You may read the full story here if you are planning to drive to Thailand from Malaysia. This time, the journey is more or less the same, however, I made in with a 1993 Classic Mini Mayfair.

The purpose of this trip is to test the limit of a classic Mini Cooper. There are many people in Malaysia who are interested to buy a classic Mini. However, they always have a lot of concerns which hold them back. “Is this old car really reliable?”, “Can I use it daily?”, “Can this car travel far?”, “Will the fuel consumption high for such an old car?”, “How’s the maintenance? Is it expensive?”… These are the most commonly asked questions when someone has the wish to buy a classic Mini. The Mini Timeline & History could be a good start for those who are new to classic Mini.

This is a Japanese-specification Mini where it comes with a 1275 SPi engine, with built-in air-conditioning. Basically, the car is in stock condition except a Lukey exhaust silencer (some called it muffler, while some called it tip exhaust tip cover). Before the journey begins, I’ve replaced 2 engine mountings, subframe mountings, steering rack, tires, and some other wear and tear items. The radiator is flushed and filled up with new coolant. On top of that, 5-liter of engine oil has been replaced too. Everything is set and the journey is begin! See also: BMW Mini Cooper vs Classic Mini Cooper.

The journey begins at 4,136km according to the odometer. Don’t be surprise because it has been reset to 0 during the last service. The classic Mini fuel tank capacity is 5.5 gallons which is approximately 20 liters. For 1 and a half tank of RON95 petrol, which is 30 liters, I was able to travel 391km. In conclusion, the real-life fuel consumption for a classic Mini with a 1275 SPi engine under the hood is 13.03 km/l (30.65 mpg). My 2005 Mini Cooper R50 is 12.53km/l (29.47mpg). Compared to many modern cars on the street today, I would said the classic Mini with a 90s engine is considered a very economical car. What do you think?

After reading the story, will you consider to buy a Classic Mini then? LOL