My sister had a Mini 1000 (1977) was a hoot to drive when she let me, but most unreliable car we ever had, rusty (wings/sills etc), engine blew up, brakes failed (master cylinder), etc, etc.

But my Mum's trusty Ford Escort Mk2 of 1978 so similar vintage, we owned for nearly 30 years, used every day for most of it, super reliable, great car, sold with heavy heart, but my Mum just deserved something modern with power steering etc.

Mini needs a cheap no frills model, they would sell bucket loads, but more money in the flashy style models, the BMW influence, they don't do cheap, sorry I meant value!