jono300

iTrader: (8)

Just noticed the local driver instructor has bought herself a new mini to replace the old one, now I could be wrong but am 99% certain that this is the "" cooper "" version, certainly has a cooper decal along each side off the car, funny enough also noticed another larger driving school had also replaced there minis with yep mini`s all having this "" cooper "" decal.

I am correct in saying that the cooper version off the mini is indeed the so called sports version with the 1.6 engine ?? if so surely no insurance company would touch driving schools using such a car for driving tution ??
slightly confused if anyone could clarify if indeed all cooper models off the mini are indeed the sportier / quicker ones ??

pete higham

wait for david (corradoboy) to come along as he is a driving instructor and in a better position to comment

i wouldnt have thought it made any difference if it has dual controls as the instructor still has control over the car

Daryl

Cooper S is the fast-ish version

jono300

iTrader: (8)

Okay cheers but still fell that ins companies would not be too keen on insuring "" quicker cars "" which are used for driving instruction regardless off the fact they have dual controls, but could be wrong !!

sorry just noticed your reply there Daryl regards the cooper S model being the sportier one, so I take it the standard cooper is purely updated trim etc as opposed to having an upgarded engine in comparsion to say the mini one etc ??

Will

seen a instructor with a a silver skoda vrs last week

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I though the One and the Cooper had the same engine, but the Cooper was mapped differently and had a bit more power.

Seems odd to me that a driving school would use anything other than a scruffy old banger that's cheap to fix and where a few dents don't matter.

seven x

Instructor round our way has a Megane cup 225?!

jono300

iTrader: (8)

would imagine they are all under some contract other other that takes care off the leasing /repair bills etc for the dozen or so clutches etc that the car gets thru in its short life !! also not many bangers used in the world off driving schools are here anyway, suppose its not really the image the school are looking for !! but yep see what you are saying.

r32

[QUOTE=AndyC_772;7894717]I though the One and the Cooper had the same engine, but the Cooper was mapped differently and had a bit more power.

QUOTE]

This true for the MK 1 of the BMW Mini's with the Brazilian Chrysler built engine, but the newer cars have a BMW built (joint venture with Peugeot) engine, the Mini one has a 1.4 engine the Cooper has a 1.6 version, I can imagine the Cooper makes an excellent driving school car.

mykp

Theres an insructor in macclesfield who uses a Cooper S (Driving School Lessons Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Poynton, Bramhall, Hazel Grove, Cheadle, Alderley Edge, Stockport And Surrounding Areas) and another who uses a Civic Type-R. A black one!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Its just marketing, if you were 18 and you were learning, would you choose the instructor who uses the 1.0 Micra or the Mini Cooper ?

Leslie

The Mini Cooper has got about 15 BHP more that the Mini One by a different mapping and the extra performance is not exactly ground breaking. The suspension is uprated a bit and the handling is actually outstanding.

The Mini Cooper S is supercharged with some 65 BHP more with even harder suspension. It is quite a hot little ship and is extremely fast on a cross country drive on a wide variety of roads. Like a Scooby it will empty its fuel tank pretty quickly when driven to the limits of its's performance.

The school of driving car you mention is no more difficult to drive than anything else.

Les

Hoppy

What difference does it make? So long as you can get the car into top gear during normal driving, then it should make no difference to the quality of learning. Probably the opposite.

And the tutor gets a nice little car to drive when they're not teaching.

My son lean't the basics from me in my Scoob, then a few lessons with a professional in a Focus and passed first time

Richard.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

We have an instructor around here who use a Fiesta ST for lessons. If it was me learning I know which car I'd prefer to be seen it and it wouldn't be a Yaris

Definitely a good marketing ploy

Oldfella

iTrader: (3)

Leslie, don't forget the Cooper D, super car

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

The instructor has full control over the vehicles power so the insurance company don't car !

Dual controls remember !! The car wont be seeing any fast driving other than possible motorway lessons and 1.1 - 1.6 doesn't really matter at 70 mph !

ScoobyWon't

Bugatti Veyron with dual controls?

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

Sounds good to me

ScoobyDriverWannabe

Couple of instructors up here have them, the first mini i saw when they came out was a driving school one up here.

There was another driving instructor up here used too use a Mx5. I always see a 206 cabriolet nocking about aswell witht he roof down as a learner car.

Snazy

Coopers are quite a common choice, missus has a few customers who are driving instructors who use them

As has been said, Cooper and CooperS are worlds apart, the simple S is a bit of a red herring. There is a lot more between them than a red S lol.

The Cooper D is indeed a nice impressive little car too, I would agree

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

what is it your misses does .. that sounds a bit dodgy

Snazy

*chuckle chuckle....

She sells Mini's

corradoboy

I teach in this....



...and previously....



Prior to that I had a Corsa [spit] and both myself and the learners much prefer having something decent to drive A few of the WYIOC guys have been somewhat surprised by the little Furby's performance both on road and on the track where it has held its own against many Scoobs As for the insurance, by far the vast majority of driving instructor insurance claims are for people hitting us, so our policies are surprisingly cheap. I pay under £400 a year.