Right well here's the article that featured on Quentin Wilson's page:-
Q I'm 34 and just about to buy my first car. I have my heart set on a Mini, but can only spend £2,000-£3,000, so it's obviously going to be an old style model. My dad says that it won't be safe enough and I'll be paying out more than I can afford because it's a classic. I am a sensible person and I understand his concern, but I still want something with character rather than a boring little box. - Andrea Beeson, email.
A I LOVE your idealism, but Dad is right. Your Mini will have no air-bags, no seatbelt pre-tensioners and no side impact beams. Call me old-fashioned, but that matters. You'll also be forking out a fair bit of wedge just to keep it running and nursed through an MoT every year. I know you don't want to hear this, but you'd be much better off buying a Ford Ka, VW Polo or Peugeot 206. [/i]
And this is the e-mail I sent Mr Willson or the muppet that sends these answers without even doing any form of research:-
Hello Quentin (or whoever else is handling the e-mails),
After reading your little column in The Sunday Mirror today, I felt I had to e-mail you to correct a major crime!
Yes in the question and answer section you apparantely advise Andrea Beeson not to buy a real original Mini because it isn't equipped with an air-bag, side impact beams and seat belt pre-tensioners.
Come on Quentin you know very well the real original Mini got all these safety features from late 1996 onwards, I mean you test drove one on "Top Gear" and raved about them on your "The Cars The Star" TV Show back in 1997.
So why are you dissing the Mini now? After all as you know it's one of the most important cars ever made and it changed the face of motoring forever. Yes they can be right pains if their not serviced and abused, but if you look after a Mini, it'll look after you!
Oh and their one of the few cars that you can actually tinker with yourself, yes DIY service and repairs are easily managed, something you can't do with most modern cars today.
So please can you address this ere oversight? And recommend Andrea Beeson buys a late 1996 onwards Mini model, because her father will then be happy too as it's as safe as an ugly Ford Ka or a boring VW Polo etc, but it's considerabely more fun and she'll automatically get thousands of friends thanks to the massive following the little buz-box has around the country/world with Mini Clubs and lots of support etc.
Okay rant over, but please address this mate, or I'm never buying The Sunday Mirror or reading your page either as I'll never believe what's written there again!
Thanks for your time. [i]
The dumb thing is there's a link on The Sunday Mirror website to Parkers Car Guide and the Mini gets a reasonably high safety marking from 1996 on and it clearly states there that they have the safety features fitted too.
But like I said it's not the end of the world, but it's annoying when people get things wrong through lack of research, so I've e-mailed the muppets, so why doesn't everyone else here do the same? (just a quick e-mail telling them their wrong & the Mini got those safety features from 1996-2000 will do). After all they probably won't do jack rhubarb unless they receive a fair amount of complaints and regardless of what you think about the Mini, they've made a mistake because the car did get those very safety features they claim it never had.
Oh yes so Quentin should really have advised that woman to pay a little extra and buy one with the safety features, instead of writing the thing off completely.
Oh and here's Quentin's e-mail address:-
[email protected]
Anyway it's good to put the world to rights, especially when it concerns our little marvels eh?
