I think the adventures and liaisons associated with the Mini have coloured people's memories, The wing mirror falling off sounded about right (thanks for that recollection, Malcolm). I had a lot of contact with mini's, and owned a Mini-Cooper S, and while I enjoyed the acceleration, handling, and parking (in every sense), they were the most unreliable, cheap and nasty, poorly assembled pieces of junk I've ever come across. Every component rusted, the bonnets flew open as the front flexed, the car would never start in wet weather (I used to ring road service before I left the office on a wet evening), you couldn't get any traction for acceleration on a wet road, the car changed lanes every time you changed gear due to the torque effects, ergonomics were a dirty word, I could go on. Great fun, but I never want to own another one.
Dalton