Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for my very first car and I'm super new to all this so please forgive me if I ask any dumb questions.

I get really bad driving anxiety, and being in a little car greatly alleviates that. So naturally a Mini is something I would really enjoy driving. Plus I just love them. I mean, even looking at a MC can put a smile on my face. However, my mom thinks getting one as my daily driver is a terrible idea and will eat up all my money with repairs. So I came to NAM searching for information that can help me make a decision if a MC is really a feasible option for me. I've been lurking on here and doing a lot of reading. I've learned a TON but I still have some questions that I'm hoping you all will be kind enough to help me answer.

From what I can tell there are a lot of mixed feelings about buying a used MC as a daily use car. So to give you some specifics, the cars I've been seeing available in my area are either '07s or '09s. It's my understanding that the justas are far more reliable than the MCSs from these years due to the problems associated with the N-14 engine. So I've narrowed my search down to the justa coopers. However, are there any common problems associated with the N-12 engine that I should be aware of? Or anything that when looking at a used justa MC from these years I should keep an eye out for? There's one in particular I have my eye on-it's a 2007 justa MC with 76k miles. How reliable would you say I could expect a car like that to be?

Also, when I look at the VIN in the BMW model archive they all seem to be cold-climate cars. I live in Florida, and I'm not sure if that's something I should be worried about?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

Take your prospective purchase to a qualified mechanic & have him look it over. It will cost some money to do that, but it is money well spent.

Open the hood, pull the dipstick, is the oil where it should be & clean? Pull the oil cap off the engine, is it clean in there or full of sludge?

Does it have brake fluid? Is it clean or dark & dirty?

Does it have enough coolant, is it clean?

Try every thing on the car & confirm it works. Lights ,turn signals, heater fan, cruise, radio, the works.

If you don't know cars take someone along who does. Many times a walk around is all you need to tell if it is a good one or a beaten old horse.

 

I have an ’07 Justa with about 81K on it. .

I’ve never kept a car as long as I’ve kept this one. Bought it new. I still like it and plan to keep it at least another 1.5-2 years.

The only unusual expensive I’ve had is the waterpump thermostat housing which needed replacement at about 50K miles. I also had the serpentine belt, spark plugs and coolant changed at that time.

I am due for brake fluid flush. Still on original brake pads (I’m not an aggressive driver). Still on my original battery which currently tests good. But I know brake work and battery replacement are coming up. Probably should do a coolant flush change too.

Everything still works. I change the oil and filter about every 5K miles. I only run top tier premium gasoline. It gets mostly driven at highway speeds. Mostly between Wyoming and Southern Nevada. So it sees cold and hot weather. It has a garage. My average MPG (calculated) is 36.5MPG. My average speed (OBC) is 49.2MPH. Those figures are based on almost 81K miles.

Now, will the one you’re looking at be as good as mine has been? I have no clue. The best advice is per ashchuckton -

See if there is an independent mechanic in your area that is knowledgeable IRT MINI’s.

 

One tip...
If you want an "appliance" do not buy a mini....
If you have anxiety issues over car repair....do not buy...you will worry yourself senseless!!
Mini's are great cars if they have been driven well, and properly matained....
If the prior owner ignored Any of the cars needs....it will be an $$$ lesson...
If you still want one....
Get it to a mechanic that knows mini's.....Get it inspected....before you buy it.
Mini's are fairly $$ to matain....and parts can be $$$$. Good luck.

 

Thank you for your input, I appreciate the advice Ashchuckton. I'll definitely be getting any car I am thinking of buying looked over by a qualified mechanic.

BeeDeeJay-
You mention some unusual repairs. Do you know of anything known to go wrong in the justas/N-12? Anything I should keep a special eye out for on a used MC?

Zippy-
I'm not so much worried about how much a repair would cost, as I would expect it to be fairly pricey on any European car. And as far as my anxiety, it's the physical act of driving that freaks me out. A MINI would help alleviate some of that since I wouldn't feel like I was in a giant death-tank lol. My main concern is how frequently I would be getting it repaired. How reliable are the justas from these years? What commonly goes wrong?

Thank you all for your help!

 

All I can relate is my case:
The only things that have been done outside of scheduled maintenance were:
- The oil pump solenoid leaked into the wiring harness. Those were replaced under warranty, along with the thermostat housing because the new wiring didn't plug into the old housing.
- The jack failed to lift the vehicle and scraped up the right-side rocker cover. This was repaired under goodwill.

That's it, in something over 30,000 miles on my 2012.

 

Special eye? While it doesn’t seem to be an issue with N-12’s have the mechanic check the timing chain tensioner.

If there's a local MINI club in your area check with them for recommended MINI mechanics. This site has a list of MINI clubs in one of the forum sections.

 

Thanks so much BeeDeeJay and Slave to Felines!

 

Before you buy read this-
http://www.forthepeople.com/class-ac...-chain-lawsuit

and this-
http://www.truedelta.com/Mini-Hardtop/problems-211/2008
Note: I could not get the 2007 data but 2008 is close enough.

Another idea I have for you is a used 2007 or 2008 Honda Fit which came in a base version and Sport version. Either would do fine. The manual transmission is more fun to drive and gets better mpg but the automatic transmission is more popular.

Besides my MINI I have owned both a 2007 and 2008 Fit Sport. Extremely good for hauling things and very easy to drive. Reliable and not that hard to find.

When buying a used car, if possible:
Look for low miles and one non smoking owner with no pets.
Ask for all maintenance records, the more the better.
Get a good mechanic you trust to look over the car inside and out, checking for signs of flood damage or car repair and any rust.
Look for any small reason to ask for a lower price, when dealing with a private party always try to bargain and offer to close the sale.

Things to check-
All of the dash ***** and controls- does everything work?
Wear and tear on the seat fabric and look up to the headliner- any tears or marks?
Look in the engine bay, check the oil as mentioned, and the air filter- is it new or filthy (bad sign).
Check all of the tires, how much tread is left on EACH tire, are all the tires the same brand and model, is the tread worn down evenly or is it irregularly worn.

Be careful when buying from Craigslist-
Sometimes sellers are really some mechanic that buys wrecks or salvage cars and fixes them up for cheap then sells them.
Sometimes the seller has bought the car cheap and is just flipping it for a quick profit- there could be problems with the title not being clear. Check the vehicle title, not just the registration.

Have fun shopping.

I really like the MINI but would recommend the Honda Fit for the 2007 model year. Overall wear and tear would be better with the Fit and it is more reliable. The MINI has more power and is more upscale, the Fit more practical. Both are easy to park and fun to drive, especially the MINI.

I have a 2003 Cooper S with over 103,000 miles, I've done lots of replacements for the power windows, headliner, front leather seats, AC, Power steering pump, Accessory cooling fan, both front drive axles, engine mounts, all the suspension bushings and passenger airbag to name a few. It drives like a gem, but like any older car there are some rattles and there is always something going to wear out and break sooner or later.
How long will I keep it, I don't see an end in sight.

 

I think Minihune is giving you sound advice. Unless you have a relatively unlimited source of income, a breakage with the Mini will be costly. I've owned mine for less than a year. In that time I've had two window motors fail,, the steering rack spring a leak, and I just replaced the passenger door lock mechanism/motor. Some of the work I was able to do myself, one window motor was a warranty since the car was purchased from a dealer, and the rest I paid to have done. I've already topped almost $1K in parts and labor and believe it would have been closer to $3K if I had to pay for all of it since the window motor problem is not unheard of and I don't know what they cost to actually do.

Stick with a decent *** trap as a first car. I once owned a used BMW Bavaria back in the 70's. I met a person who owned the same car. He came to the conclusion that the cost of keeping them running was higher that the actual payments on a new car. He had already done it and was spending LESS on the payments than he was on the repairs to the older car.

A Mini IS a BMW~

Good luck whatever you do.