Changed the oil yesterday on my 2013 JCW Clubman. No complaints except for hauling larger items. Its a great every day companion that returns excellent fuel economy (compared to the full size SUVs i've previously daily drove). I've only got 20K miles on it but if it keeps going this smoothly, I'll be keeping it until its time for my wife to get a new truck (where i'll be taking over her truck at that time). Hopefully we're 2-3 years away from that

 

Thanks for the farewell nod. I've been car-less for weeks since selling the Clubman very quickly without having ordered a new car! I first wanted a Honda Fit and had 'built' one online, only to find that they've had a 5 month shutdown at the Fit factory due to flooding in Mexico. I couldn't even test drive one. Likely March until I could get one. However, this lead me to my current choice, the very Mini like (in handling) Toyota Yaris (aka Yaris iA, or Scion iA, or Mazda 2).
Helped by Consumers Reports buying service it's $18,000 delivered to my door. It feels wonderful. It's not the familiar Yaris, it's a Mini-esque Mazda, just 106 hp, but my R55 was 118 hp eleven years ago and likely about 106 when I sold it. Similar 6-speed automatic too, though no paddles...
It's worth a look to anyone who needs to sell their Mini. Now I just need to wait another few weeks to get that one :-(

The Mini club I helped start here back in 2009 has invited me to lead their spring tour as an alumnus in my Toyota/Mazda. I'll just have to resist the wave when I see a Mini coming least I confuse the driver.

 

Reading through this somewhat old thread has stirred some Mini-loving emotions to the extent that I can't resist the urge to necropost!

DneprDave, do you still have your Mini? I know the OP TorchMINI no longer has his. I am returning to this group with my 3rd Mini. I didn't know of NAM's existence when I owned my first mini - a 2003 S manual model. That one was a solid car, minus the turbocharger that died at 129k miles.

My second one that brought me to this group was a 2010 Mini Clubman S, which sadly, was a mega-lemon-sandwich from Lemonsville Prime. After multiple repairs, including removing the cylinder head myself TWICE, I decided I'd had enough and frantically traded it in on something else as quickly as possible.

Fast forward to August 2020. We are back at work again, but sadly my carpool has dissolved, for various reason. I was having to drive my 20-23mpg 3.5 twin turbo sedan every day on my 100+ mile round trip commute. When I was only taking my turn driving once or twice a week, it wasn't so bad, but driving every day starts to add up at the gas pump!

I was initially looking for a decent deal on an older Prius. I happened upon a low priced Mini here in Idaho, but it was in really bad shape, including engine problems and no air conditioning!! I walked away from that one. Much to my surprise, another Mini popped up on my radar for sale just 3.5 hours south of where I live. It was a 2011 Clubman (no S this time! I'm scared of that turbo mess because of my 2010.) with only 104k miles. They were asking $3700. I read in the listing that the reduced price was because it needed new tires AND a clutch replacement. When done at a dealer or even a local shop, clutch replacements can be very expensive, especially on European cars, so it made sense why they were only asking $3700 for a $6300+ car. I had several conversations with the seller, and ended up getting a check from my bank to take down there with me. We agreed on a $2800 selling price over the phone, and of course I could keep the check and walk away if I drove down there and discovered significant unexpected problems.

In fact, I did not discover significant unexpected problems. The car was VERY clean, had no bad smells, smoke or otherwise. The test drive did in fact indicate a VERY worn out clutch plate, but it drove well enough to load up onto the car hauler.

After ordering a surprisingly inexpensive and well-reviewed clutch kit, the parts arrived, and I took apart my new Mini and replaced the clutch. It was even more of a joy to work on than my 2010 because there were no turbo parts complicating things! I have found Mini's refreshingly simple and even fun to work on, but this non-S was even more enjoyable. Save one stripped bolt (possibly from a starter replacement or previous clutch replacement?) it came apart and went back together very nicely. Shifting felt AMAZING, and I have been enjoying driving my new little 40mpg fuel sipper on my work commute for 3 days in a row now.

I'm very curious to see who, from this thread of people wanting to keep their Mini for a long time, is still here!!

 

love my R55!

 

How long have you had it for now?

 

Was going to keep my 2003 R50 forever
until someone turned in front of me a
couple years ago. It had a Quaife LSD
with a 6-speed Getrag swap plus Milltek
header and exhaust and lots of other
neat stuff.

Now have a 2009 JCW R55 that I bought
2 years ago with only 29K miles on it.
It has about 42K now and I’m going to
try to keep this one ‘forever’.

 

Wow, that is SUPER low miles for a 2009! Make sure you are RELIGIOUS on your oil changes, with good quality oil. And keep an eye on those turbo oil lines, and check your PCV regularly for abnormally high residue buildup. Regular walnut blasting of your intakes is also not bad insurance! If you're already doing all of those things, just ignore me, but I've got some good advice on the upper of these motors, because I've torn apart the upper TWICE for valve repairs, and one time I did the piston rings while I was at it.

A little extra maintenance will go a long way on these, and they really need it. It really is true what they say, that you gotta 'pay to play'!

 

I have the PVC blocked and an OCC
on the other side. I keep the oil
within 1/4 qt of full at all times
and change with good oil every 5,000
miles (currently using Pennzoil Euro
Platinum 0w-40 SN+ or SP).
I put on a WMW turbo blanket and the
turbo line heat shield.
I never shut it off immediately after
running it hard.
I run some SeaFoam and or BG44K
into the intake manifold via the PVC
vacuum line before each oil change
and recently ordered a bore scope to
look at the intake valves someday.
The previous owner was the wife of the
owner of the place that does my MINI
repairs, and it was apparently well
cared for by them before I got it.
Also put on Enkei wheels and Michelin
PS4S tires on (Summer) and X-ice3 on
the stock wheels (Winter), Koni
Yellow Sports, a 25.5mm hollow rear bar,
and G-Loc street pads.
I’m really enjoying it.

 

I still have my 2010 Clubman S, it has remained trouble free and now has 50,000 miles on it.

 

My 2012 has 115k miles on it, and has been largely trouble free. I’m coming up to some bigger repairs, and once completed, I’m hoping to get a bunch more miles of fun out of it.

 

Just got back from a trip on the Dragon with colinmini. Got back this morning and changed the oil at 149,814. These things are so much fun, definitely going to keep it.

 

Certainly hope to keep him forever

 

Still have my 2013 JCW R55.

I still love it (even more than when I first got it) but have had it posted for sale. No real interest and ive been maintaining/upgrading it as needed

Bought a 4x4 last winter to keep me mobile should weather turn foul and really didnt “need” it as it didnt really snow. Kept 10k miles off the R55 though. Ended up selling the truck and keeping the Mini.

Now I bought a 1994 ZR1 so now its gonna be the Mini that sees winter use (may get some dedicated winter tires) or get sold for something more “all weather”

 

 

And you have a Mustang! Truly a car guy

My Clubman really is a love-hate relationship. When I have any maintenance to perform on it, I think I’ll only keep it another year or so. When I’m driving it around, I never want to give it up!

 

I just rolled 150,000 yesterday morning at 5:36 am at 120 mph. Had to run into run again this morning and she didn’t complain one bit. She’s mine, looks like the daughter is going to get something else, unless something pops up daddy can’t resist.

 

Ive had that Mustang for 20 years so thats my “forever” car... Bought the Z as my next “forever” car.

An easy task as insurance for both is ~$450 a year

Id LOVE to keep the Mini forever but if I absolutely need something for better all weather duty I cant justify paying for the Mini’s insurance and maintenance along with another modern daily driver

 

It’s been nearly 10yrs of ownership since buying mine 2011 R55 S auto. Truly a love hate relationship with the car. Its got 77k and recently spent $3k for engine and suspension work from a independent mechanic shop that specializes in Mini’s. First few mod things I did was upgrading with a Helix intercooler, Koni sports struts and dump those runflat tires with lighter conventional ones. I personally think those few mods saved me $$$$ in the long term because I went nearly 50k with only warranty work for the temp sensor twice and 1 water pump. It’s was only recently that problems started happening like VANO’s cam sensor, small leak oil at the turbo.

My daughter drove it a lot during high school and never left her stranded even when it went into limp mode she was able to make it home. That’s not to say I wanted to keep it forever cause it started acting up to the point I wanted to drive it off a cliff.
It’ll be 10yrs of ownership come 2021 and some say certain engines were designed better like the N18 vs the N14. In my case it was shear luck with getting the N18 since I knew nothing about Mini. Didn’t think I’d keep it this long but honestly when it’s running right its a go-kart and gets exceptionally good mileage compared to others in its category. So do I still want to keep it forever... NO but I’ll kept it until I have to dump another $3k or when my son is ready to drive it.

 

I bought my 09 Clubman S off my pop with around 50k on it. Love driving that thing! Not without issues- random failures here and there, carbon build up, etc. At 120k, main computer issues, coolant leaks and issues, spent a LOT of time in the shop. Last year the engine needed to be replaced. I toyed with the idea of cutting my losses and selling it for scrap, but damnit I just couldn't do it. I bit the bullet and had an independent shop tracked down a replacement- it wasn't brand new but it was in better shape than where I was. At this point it's apparent that this car is a labor of love. MInor things related to the engine swap have cropped up here and there, but all things considered, he seems to be doing fine. Buttons on the key fob don't work for some reason, in spite of a new battery, cd player stopped working, and looks like it's time for a suspension overhaul- still on the road though.

On that note... anyone have any luck getting key fobs back online, or replacing the cd player?? :-D

 

We ended up selling our Pepper White 2012 Cooper in 2020 due to a move to the UK in May 2020. We had been splitting time US/UK for a couple of years, and already had a Hot Chocolate 2008 Cooper R55 in the UK, which had major issues when we bought it in 2017 but had been running well since. In about October 2020 it developed a misfire when it got warm that we could not diagnose, so I ended up trading it in for a 2014 Iced Chocolate Cooper S which I totally love. THIS one I intend to keep, honest...