As with most forums, NAM has more posts from folks having problems with their MINIs than posts from folks who just popped in to say how great and trouble-free their MINI is. So, this post is for you. I'd like to hear from others who have not had any problems with their MINIs. Calico Jack is fabulous - no problems WHATSOEVER. He runs like a champ! Our former MINI, Cary Cooper, was a 2009 and until he was rear-ended/totaled by a texting ****** this past December, likewise was wonderful. Never had any problems with him either, just typical scheduled maintenance. I KNOW I'm not the only one out there who hasn't experienced any problems. So, tell us how great your MINI is too! If you want to gripe about your MINI, this is the wrong place to do it. This is so others can hear the multitudes of SUCCESS stories! So, show your pride and tell me about your fabulous MINI! Let's see how many posts we can get here!

 

I am LOVING my 2011 R56 S! Love snicking through the 6 speed manual box, cranking the turns, hearing the "burbles and pops"! Only had her for about 5000 miles, 26.5k on the clock. Seems (by the CARFAX report) that the previous owner had the t-stat and housing replaced, and I have only had minor issues to deal with so far. Under the remaining factory warranty, MINI of Escondido replaced a slightly weeping water pump and a slightly leaking oil sender/valve of some kind, along with the wiring harness the oil had wicked up. And some other trinketry, picky stuff, like a discoloring Sport button and steering wheel buttons, discolored sill plates, and a poorly fitting front bumper chrome trim piece. My factory warranty is good until 1/15, and you can BET I will be back to MINI of Escondido for a final warranty check right before it runs out! I also bought an extended 6-year Hendricks warranty, so I am hoping that will cover most (if any) future issues. That being said, it would be nice if I could keep tread on my tires (tyres) a bit longer! But, that is an owner defect, caused by ME having WAY TOO MUCH FUN on the twisties! As a side note, I would like to share my displeasure at the sheer COST of upgrade items, such as exhaust systems! REALLY? a GRAND (or more!) for a good-sounding aftermarket system? Cold air intakes for $300.00 plus? I have a car payment to make! LOL! Saving my nickles and dimes where I can for upgrades! Happy Motoring!

And may I add that MINI owners should ALWAYS wave to each other when we see each other out Motoring? I ALWAYS wave, and get few waves back! Come on, folks! We drive cute little quirky rockets, and are like brothers (and sisters) in that sense! I have an old JEEP pickup, and when I drive that monster, almost EVERY other JEEP driver waves or give a thumbs up! Same with my 67 Chevelle. WAVE to other MINI drivers, and try to use all of your fingers while doing so! LOL!

 

I'm still in love with my 2011 MCSm: best car I've owned.

 

I love my R53, only problem was thermostat housing other than that nothing but fun motoring!

 

I've had "Orca" for 9 months and its awesome. Only issue so far is I had the cold start issue which the dealership fixed under the service bulletin. I love the look, the handling, and just the overall driving experience.

I always enjoyed driving a manual so when buying Mini I went with a manual and really happy I did. I feel like I pay more attention to the driving experience and the road having a manual transmission.

 

I LOVE my Mini. I used to hate driving, like really really hate, and now I can't wait to get on the car to drive... anywhere! My experience would've been perfect if I had known the standard audio system was a huge POS, but I'm ok where it is now with some speaker replacements. Sometime in the future I may replace the whole system, but can't now... buying a house :D... priorities!

 

Mine hasn't been perfect, but the problems were dealt with in an excellent fashion IMHO. The oil pump solenoid leaked, which required replacing it and the wiring harness from there to the t-stat housing, the t-stat housing, and the t-stat itself. That was found by my dealer during a normal service. Plus the stock jack utterly failed to lift the car and damaged the rocker panel. The rocker cover was replaced by MINI under goodwill, so I'm happy with that.

30K miles so far, and no other surprises.

 

Ive had a 64 1/2 Mustang, 66 Chevelle ss, 57 Chevy, 3 bugs, 65 Ford, few pickups etc, but my 09 Mini Cooper s is # 1 with me. No headaches yet and even if she did have a problem here and there, she would still be # 1 with me. Love this car!

 

Nothing in my fleet returns the WOW factor AND the MPG that my MINI does! My modified 67 Chevelle...love her, but she eats gas like crazy! Car show trips only. My daily-driver 2011 MCS? She actually makes the drive to work and back home FUN!!! I have a blast driving the twisties on the way to work, and it almost makes me forget about the FACT that I am driving TO work. On the way home? Time to unwind, and enjoy motoring bliss! Burbles and pops, cranking turns like I am 17 again, and still bullet-proof! Radio? What radio? The sweetest sound is coming from my exhaust! And, I am not killing butterflies, unicorns, or whatever with any extremely noxious fumes. I LOVE my Chevelle, but my MINI is my favorite "drivers car". I really hope my Chevelle is not listening right now....

 

I love my Mini, I've never had anything that handled so well. Living in California I'm blessed with twisty turns and mountain roads. Nothing clears my head like my Mini on a mountain road.

 

You can not beat the enjoyment of driving a Cooper S on the back roads in the UK.

 

I've had my 07 MCS for just about 11 months now and have put 10,000 miles on it already. I absolutely LOVE my MINI!

During my ownership, I have had one issue with a leak in the mechanical water pump. BUT .. that has NOT hindered the love for my MINI Cooper! I don't know how it was driven prior to me, or how it was taken care of. It is what it is.

Definitely LOVE my MINI! I've contemplated getting a new one, but eh .. I love mine too much.

 

I am on my second MINI. Had a 07, I bought used and drove for 4years. Never got tired of driving it. Would look for a reason to go out and drive. Bought my second in February, I had always said, if I buy another MINI it either had to be a JCW or a GP. Went with the JCW. Was my first new car, aboaulty love it! It's a different animal!

 

I traded a FR-S in on my '13 Justa hardtop in January. 6,000 miles and it's been flawless. Best car move I ever made. As James Garner said: "If everybody knew about 'em everybody would be driving one".

 

I've had my 13 cooper S for 7 months now, already almost 15k miles! I absolutely love it! Only issue is one or two small cabin vibrations! Which doesn't matter since widows are always down!

 

Come on, folks! Are you seriously telling me we only have 16 trouble free MINIs out there of our NAM members alone?! Or, iare you saying this just a boring thread that isn't sensational enough? I know you're out there... Show your pride, tell everyone how GREAT your MINI is!

 

With the new Mini I didn't have any problems, was it luck? Driving a Mini requires more attention then driving a Toyota.But you get more fun with the little one. You can never win on both sides, you have to chose and grumble a little bit.

 

Not luck at all! Yes, a little more attention, indeed, but I certainly hear from more owners without problem than those with them. These are just fantastic little ***** of fun! it's always great to hear from folks with their trouble-free treasures! motor on!

 

So I've had my Mini R56S (I call it my Mario Kart) for about 10 months. In that time, I've put 18,000 miles on it (I drive 110+ miles per day to commute to work). I have a love/hate relationship with it. I LOVE it when I'm driving. I HATE it when I have to do anything to it or with it other than drive it. I've only had small issues: paint flaking off the front bumper which the dealer split the cost with me; HPFP replaced under warranty; POS standard audio system; POS halogen head lamps to just name a few. The rough ride is painful on the poorly maintained DC area roads, and the lack of lumbar support is also painful. There are so many other rants I could start here because in general it's a difficult car to work with in comparison to the previous cars I've owned.

However, I've been able to modify my seat and car enough with other things (amp for the stereo, projectors/HID kit for the headlamps) and now it's fun! There isn't much I can do about the harsh ride on the roads, though. Simply put, my MINI is great...for now (but only for now...).

 

There's a fix for that: http://www.integralaudio.com/index.php/mini.html

Performance mods are great for fun-road driving, but if you listen to music (or even talk radio) nothing will improve your commute or daily drive as much as a really great sound system. In terms of enjoyment-per-minute, nothing comes close for most drivers....

 

Oh I know about the integral system but it is just a bit too expensive to justify to my wife. If I were still single and didn't have other responsibilities, I'd be all over it...

 

Motor on!

My MINIs are the least troublesome in my stable...

 

2013 R56 JCW, not a daily driver, have 7000 miles in first year with no problems at all. Love driving her, best thing about the weekends.

 

Low miles I would hope you have no problems!
We sold on our 09 MCS a couple weeks ago, I definitely had mixed feelings about it. Strong, fun, reliable, it was one of the good ones. The new owner loves it, she's all smiles at 100k.

 

Fair enough. If you feel like playing it dangerously with your better half, I'll throw out these two thoughts:

1) We are sell to women at about twice the aftermarket audio industry average. I also have male married customers report (more than you'd think) that their wives are surprisingly thrilled with the Soundstage™ (fights have started over who gets to drive the car to work. Seriously.). In our survey's we've found that the reasons include: no visual modifications, a professionally developed risk-free package, retained value, and at the end of the day...everybody who loves music appreciates the phenomenal sound quality.

2) We've been drawing attention to Paypal's BillMeLater. They are doing 6/12 months with zero payments/zero interest, and up to 18 months zero interest.

Of course, if you get yourself into trouble with your wife, I will disavow all knowledge of this post and claim this account was hacked.....