I've been looking into getting a Mini Cooper S lately and have noticed everyone sells theirs after having it a year or so, with very low miles. I know everyone sounds like they love their Mini's, it just seems odd to me to find so many low mile 2005-2007's for sale.


Is it because they want to sell before the warranty is up?


Any insight or thoughts would be great.

 

Poke around here a bit more...I'm sure you'll find plenty of people who have happily kept theirs for years. The only reason that many of them may sell their beloved MINI is because they feel a need to change color or style to something else, but keep in the MINI family!

 

I think that the majority of the ones you see for sale, are from people who gave the car a chance, but it just didn't quite fit their bill.
Of course, there are always other circumstances such as;
can't afford it
not practical
moving to other countries, etc...
The list can go on and on.

I'd say that the majority of people who buy mini's because it a mini, are the ones you will see here, the ones who are passionate about the car.

 

Could also be that these were just fun cars, not daily drivers. My husband's fun car has ridiculously low miles on it-- and that's with two cross country moves.

 

Well, consider looking at a MINI Cooper S as a 2 seater sports car. Look at it that way, buy one and enjoy it.
Or get a non "S" Clubman with an automatic trans and non sport suspension, relax and enjoy with 3 friends.
It seems that certain people just don't get it.
A friend of mine, that turned me on to MINI's (he's 6'2" about 240lbs) said I should get one too. After he bought his, I took it for a ride and bought one the next year.
He on the other hand sold his, bought a BMW M3, sold that bought a Porsche, sold that bought a VW SUV (Tuareg?) and a Harley. Long story short, his MINI went up for sale, for what reason? I don't really know...BUT he did "get it" telling me a couple years later, that he wishes he had his MINI.

Did you notice the resale value of certain models, pretty good huh?

Get one.

 

It's not a secret that some MINIs are built with some QC issues (rattling, transmission, parts, etc.) so unless someone is really into it, I can see why they would want to get rid of a pretty new car that is giving them trouble. This was something I was worried about before getting my MC, but I can tell you it's hard to gauge just how many issues there really are based on forums because people without problems obviously don't post about it.

 

maybe lease vehicles

 

I can't speak for the S, but were Sooper satisfied with our 04 MC. We've put 65k miles on it (bought it used with 5K). The only reason we're trading/selling it is because we're getting a Clubman, and we don't need two cars.

Now, in Maine, there are a few reasons I can come up with why you wouldn't want a MINI to be your only car:

-Dealer is too far away
-Not very good in the snow
-Can't put a plow on the front
-Can't put a dead moose in the back
-Could loose the car in a pot hole on Route 1
-Can't fit all 10 of your cousins children that you just inherited by default in the back
-Too scared of getting run over by a monster truck driven by a guy name Earl
-Can't use it to haul your lobster boat
-Can't use it to drag logs out of the woods
-You tried to turn it into a snowmobile like they did on Monster Garage, but you couldn't get Jesse James to help you, so now you just have a MINI with a giant hole in the back sitting in your tool shed.

 

Thanks for all the comments. It just makes me a little leary. I live in Georgia and originally from Florida... its hard to even find one around me to buy!! much less talk to anyone about theirs, ride in one or drive one. ( i have driven one once.)

I have a really good car right now (not many mechanical issues), and I'm a little hesitant on getting a Mini and running into a bunch of problems with it. (since there isnt a mini place anywhere near savannah ga - i'd have to drive to atlanta, jax or Orlando for warranty things)
I mean come on.... when i go to the issue section of the board one of the top sticky's is ENGINE BAY FIRES!!! EEEKKKK

 

The really nice thing is the warranty that comes with a MINI, even the MINI NEXT options. You're not going to get stuck with a lemon. While your closest dealership is two hours away (ours is an hour), it really is a treat to drive and the complaints of problems are easily overshadowed by the thousands of MINI owners who love their MINI.

To give you an idea, the only problems we've had were easily remedied. The boot surrounding the electronics for the CVT was allowing moisture in, and they replaced the boot, problem solved. One of the cells in the battery just died, they replaced the battery, problem solved. Not a single penny has come out of pocket for these problems, and the folks at Century MINI have been top notch in taking care of our beloved MINI.

I hope you take the time to visit a dealership and take a good look at some MINIs for yourself. Or, you could always come to the Dragon at the end of April and see what being a MINI owner is all about, and I'm sure all the peer pressure there will definitely get you pumped to own a MINI.