Thank you everyone for your valuable insight, especially BoCRon's experience in a crash. It sounds like you were in the right car for the circumstances.

You all have convinced me (okay, okay, it didn't take much ) to purchase a new MINI. I think the responses in this thread will help convince my family to be okay with my decision.

 

I just had to post to this question. I have a 2005 "S" with a sunroof. I have put 145,000 miles to date on the car. I drive it 5 days a week for work, sometimes putting 1000+ miles on it in a week. I drive it up and down the East coast. Never once have I worried about getting to my destination. Aside from brakes, a tune-up, tires and oil changes, there have been no problems with the car. There are even a couple of squeaks and rattles that pop up now and then. Do I start frothing at the mouth about the car being unreliable? No. Are there some bad MINI's out there? Sure, just like there are with any other brand. Do a few bad ones make every car manufactured bad? No. Trust me - I have previously owned a Fiat X1/9 and an MG (which I drove for 8 years on a daily basis) - so I have had some cars with reliability issues. But not this one.

 

OK, it' been 10 days. Have you placed your order and if so how did you spec it out? If not, are you still prowling the car lots?