Hi guys!

I've put down my deposit two days ago, been and anxiously awaiting for its arrival. I've noticed that almost everyone on this forum is happy with their MINIs and many of them own or have owned more than one MINI. I guess this shows that the car has great value added in it. However, I've found another forum which was filled with complaints on the car and the dealer services. Now I am a little worried. I understand that cars break down the road and it needs a fair amount of maintenance. In this case, is it better to lease than purchase?
At least to save some money on maintenance?

Any thoughts?

 

Cooper or Cooper S?

The S has been known to have slightly more problems, but regardless you're going to be under warranty, so I wouldn't worry about it. Internet forums generally have more complaints than praise, it's just the nature of the medium. People come here to complain, vent, and find solutions to problems. Relax, enjoy the anticipation for your new car! Tell us about it!

 

Welcome to the club! I say, if you can, buy it, and keep as long as absolutely possible - never lease a car. Controversial statement, I know, but in the long run financially you will save a shocking amount of money... and I mean truly shocking. My MC has been extremely reliable thus far at 41k miles. I'm fully confident it will be no more troublesome than any other low-maintenance vehicle!

 

I would not say never lease a car, though I will never lease a car. Leasing a car is good if you plan on making a car payment for the rest of your life. If you religiously trade in your vehicle every two or three years and you perpetually have a car payment then leasing is a good option. For some people having a vehicle that is never out of warranty is the peace of mind they need to live happily in regards to the vehicle in their life.

As far as seeing many problems reported here that is the nature of these forums. One of the best titles for a thread I have seen on here is the one that says something like....The nothing bad happened today thread....

There are plenty of people who will say plenty of good things about these cars. If you would like to know the real skinny on the cars then look up consumer reports at your library. The April edition is always the car edition. These cars are not the most reliable cars made, neither are they the worst. Most of us drive them because of the smiles per gallon we get and the miles per gallon we get, not because they are the most reliable cars on the planet. One can be practical but where is the fun in that?

 

Leasing is a good option for some people, but usually those people have money to burn every month. If the thought of having a paid-off car and that extra $400/m (or whatever.) in your pocket to do other fun things (travel, collect model trains, mod your car, etc) makes you all warm and fuzzy inside, then buy.

 

As far as reliability goes, these cars are British with a lot of French parts. They are not a Toyota or Honda that will run 400k miles flawlessly. I've owned 2 MINIs myself and while I love them, I would never tell someone they are as reliable as your average Honda Civic.

However, forums tend to be full of people who complain about things - you rarely go into a forum for ANY car and find a lot of "I love my car!" posts. People who have issues with their cars turn to the internet and forums are where they end up to ask questions, so don't let that discourage you. Your new MINI will have a 50k mile warranty, so you'll have plenty of time to get a feel for it.

 

As I say, controversial statement, but you do make a really good point, although i would argue that peace of mind does come at a steep price of (for example) mileage limitations and "excess wear" clauses - still, though, your point is well taken. It's definitely true folks on forums tend to be more critical than flattering so certainly I would concur to be cautious about letting these negative comments be too significant a basis for your decision. I would always agree research using well known resources (Edmonds, etc.) should be used to support your decision. I suppose another consideration is an extended warranty from the dealership (not for everyone of course). I do have one - since, personally I knew there was the potential for mechanical "quirks". at least for me, this gave me more peace of mind - today I just took my car in for service. I'm at 41k miles and both front brake pads needed replacing already. The cost to me? Goose egg.

 

I used to work in car sales and there certainly were people who fit into the category of money was not their number one concern so leasing a vehicle was exactly what they wanted. In fact, they were so "practical" and so unemotional about their car purchase that they really did not care much about the vehicle's looks, just it's reliability, options that would meet their needs and their desire to simply have a car that would perform the job of getting them from point a to point b. They often had no real concern about money, they just budgeted that they would always have car payment. They were also some of the easiest customers to deal with as they always knew what they wanted before they came in and spent very little actual time at the dealership. For them the car purchase was just a necessary step for them to take care of their transportation needs in their life. And selling cars in Maine it is pretty much impossible to rely on any public transportation to the exclusion of owning a car so for some of them it was a necessary task they had to do in order to manage their lives.

 

True indeed. Except in this case cost does appear to be a consideration (in terms of maintenance) - or do I misunderstand the concern? If money here is not the main consideration, cost for maintenance wouldn't be either - but reliability would be more so.

 

It wasn't that they were concerned with the cost of maintenance, since they usually traded in their vehicles before they reached the 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. That was the warranty primarily in effect then. If they bought a car with pretty good reliability then they would spend less time at the dealership, but they would not spend more money as the car was still under warranty. Except for oil changes there is not much to do to cars in the first 36K. That 36K mark is the first big maintenance interval. If you return the car from the lease at that point you avoid the cost.

 

Wow.. so many great comments!
To answer Danny's question, it's a mini cooper not S. Depending on the
experience I get from this one, my car after this will be a MINI S?
It's really great to know that I can get fast responses from experienced MINI owners.
I do really appreciate this. I'll post some pictures when I get my MINI in 3-4 weeks!

 

I've only had annoying rattles - nothing mechanically wrong other than the awful OE log wheel locks - one of which broke today. And to be honest I'm not getting the rattles fixed because the lease ends soon. I get constant praise, lots of looks of longing from other motorists and pedestrians with my justa Cooper - you just don't get that with a Civic or Accord. The only serious issue I have is that the run flat tires are just garbage IMO and should be sold and replaced as soon as you get the car!

 

This is a great forum, I've shouted out for a lot of help and advice, and always get quick responses from people happy to help. It'll keep me with the brand for a long time, a good support network is priceless.

Since you're getting a non-s, I wouldn't lose any sleep over reliability.

 

I'm waiting for my 2012 MCS hardtop (I was told today that it will be finished on Thursday). I had the same reliability concerns as the OP, so I chose to lease. Having the car under warranty and maintenance protection the whole time I had it was important to me. This is the first car I've ever leased and I've owned many cars over the years. If I was going to buy a car and keep it for a long time, I'd probably get a Toyota or a Honda, but they're so boring! I sold my 2008 335i (which I bought) to get the MINI. I didn't want to own that one after the warranty ran out because it's a financial time bomb if something goes wrong. I actually should have leased it because it only had 34,000 miles on it when I sold it.
As for run flats, I HATE them! I changed them out for non-run flats on the 335i and I can't even describe the difference in ride and noise. It was like driving a different and much better car. My plan for the MINI is exactly what you said. I'm going to immediately swap out the run flats and store them and then put them back on the car when I turn it in. I have the room to store them in a climate controlled space in my house (each in an airtight plastic bag) so they should be just fine in three years when the dealer gets them back. The way I figure it, I'm going to have to buy a set of tires anyway so I might as well do it at the beginning and get the benefit of the non run flats and then give them back their own lousy run flats.

 

Just anecdotal evidence, but until a Chrysler 300 smashed into my poor 2009 Mini Cooper S hardtop last week, my car had no problems whatsoever! Treat your Mini well, and you'll have a friend for life!

 

Don't let the complaints scare you. If you check out other car sites - even Toyota etc. You will find many negative posts. I agree with others that posted here that you should not expect Japanese reliability. Don't expect Japanese "toaster" personality either. MINIs are uniquely FUN!!!

 

Since you are buying new, there's a good chance the dealer will throw in maintenance for free, for a certain period of time. For example, our dealer gives us 3 years of maintenace after a new purchase, and it's around 1500-2000 to extend it by a couple years after the first 3. A great deal, especially when you make deliveries to machine shops and get a flat every month or so, like my Dad.

 

All new mINIs are supposed to get free 3 year service in US and Canada. Unfortunately for Canada you don't get as much included in the free maintenance. Canadians get screwed over again.

 

For sure - I mean I don't post every day to say "my car ran amazing today" - which BTW it did during an all day road trip. I post more often when the damn $$&%% car did so and so.