I figured Id introduce myself and ask some advice from those who know obviously! Ive been poking around the site for a few nights and there seems to be a ton of great info here. My name is Tony, Im seriously considering buying either a Cooper S or a Clubman S with a 6 speed manual. Im looking for some advice on things to look for,areas of concern,years to steer clear of, etc... Im pretty good with cars, been around them my whole life, I have a 71 Monte Carlo (Hence the screen name) that I restored myself, Ive been an autobody painter for 20+years.
Anyway, back to the Mini, I currently drive a Chevy Trailblazer, and have done so for 8 years,we used it when we had our first child, but since we added twins to that 3 years ago, the trailblazer has been basically my back and forth to work car, and my wife runs it one night a week to her job and once on the weekends for the same thing. We rarely ever have a child in it, once in a while its just one kid though, so Im not sure if Id ever even use the extra room in the Clubman,Thats what our Yukon Xl Denali is for. Im hoping to get out this week and take both for a test ride,Ive driven the Cooper, but not the S model. Ive read tons of reviews to the point that I gave myself a headache, I know how reviews can be, nothing but angry people venting, so I figured Id see what some owners have to say about reliability and cost of maintenence issues.
Sorry for the long intro and all the questions, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Tony
I might also have to go green, due to my Monte!!
Hope its not a problem to invade your great site here with a pic of my Monte,

 

Ok, simpler question, it seems as the MINI holds its value quite well, the cost of a 2 or 3 year old one isnt much off of a new MINI, am I better off scrounging up the extra dough for a new one with a full warranty, or is a 3 year old MINI with a basic warranty going to be fine for me?