[SIZE=2]Hey everyone, wanted to stop in and say hello. I also wanted to seek your input. I'm looking for a fun car to replace my current daily driver, '96 Volvo 850 wagon. The wagon is great, I've had it for a year to use as a beater, and it's been fantastic. But I'm ready for a nice car, and the Volvo is a gas hog. I'm a car guy and have had lots of cars, from muscle cars to small sports cars. Current weekend toy is a '90 Miata (with 3 kids and a live in nanny, can't afford much more for a toy).

The Mini seems to check a lot of the boxes of things I'm looking for in my DD. Fun to drive, great gas mileage, FWD, hatchback is a plus, price range I'm looking for (trying to stay comfortably close to $15k). But the one thing I've always had some concern about is reliability.

So with that in mind, any advice? If I keep up with routine maintenance, will they live a long time? Trouble spots to watch for? I don't need the car to haul people, we have a minivan for that. But what are the benefits/trade offs of the Clubman? Sounds like there are a lot of options/packages out there, so I'll have to navigate through all that. I'm not a fancy frills guy, so leather, heated seats, etc…aren't must haves. The only "comfort" options I want are standard (a/c, pw, pl, stereo). If it happens to have leather and such, great, but I don't need it. Factory options that enhance performance, such as suspension, are always a bonus. If possible, I'd like to get an '07+, preferably an S if I can swing it. I saw an '09 Clubman S pretty close to my price range.

Looking forward to hearing any feedback. Thanks!
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I am looking for the same buying advise as you! Hopefully we will get some replies !

 

I'm actually on a 15k budget too. This is be my first car purchase ever and my first car. I found a couple of used minis from the mini dealerships in new jersey.

 

If you are concerned about reliability, stick with the regular cooper model meaning non S.

 

That's one of the things I was wondering about and want to do some research into. I certainly would like the extra power of the S model, but I'm used to "momentum" cars. Are many of the problems the Mini has unique to the S model? Are the base cars that much more reliable?

 

It's pretty hard to find a good Clubman around 15k, but there are many Justas and MCSs that are in good condition at that price and lower. From what I understand, these cars are tanks with regular maintenance, but there are a few things to watch out for. Automatic Justas prior to 2007 have a CVT transmission that is considered a ticking time bomb by some and is very expensive to replace or fix once it goes out. I also heard the superchargers in the MCSs can have longevity issues as well. Both of these issues and more are covered under most extended warranties, so I would look into that if you'd like some piece of mind. I don't know many specifics about Clubmen since I had no intention of buying one, but I do know that they are crazy roomy for their size (I couldn't touch the pedals with the driver's seat all the way back and I'm 5'9) and would be perfect for a busy family due to surprising amount of cargo space.

As far as creature comforts, I've found that it's pretty hard to find any used Mini that has only standard options. This, coupled with the fact that many non-Mini dealers don't know all the options on the Minis they are selling means that you can often get a loaded Mini for a non-loaded price. I got my reasonably-loaded '06 MCS for a steal (~$11k) after some extensive hunting around and even picked up a warranty with the money that I saved during the search. It may be difficult at first to find the perfect Mini for you, but a bit of patient and diligent hunting should help you find exactly what you are looking for. Good luck and I hope you find your Clubman!