Hi there. I've been doing a lot of digging around in these forums, and I have to say there is a LOT of information here. Most of it just has me totally confused.

Here's my plan:

Daughter is turning 16. We are surprising her with a Mini (this will be her first car). She loves 'em and wants one.

Wife and I believe she is responsible enough to own, but I have no clue where to begin.

I've read about "death rattles", bad trannys, mushroomed suspension, and on and on.

My questions to the veterans:
Is a Mini a good first car?

I'm looking at a used 2006 or 2007 automatic. I was fighting for the 6 speed but wife was like NO WAY. *Whatever.* How is the auto trans on the '06/'07? From what I understand, it's a crap-shoot.

The 2007 I'm looking at is a turbo. I read here that's a bad idea for teens. (I had a '70 Chevelle in high school with a very modded 350 - FAST and I'm still around). What say you?

The 2007 has 81K miles. 2006 has 51K.

I need some advice, so hit me!

Thanx in advance.

 

2006 and prior - auto tranny's are known to/prone to failure
2007 and onwards - no complaints about the tranny that I know of

Death rattles are for turbo cars(2007+ S), make sure you get it thoroughly checked out by a mini dealer, ask about all the service bulletins(oil line to turbo, warping hood scoop, etc).

Mushroomed strut towers was only really an issue in 2006 and prior, no complaints on 2007 and onwards that I know of.

High mileage may/may not be an issue as long as the cars been taken care of. (I bought a car with 83k (2003 S)), had to put *some* money to fix a few things that weren't covered by the dealers 30 day warranty I bought it from, but from then on it has been a solid car.

As far as the car being an S, I had a justa, then traded it in for an older S, I'm much happier (for reference, I'm 20, got the justa at 17, traded it in at 19). I have friends with an S as well, and as long as your daughter is responsible, the extra power will probably help more than hurt her (I've been stuck in a pinch where a punch of the throttle got me out of harms way)

Fight for the 6 speed!! Much more rewarding driving experience :P

And yes, a MINI makes a great first car :D

Feel free to ask any more questions!

Chris

 

The 2006 and 2007 are different model years...both have their quirks/common problems...as do most cars. The main difference to note (since you mentioned a turbo..) is the 2006 and prior MCS are supercharged and the 2007+ are turbocharged.

 

+1 on Chris' thoughts. Double thumbs up on the 6-speed. It is more fun (& unless you're an octopus, virtually impossible to text & drive at the same time). Would love to be a fly on the wall when your daughter sees it! Super cool!

 

Mushroom strut tower prevention is easy just grab a pair of M7 strut tower plates. As for a choice between supercharger or turbo I personally would go with the lower mileage supercharged vehicle as long as it checks out good.

 

I can totally feel some tension lifting away. Thank you so much for the replies!

The reason the wife does not want her to have a 6 speed, is because of "distractions". In some way I get it. But in others, I think like what was said earlier, texting while driving is nearly impossible. I like that.

Originally, my wife wanted to get her a new Mini, but I feel her first car should be used. I know what happened to my first car, and all of my friends' first cars, my wife's first car and I'm expecting the same thing with my daughters.

I can work on vehicles myself. I have a hoist in a large, climate controlled garage on my property, so the strut tower plates sound like a breeze. Not so sure about a tranny replacement or timing chain.

I'm thinking maybe of shopping the Mini dealerships now based solely on the advice of getting it checked out by a Mini expert. Not 100% sure about that 'tho.

Just so everyone knows, the 2006 is priced at 12K. 2007 at 15K. From the researching that I have done, those are close to KBB prices. Both cars are at dealerships, but not Mini dealerships. Both have clean carfax's.

Another question: are the Mini's prone to rust anywhere? I live in the desert, but if a car came from a snowy area, I'd like to know if there are any problematic areas to look for.

Thank you again! I'm getting a better idea of which direction to go. I'll have think it over a pint. Or three.

 

the 2006 is a Gen 1 car - 07 + is Gen 2

For your daughter I would buy a Gen 2

 

Note that on the outside the various MINIs can look similar, on the inside the first gen MINI is more classic and retro, the newer MINIs are more funky and exaggerated.

Base Cooper (either generation) is going to be less costly and a better choice for a first car for a teen.
It's got enough power but not to excess and gets better mpg when driven well.
Manual transmission is most troublefree as long as the prior owner did not ride the clutch pedal and wear it out. If you can test drive you can check for gear engagement.

Rust is more common in the early year MINIs along the lower door sil area under the rubber door strips- see
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-05-minis.html

Turbo models 2007 and later have too many problems to recommend.

Cooper S with superchargers are OK but add some 50+ HP and some complexity with reduced mpg. Cooper S tend to be driven harder so keep that in mind.

High mileage used MINIs can start to show wear in the engine mounts, and suspension so bushings and bearings are often worn.

Electronics is also another area of trouble for the MINI, check that everything works fine and go through a checklist. Power windows are known to fail along with power steering. Check for any fluid leaks below the car using a lift, not just check for puddles.

Overall I think the MINI is OK as a used car. My 2003 MCS with 86,000 miles on it is doing OK. You have to maintain it to keep it in good shape.

 

hello and welcome along!XD

 

I am impressed by the detail in some of these responses. You guys are very generous with your insights and knowledge.

 

I taught both my kids how to drive in cars with manual tranny. I believe they understand how the car works better from that.

Son's first car was my hand me down 02-S .... he's yet to have an accident or a ticket (that I know of)

but I did recommend he get rid of that 2002 a while back because it was becoming a money pit - a/c issues mostly; and the fan controller issue.

My 2007-S has yet to be in the shop for an issue. Maintenance yes, but not ONE failure.

HOWEVER a MAJOR concern is service - dealers are few and far apart; where's your nearest? Finding an indep' mechanic CAN be a problem. This was a major factor when I told my son to sell the car - no decent mechanic or dealer for 300 miles.

When dau needed a car for school she really wanted my 07 and that would result in dad getting a new one! But the dealer was 100 miles away from her school.....

OK this part may get my post deleted BUT

I bought dau' a Kia Soul instead. I got a brand new Soul for less than many used MINIs are going for. The Soul has a 100,000 mile warranty and there is a dealer in her school town for maintenance . . .

 

death rattles are for the N14 engine 07'-10'!

 

"I bought dau' a Kia Soul instead. I got a brand new Soul for less than many used MINIs are going for. The Soul has a 100,000 mile warranty and there is a dealer in her school town for maintenance . . ."

Had a Soul and traded it for my Fiat 500. If I needed a larger, inexpensive car I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Used cars are almost always a crap-shoot. Kids away at school may not be the best candidates for 6 to 8 year old cars that cost as much as a one that is new, with full warranty.

 

First of let me say that I absolutely love my 09 JCW. But I can't recommend getting a used MINI for a 16 year old. I would get a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla. You can't really go wrong with either of those cars.

Lease a new MINI no problem. But new or used no way. If I had this to do over I would have leased and never modded my car. Its so heavily modified I could never sell it and make even a third of my money back. I am stuck with it and that is OK with me.

 

+1 on the Civic or Corolla for a teen. I had a Honda Civic while a teen and put so much money into it. I loved that car and and never planned on getting rid of it. After an "unfortunate event" I had to part with it. That being said...my "new" 06 R53 MCS is a better driver's car all around...better gas mileage (I've been averaging about 33), more fun, more front end grip thanks to that iron block (which will help out in bounds in the winter), HOWEVER...if I had to do it over again I probably would not buy a used Cooper S...my car had clearly had a hard life as I needed to put around $1000 in parts in it due to a lack of proper maintenance thanks to the owner before me. I'm hoping that not too much permanent damage was done in the 43,000 miles it had on it, but only time will tell. For now, I'm loving the car and can't wait to start pouring money into modifying it. I love modifying my cars and doing all my own work on them. Its one of my passions and helps me stay sane. Plus, I love having a one-of-a-kind car, and apparently I've got good taste in modifying because I've never gotten anything but compliments...even on the old civic.

 

Thank you to all for your great input! Here's what I did...

Went to one of two Mini dealerships here in AZ today and bought a 2011 courtesy car with 21K on the odometer. Bought the extended maintenance plan which covers brakes, fluids, and a lot of other stuff, and still has just over 2 years of the factory warranty left on it.

It's not new, but it's mine now. (Well, for the next 10 days it's mine). The next thing is to surprise my daughter. Too bad I can't have it here at the house!

Thanx again to everyone who posted. I read everything a least twice and weighed my decisions based on them. This is a really good forum!

 

Good luck on the surprise. If she knows whats good for her she'll love the new car.

 

If not, she get's my 2000 Honda Accord and I keep the Cooper!

 

Haha!

I just sold my 2000 Honda Accord this morning and about to pick up my brand new 2013 Mini Cooper S Hardtop from the dealership on Tuesday!

Enjoy the Cooper!

 

I think getting the '11 was a smart move, it has all of the improvements and few of the faults of the earlier cars, and the one overriding concern should be reliability.

You didn't say whether you got the S or Justa, and stick or auto....

I've found the newest Justa's to run really well, much better than the earlier ones and perfectly fine for a student in town - they also get better fuel mileage.

 

Manual is good, but a reasonable substiute is auto with sport mode and paddle shifters ..... how much traffic do you have to deal with

 

I had the same concern and started collecting links and names of independent shops nationwide about 3 years ago. Starting with just a hand full of shops the list has grown to over 1100 and is still growing. So if you are out and about and need service chances are the list may help you. Click on the site below and then click on the independent shops tabs on the right hand side of the page.

 

MINIdave, I was thnking the same thing about the model year...especially after all of the research I've done on this forum, along with these great replies.

My (daughter's) new Cooper has just the base engine. No turbo/supercharge. The rest of the vehicle has it all. Leather, sunroof, auto trans, upgraded A/C, bluetooth, satellite radio, cruise, harmon-kardon, auto-dimmers, garage openers....I can't think of anything else, as it's still at the dealer and I only spent a few hours with the car. They are tinting the windows, performing a safety inspection and detail.

mick.driver, I really wanted a 6-speed. But this is not for me. A/T is the order for her. Traffic for my daughter won't be all that bad. In fact, I doubt the car will be warmed up before she even makes it to school.

The two Mini dealerships here are no more than 30 miles away from me.

I did have several thoughts of handing over my Honda to her after I took a test drive in a 6-speed, (I couldn't resist!!).

You folks are right about one thing, those 6-speeds are friggin' FUN! But I digress...

 

My first MINI driving experience was when I saw mine at a local dealer in the used section...After I saw the asking price I nearly walked away, but then decided I'd take a test drive just out of curiosity....I bought the car the next day after talking the salesman down $4000 to the highest reasonable price I was willing to pay. (That dealership is NOTORIOUS for ridiculous markup and bad customer service. I had no problems walking out the door and finding another MINI if they weren't willing to deal..)

 

It's important, then, that you change oil and filter more often than the car's computer says to. Yours probably recommends the 15,000 oil change intervals. MINI has changed that now to 10,000, but even that is nonsense -- especially in Arizona heat and short trips.