Good afternoon all,

I am considering the purchase of a new MINI. I am actually looking for a high fuel economy commuter and have driven MINIs a few times and appreciate the room afforded to a 6'2" 270 lb guy.

At any rate, the lease program is so hot considering the great resale that it makes the car a great buy. I am literally looking at a base MINI Cooper with no options. The local dealer has a red manual transmission model in stock and ready to go.

I look to you as the experts on the model. My concerns are reliability and fuel economy and my opinion of the car is very good-I am asking for your experiences to confirm what I already think.

Anything I should know? Thank you very much in advance-I appreciate your help and hope to join you as an owner soon!

 

In general, the BASE copper..AKA "JUST-a-COOPER" or "just-a", are pretty reliable (not rock solid like a Honda/Toyota, but much more fun).
Just keep in mind Repair cost tend to be higher in MINI's...call it a BMW carryover!
Many S's have been abused and driven hard, but for folks that want a good reliable car with style, which is also fun to drive, the non S mini's have been good!!
One word of warning...owning a MINI will forever ruin you whenever you sit down to drive an basic "appliance" car aka-a toaster!!
Good luck! Go for a test-drive, and have some fun!
And one parting tip....
With a MINI, ALWAYS CHECK YOU OIL!! Most models tend to burn a bit....and with LONG oil change intervals, if you burn a quart every 1000 to even 2500 miles, with as much as a 15,000 ,mile oil change...many folks have had motors go BOOM from lack of oil....the motors hold ABOUT 5 quarts..lower than 2 is serious!!

 

Haha-good points.

I have driven several, and am only considering a brand new one with maintenance included. I just noticed they require premium fuel-but the economy proposition still looks very good to me.

Thank you for the help.

Regards,