Hi All!! I have been looking at this site quite a bit the last few months. I have looked at a 2007 Mini Cooper S JCW that I really like and want to buy. After reading a lot of different horror stories I wanted to see if I can get any feedback from the Mini community. The car 27,300 miles on it, manual transmission, has had two owners and was a recent trade in at a BMW dealership. The list price is $16,995.

Are there any specific items or signs that you look for when purchasing a used Mini? I am mostly worried about all the timing chain and cold start stories I hear (I live in Connecticut). Dealer said the vehicle is up to date on all the recalls. I will be following up w/ the salesman on Monday. He said he will provide documents and the key read to show the history of the vehicle. Any thoughts or recommendation are much appreciated.

A little background on myself...I have currently been driving a 2009 Nissan Versa (base model) for the past couple of years. I have 39K on the Versa. I had a Nissan Sentra prior to that and have loved the reliability of the Nissan vehicle I have owned. Prior to that I had two Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX and an Eagle Talon as well. The Versa has great gas mileage but not the most fun to drive. The Mini seemed like a great car, fun and great gas mileage...I'm just a bit worried about the reliability and trips to the garage I read about.

Thanks all!

 

Hey there and welcome! I am new, too. I've been a MINI owner for about eight months, now. I adore my car. I wanted a MINI for a long time and finally got her on my 41st birthday. I specifically wanted the 2003 Cooper S and that was what I got. I wasn't exactly prepared for the amount of repairs that were going to need to be done so soon after purchase. I know that things go wrong with vehicles as they age so I wasn't naive to the fact that there were going to eventually need to be repairs. I wasn't quite ready at six days after purchase to be stranded on the side of the road in Ohio, several hundred miles from home, at midnight in the rain. Since October I've had to be towed three times and we've been in the shop four times. The most current tow/shop experience has been a complete nightmare. She's been in the shop for 32 days and has had clutch and flywheel replaced, motor mount replaced and today I was told there is a leaking cylinder. These cars are so fun to drive but there are always little things to be repaired, it seems. Search "Chewbacca noise" and "glove box" and you'll see some of the quirky things that go on with these cars. I don't regret buying mine, at all. I love it. If you are looking for the reliability of a Nissan, however, I think you probably won't find it in a MINI.This has just been my experience so far.