Being the great dad I am... I purchased a 2006 base Cooper for my daughter her senior year in high school, 2010. She wasn't so good at standard shift so we got the automatic. It was a decent car with about 55,000 miles and a good price. I drove it a bit and kind of liked the CVT with the manual options.

She moved out of state after graduation and the car served her well. Only one issue with a clogged sun roof drain that I was able to fix. But recently things started to go bad. First it was a bad battery (probably time for that to be replaced). Then several weeks after she got a new battery, the car won't start. She takes it to a import shop and they diagnose a bad fuel pump and replaced it (along with thread-bare front tires). She confesses at that point that the car has also been "slipping" at speeds above 55 mph (recent development). So the service manager takes it out for a drive and confirms the transmission is on the way out. It had also thrown a couple of transmission related codes. I called him and he said she should "drive it to the nearest dealer and trade it in". I've got better morals than that.

So the MC is basically worthless at that point because the cost of a rebuild transmission exceeds the car's value with 90,000 miles on it. But she needs transportation for work and school. Here comes Dad to the rescue... I trailer up my wife's '04 Camry with 150,000 miles (runs great) and bring the broken MC back to Tennessee. 1800 mile round trip in a weekend

The plan is to get the Cooper running, sell it to recoup costs or keep it as alternate transportation for out two Porsches (they break also).

I'll be posting seeking repair advice and I'll appreciate knowledgeable answers. If you've got a Cayman, Boxster or 944, and need a question answered... I can probably help

 

You sound like my dad! Twice he's rescued me in Montana from MN with a replacement car. Great to hear you are going to try and save the MINI!