Hello

I'm in New England, maine to be specific but I'd travel anywhere in New England and New York or Connecticut

I'm really trying to submerse myself in all of the info on here

My biggest concern is mileage, how many miles is too many? Are these engines good after 100K miles?

I'm looking for an R55 MSS, if I got that right, would like an S model but am willing to consider normally aspirated as long as it's a six speed manual

Interested in the RSD, is that a factory option? I have no use for rear seats, I just want the extra room for some hobby stuff, hence the Clubman

Matthew

 

The Clubman is a great car. I love mine very much. Here's some tips:

1. Get a later model Clubman with the N18 Engine. It's more reliable than the N14.

2. Get it inspected by a MINI shop. Ideally a local independent shop, but the dealer can pull up the maintenance history too, so there's that.

3. The bigger repairs tend to happen between 60k and 100k (based on what I've read and experienced) but it all depends on how well the car was maintained.

4. 2nd Gen MINIs do require maintenance and most of that is on monitoring your oil levels. There are a host of issues that can happen if your oil level drops -- more prevalent with the S -- and if the previous owner(s) didn't maintain the car properly, you could have some repair costs as a result.

5. The biggies for me were: oil housing gasket, timing chain tensioner, then the timing chain (grrr) and most recently the thermostat. Now, I have the N14 which is the more problematic engine.

6. Find a local independent shop. My experience with my local dealer has been positive, but expensive. I finally found a local shop that I trust, so I'll be using them in the future.

Overall, I love my R55 -- problems and all -- and although I thought it was a gateway MINI to a 1st Gen, she's changed my mind and I think I'm going to keep her as long as I can. Bought her at 60k about 3 years ago and about to break 100k this year.

 

As for reliability, go with a non S model. I have 129K on 2008 and aside from the thermostat issue and some minor fixes it's been trouble free. Better gas mileage too-my long term mpg is over 38.

 

If you have not already done so, may I suggest you check out the Gen2 Stock Problems/Issues section? On the Gen2 engines, IMO you will hear more negatives about the N14 than good although there are lots of N14 engines out there still going strong. The turbocharger of the S model puts more stress on the engine hence the post from pkunk about the non S being more reliable.

The usual advise for buying a used car is to purchase the newest best example that fits in your budget.

 

If you find a 2011+ which is an N18 engine you also get the perks of the black trim interior, interior options and a refreshed exterior of that chassis.
Good luck.

 

Welcome.


Lots of information in the forums.


Motor On!