Going to show up at the dealer with a big $-sign bag right? That would be cool.

 

Hi all, I've got a question about overall reliability. I've skimmed the forums and seen the mechanical issue stickies, but I'm hoping someone can give me the big picture or tell me where to look.

I'm thinking about buying an early-ish model as a daily driver. How likely is it to stick me with a major repair bill? I'm coming from a '99 Miata, and I've mostly owned old, high-mileage japanese cars that have been extremely reliable and cheap to own. My bias points me toward a used xB, but the shorter Mini would be that much easier to park in my san francisco neighborhood (every inch counts). Any help would be appreciated! The Consumer Reports rating is a little scary--much worse than average...

(edit: it would be an MC(non-S), manual trans, no autox/track events, 70mi daily commute)

(ok, maybe an autox or two.)

 

Will a well-used MINI be as reliable as your Japanese cars, and less expensive to own and maintain? Probably not. Will it be more fun to drive? You betcha

Buying a used car is always a crap shoot, anyway. A lot depends on the previous owner's driving skills and maintenance dlilgence, where and how it was driven, as well as the nature of the car itself. Cars in bumper to bumper commuting traffic endure a lot of wear. Highly modded cars are likely to put more wear and tear on the driveline components. A lot also depends on what part of the country the car was from. Up north there's snow, and that means there's salt on the roads in winter which could lead to more rust than you'd have in a car from the south. And when temperatures get below freezing in the winter, roads tend to have potholes that wreak havoc on tightly suspended cars with short amounts of travel. And so on. And don't forget about floods, fires and accidents. A Carfax report is always a good investment.

Might be helpful to list your priorities... things like cost of ownership, reliability, fun factor, etc. and rank them. Bottom line? Drive it and let your heart decide. Like the Cadillac commercial, ask yourself the question: When you turn your car on, does it return the favor? MINI does, big time

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Think about where you're going to get it serviced. Maybe check with other NAM members in your area. A good shop makes things a lot easier Hope this helps!

 

Ok so I thought this was were you introduced yourself....but it doesn't seem like it is....Is this the right place??

Well, I joined awhile ago... but never introduced myself!
So here I am!!

 

This is the place, but you'll get more exposure/attention if you create your own thread.

 

Welcome to NAM!!!

 

Welcome Aboard!

 

Just wanted to Say HELLO to all. I am a new owner of a 08 pepper white
MCS. Just to break her in , i took her to new jersey for the weekend. It was a blast to drive on I 80 esp going through PA. The best time i had doing that drive. Also had fun with a Jeep SRT 8 in PA . We were going back and forth and alll of a sudden he BLEW. Smoke everywhere. It was fun ! Hope to enjoy here for a long time.......
happy motoring

 

I haven't had the time to post to NAM yet, but now I have the time. For starters - I am on my second Mini - which was a demonstrator MCS with the JCW engine upgrade that I bought in August 2006. My first Mini was a 2002MCS that I bought used in 2005.

I use my Mini for travel to clients (I am an IT consultant in a 6 person company in the Washington, DC area (go DC Metro Mini's )), so it racks up a lot of miles. (32,000 so far ). I love the car . I am slowly upgrading as time and available cash :impatient permit. So far I swapped the air filter for the Mini Madness permanent filter and have installed the Alta V2 Diverter. Yay!! Huge difference that I can feel (and that drives the traction control nuts).

I have an M7 front STB and the M7 rotors to install in the next month. I have the usual mod shopping list that my 70 y.o. dad will help me install during the spring (like the 22mm sway bar). The car is a daily driver that needs improved street handling and braking because of the work usage. Oh, I almost totally forgot - I am switching to the Royal Purple synth oil with changes between 5-7k.

So - I will be posting as time permits!. C-Ya.
~Christina

 

I'm a new owner myself so I don't have any direct anecdotal evidence but I've never had any hesitation buying a used BMW engineered vehicle. That being said I'm fanatical when it comes to shopping.

My advice:
Get something w/ at least 3-6 mo. left on the warrenty. This will allow you to get the dealership to fix the little things you find wrong. (Ex. the boot closed sensors on mine are a bit dodgy)

Start shopping autotrader.com and cars.com WELL before you think you will 'need' to buy. Look for low mileage single owner w/ lots of pictures. Don't hesitate to write off anything that isn't exactly what you're looking for or if you even get a hinky feeling.

When you see the car in person look at the condition of the interior, the paint, look for 'curb rash' on the wheels. If the owner took special care of these it's likely they paid the same attention to the mechanical side.

BMW dealerships typically track all service, so ask for a printout of the factory options and service history. (Might not be able to get this outside of BMW/MINI dealership.

I know everyone says this, it's easy to fall in love after the first test drive, but if anything doesn't check out, or you get a bad feeling just walk away.

Lastly, if all looks good ALWAYS take it to an independent garage for an inspection. If you can, take it to a BMW/MINI dealership who has an intrest in pointing out every little detail in hopes you'll skip that one and buy from them. Otherwise find a good, reputable independent garrage.

My 2¢,
-/flea­

 

i am in the seriouly looking into tradeing my mk5 vw gti for a early MCS and i have talked with a few on here and looked up some things. i auto x a bunch and the mini is always kicking my *** so if i cant beat them join them. but this is my daily and i want to know what u think i will be missing or enjoying more from my gti i have now. i have a baby seat is there room for that? and my gti is modded and i know i will miss the power but that s/c wine makes me so happy to hear. let me hear what u think

also on a mcs can 15's fit on there or is 16's the littlest i can go?

 

Having been "tagged" with a card from the Eastern Iowa Minis group, I discovered the site and have just joined. I have been a Mini fan since I was a 14-year old living in England for a year (those were MINIS!), and when the new Mini came out, I knew I had to have one. The Green Monster (Red Sox fan, natch) is a BRG/W MCS, plain stock but more grins per mile than anything I've owned. Looking forward to keeping up with the group.

 

*waves* Hi! I'm new... don't have a mini yet... but I will soon :-)

 

Hello every1, Ive joined today as i was searching the web for mini parts a came upon your site, have to say ive read a lot in the last few hours and still cant get enough, im currently living in El Salvador C.A. and there are not many people that have or know about minis, i bought my 1972 1100cc MC in '99 and has been a dream come true to have it been my first car at 18, hope to pick ur brains. have to say im like a kid at the fair.
Thanks NAM for this great site. Have a great day!!!

 

Hi all, new to the boards ... ordered a MCS BRG from the Charlotte dealership on 10/20/07. Looking forward to learning alot about the car and from everyone!

 

use2likevw's, sure, you can put 15's on an mcs. So long as the 15's have the 4x100 bolt pattern that the mini requires. I know a few S drivers personally that run 15's for the winter and switch to 16's or 17's for the rest of the year. I think 16's are small enough, but that's just a matter of preference. The only thing I would definitely recommend is that you run the proper tire size on a set of 15's which would be 175/65 r 15 or a size that keeps close to the overall rolling diameter (height) of the original wheel and tire combo. I would stick with some light 16's for auto x, maybe with tire size 205/50 r 16, little bit more meat on the pavement.

 

Hi all,
This is my first post. I ordered a MCSa from MINI of the Woodlands and I'm "awaiting transport." This is a great forum with so much good information and friendly support. I'm glad I'm here and can't wait for my new CR/W!

Ted

 

Congratulations, Ted, and welcome to NAM! You're gonna LOVE your new baby!

 

Hello,
I'm new; thinking forward to my daughter's driving initiation in a few years. She is desperate for a MINI; her super fly math teacher drives an Orange one. I want to know where people get those really sharp badges for their signature lines. Thanks,

oldmga

 

If you'd like some REAL badges for the holidays, here's a link…

http://www.americanminimates.com/badges.html

And here are some addresses for the electronic ones:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&postcount=128

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...dge+collection

I hope this helps!

 

Decided to finally say hi. Purchased an early 05 MC with 6100 mi in August. Chili Pepper Red, white top & wheels, white bonnet stripes, CVT tranny, many options. Since August I've read alot of posts on NAM and would like to thank everybody for the huge amount of information about these cars. As a result, I know more about this car than any vehicle I've ever had. You might be interested in a few things I did as a direct result of your great posts: I purchased a Bentley manual, installed M7 strut braces, got scared to death over the CVT posts and got a 6 year, 96100 mi. extended warranty. Also, will be going for the 10,000 mi service in a few months, issues: creaky dash & sporatic boot sensor (MINI warranty & service ends Aug. 08) Again, thank you NAM and thank you members.

 

Hello...jlloyd here, long time lurker, first time writer. This Site has been so good to me as far as the Real World Experiences of all of the other Real World Drivers and their free "Real World" experience(s) go. Seriously. I'm a bit of a tweaker, and I've read (and taken) a whole lot of advice from this site. Motorcycles were my usual victims up to the time of "THE ACQUISITION" of, so far, my favorite car of all time, my thirteenth car....my 2004 MCS....almost 90,000 miles, Electric Blue, Black Roof and Bonnet stripes, chrome mirrors, tint, Euro License Plate with my home-state tag number, stubby antennae, black and blue leather. CAI, Rally FOG lights (yes, the amber ones I made myself), M7 fsb with the tower supports (yes, I am a victim) and soon to have the H-sport 22 Rear Sway Bar....the 19mm is more likely. No Pulley but, its comin'....as is the Miltek, Konis, Wilwoods, Alta Air Diverter, Oil Catch Can, Engine Dampner, Gram Lites, ...the list really does go on. And on.

 

Hey everyone! new here! just wanted to say hi

 

Welcome Swede!

 

Newbie Here,

Ordered an S a few weeks ago. Received production number last week. Ahhhh, nothing like anticipation. I hope this goes smoothly. Great message board you guys.