hello everyone.... as you can see i'm a n00b.... looking at buying my wife a mini........just looking for some general info..... how they handle in the rain and snow would be my #1 concern.... reliable?? and with out a bmw dealer for 75 miles where else do you take em for service...thanks,,

 

First, jman1, welcome to NAM!

These questions have certainly come up over and again and are discussed ad nauseam throughout the forums. I will give you my super-quick take, but using the search function will net you volumes of good reading.

In general, whenever refering to how the MINI handles, you will find that it is on a level with significantly more expensive sports cars. As for Rain/Snow, handling is at least average, if not above average for front-wheel drive cars. The overall handling ability translates into a great road feel and terrific response to driver input in both good and adverse road conditions. Of course your #1 variable here is tires, tires, tires.


Reliability is good overall, but there have been and continue to be some issues - most of them seem to be small and the serious ones don't seem pervasive but relatively scattered. The competency of your local service department and your own tolerance level for little niggling things will be factors in your sense of the overall reliability.

MINI warranty service can only be done at the MINI dealer and not every BMW dealer is a MINI dealer. Since the sheduled maintenance is free for the first 3yrs/36k miles, it only makes sense to go to them for that also. Additionally, keep in mind that regular maintenance intervals are not every 3k miles like a domestic; unless your wife drives tons of miles, you should only have to go there about once/year. Of course, if there are issues, those will be additional trips. Check to see if you local dealer offers a loaner or shuttle service that you can take advantage of.

Hope this helps some!

 

Welcome, I'm sure you will find answers to all your questions here.

I bought an 03 MCS from a dealer 99 miles from me (passing two other dealers on the way - went for better service from sales).

Earl

 

thanks for the replys guys...... i'm gonna poke around for awhile.....

 

Any man who is considering buying his wife a MINI is quite welcome around here...will it be a surprise?

 

Aloha and welcome to NAM.

A MINI for your wife? Yes! Great idea.


Handling? Generally very good. In the rain? Good but some things do help- Dynamic Stability control (electronic) helps with traction, and non runflat all season or ultra High performance tires also can help. In the snow if it is light then All season non runflat tires are good but if the snow is moderate to heavy then snow tires are best. Just don't drive too fast for road conditions.

Reliability- generally good. You have a four year warranty and some things can go bad but it's covered. Most of the small problems have been addressed since this model has been around since 2003.

The free warranty work you can get from your MINI dealership which is roughly once yearly or even less at about 10,000 and 25,000 miles. You can do additional oil filter changes at various garages, just purchase the parts and synthetic oil yourself. Performance upgrades can be done by tuning shops willing to work on MINIs. Best bet is to find your nearest MINI club and ask the owners of modded MINIs where they get their work done at.

 

no... she knows about it.......and she is grinning ear to ear

 

As far as snow, it snowed the first day I had mine , but to my surprise, it was a trooper in the snow, even with the lowering springs that were on the car when I bought it.

 

the snow is prolly my biggest concern... living in maine

 

It's worth repeating - It's all about the tires. As a front-driver, it is already a good choice (are you familiar with the Mini's Monte Carlo wins from the 60's?... That says a lot about the fundamental snow capability of front-drivers.) Check out what Lot15 has to say about snow handling. He lives in Canada, drives his Poco everyday through severe winter conditions and is extremely impressed with his MINI. He has the same snow tires I use - the Pirelli Winter Snowcontrol 190 - and am happy with.

Unless you have some crazy terrain to traverse, good snow tires and some common sense should enable your wife to get where she needs to go in the snow. Granted, it isn't AWD and it doesn't have gobs of ground clearance - but it is plenty capable.

 

Definatley no need to be concerned about driving a MINI in the snow. This will be my third winter with a MINI. I've added a Quattro Audi A4 to my driveway and the MINI with snow tires is actually better than the famed Quattro in the snow.

 

Just took mine out in snow for the first time a few days ago and had a lot of fun! It did great. As far as reliability, the MINI is now recommended by Consumer Reports, and in a one year recent sample (I believe 2004) it had lower repair rates per vehicle than the average car that year. It's definitely improving. Hope this helps.

 

See the following thread for my snow handling experience (pictures too)

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=57206

Overall two thumbs way up

 

My last car, a Jetta, with lots of wax stuff sprayed in all cavities, came from Maine. All plated parts are corroded. We Zonies have dust instead!

 

If you have the LSD and all-season tires, you can get pretty much anywhere around here (usually not more than a few inches,,,any more than that and I stay home).

Cheers

 

I have the 16" all-season rf's and my MCS handles well above average for a fwd in the snow. It's outstanding compared to my full-size van, and better than my Honda Civic. The only thing that is tough is if you get a road that has packed snow but has been partially cleared so the surface is very uneven. That'll loosen your fillings!