Hello everyone, I am new to this forum as you can all see and I have a few questions. My girlfriend is about to purchase a new car and she has narrowed her choice to two cars, the Mazda3 or a 2006 Mini. She has pretty much decided on the Mini but has a few reservations about it. She is going to take this car out to North Dakota for school in the summer and she is concerned that the nearest dealership would be over 200 miles away if something were to break on the car. Is it typical for a Mini to have any sort of minor problems in the first year of ownership? Another issue is repair costs. After the three year warranty, is it expensive to get a Mini fixed up at a honest shop? Are there any problems that Minis are known for? Are the parts extremely more expensive? Also, and this question may seem a bit ignorant, but since the Mini is so small would the engine block be damaged more easily then a normal sized car? As like on a real hard bump or something similar? How are the insurance prices for this car? I checked around and they seem about the same as the Mazda but I just wanted to see if if everyone else was pretty much on par. I figured since she wouldn't be buying the S that it would be cheaper but just wanted to make sure. And also we asked the dealer the kind of gas that we would have to use and he said that we could use regular 87 octane but he said that it would be better to use a higher octane. What is everyone elses experience with the gas types that they use? Thank you for reading this long post and I hope some of you can chime in with your opinions.

 

The newer MINIs ('05 / '06) are much more reliable than the older (02's) - the '02s weren't awful. But you can never GUARANTEE that a car will have no trouble; I had faults with a Lexus once.

Out-of-warranty costs for MINIs are only beginning to surface - at least some parts are "BMW priced" which is expensive.

One thing on the MINI that is really robust is the engine block. There is a low-slung power steer pump which has a cooling fan that can be damaged by stuff thrown up under the car. Not common though.
Be careful NEVER to drive a MINI through standing water. More than a couple of engines have been killed by hydro-lock.

If you choose the 17" wheels, I've seen a few folks smash them on potholes. The 16" wheels are the better choice - more rubber protection.

You *must* use at least 91 octane. 87 is not good. European cars often spec higher gas (the octane is higher by default in Europe).

 

BTW: The BEST thing about the MINI is the pleasure of owning it! I see people post of many problems with their MINI - but they still go ahead and buy another one!

 

Excellent choices.

My first MINI was totalled in an accident (but I walked away unharmed. They are very safe) and I looked at the Mazda3 as a replacement. I love the styling of the 3 and have always been drawn to them. Sadly when I took one out for a test drive I wasn't that drawn to it anymore. I ended up getting a replacement MINI.

Best of luck in your decision! They are both great choices.

 

Of course it's a personal choice for your girlfriend based on what she really likes....We all love our MINIs - some have issues and some don't....but that is true with any car....

Hopefully she has given both of them a test drive.....it's all about what she is comfortable in...

Donna

 

I think the cold, practical choice is the Mazda for the following reasons: cost & reliability. This assessment is not meant to bash MINI...

Even when the "free" MINI maintainence is considered, the Mazda's probably still cheaper to own. You can probably get a pretty good discount on the Mazda, and the lower purchase price will more than offset the regular maintainence costs. Not having to run premium gas in the Mazda doesn't hurt, either. I'm surprised that the Mazda would cost as much as the MINI to insure, as parts for it must be cheaper (heck, almost any brand has cheaper parts prices than MINI). I have no doubt that the Mazda is cheaper to own when costs are honestly evaluated.

I assume there will be a Mazda dealer close by when she's in North Dakota? If so, this is a big deal if something breaks. Far away dealers are no fun - even with free roadside assistance. The MINI, being German, tends to be a bit over-engineered; this is great as long as everything's working, but all those fancy features can cause problems sometimes.

Your choice, but if I had only one car in a remote area I'd be thinking of something simple, inexpensive, and reliable.

 

I can't speak for the Mini's durability because mine is still on order, but starting with the '05 model, Consumers Report has given the Mini the green light of "recommended" as their reliability had reached the level of avg. However, having owned many Mazda's ('83 RX-7, two Mazda Protoge's and currently an MPV), and having rented a Mazda 3 for a week while on business, I can say that they are fun to drive and are very reliable. The Mini is an emotional choice vs. the practical choice of the Mazda.

Good luck either way

 

Thanks for all the replies, how does the Mini perform in cold weather, especially on snowy roads?

 

Alright, I think I only have one more question but I can't guarantee anything. Obiviously the Mini is a small car but in your opinion, does the Mazda have that much more room? That's the big question because all that's really standing in the way of making a final decision is the room issue. Also for future purposes, would anyone even attempt to put a baby seat in the back of a Mini or would it just be to small to put a child in the back seat?

 

The MINI starts fine in cold weather - but I strongly recommend the heated seats (I find the engine takes a while to get hot enough to heat the interior).

If you expect to drive on snowy / unplowed roads regularly, get snow tires; GBMINI has all-seasons and it's OK in snow, but I don't have to drive in it more than a few times each year.

The MINI is surprisingly roomy in the front. But it's very tight in the back. If you want to regularly use the rear seats, don't get a MINI.
I know nothing about putting children in the back! Except that I've seen people do it

 

I had my MINI through college and routinely had 3 people in the car. On some occasions we would have 4 people but it wasn't ideal.

 

Another possible case for the Mazda (assuming there is a Mazda dealer reasonably close by). New cars sometimes need some simple sorting out initially...this happened w/ my MINI (AC compressor not kicking in...connection tightened), and w/ my daughter's Mazda 3. This seems pretty normal...certainly not a shocker. So make sure the car is sorted out before heading off to school.

However, what you'll want to be clear on is the fact that MINI comes w/ a super warranty and occasionally one has to swing by the dealer for normal maintenance, oil changes, wiper blades and the like. These things are free at a MINI dealer!!! Oil changes aren't all that frequent as synthetics are used, but she'll have to think ahead to school breaks to set up regularly scheduled maintenance at a MINI dealer. Mazda's warranty isn't nearly as robust...after a certain time you could get repairs/maintenance done anywhere. That's good in a way, but MINI's warranty is so good that I haven't spent one dime on maintenance in three years!!! That's fantastic, but you'll have to go to the MINI dealer to get it done.

 

How long did it take for everyone to get there Mini. She is kinda on a time table since she is leaving in May and the dealer said it would take two months. This puts a damper on breaking in the car before she would have to leave, most likely only about a week, maybe two to drive the car around and see if there are any kinks that need to be worked on.

 

No one has pointed this out yet, the original poster seems to think the "warranty" is three years, it is not, it is 4 years/50000 miles. On top of that, you get free maintenance for 3 years/36000 miles. So, in theory, your maintenance costs for the first 3 years (or first 36k miles) is zero.

If you plan to keep the car for more than 3 years, then you should factor in maintenance costs after 3 years, then out-of-warranty repair costs after 4 years. I have no idea on either one of those costs, but I'd guess they're higher on the MINI than the Mazda.

 

The MINI will be a blast; the Mazda might be the right car for you.

While I will not vouch for their data, you should check out the Edmunds TCO (True Cost to Own) calculator for five years at 15k miles/year at http://www.edmunds.com/apps/cto/CTOintroController. After you configure your MINI and Mazda and find out what it will cost to own, then click on the "compare similar vehicles" link to the right of the Average Cost Per Mile box (it's 46 cents/mile for a 2006 MCS). There's other information there and you may find it useful to the extent that cost is part of your decision process.

 

As far as reliability goes, the '06s should be the best MINIs yet. (The new '07 model, on the other hand... )

The MINI does great in the snow, especially with snow tires. At least as good as any other small FWD car, like the Mazda3. No need to worry there. North Dakota's flat anyway, right?

If you search around on this site, there are some great threads where people share tips on how to manage having babies and small children in the MINI. It's definitely manageable, but it's all about which products you buy. The MINI is very, very rigid (at least the hardtops are), and performs very well in accidents.

Good luck with the decision!

 

In addition to the above, you get emergency roadside assistance which will get you towed to the nearest Mini dealer OR the Mini dealer of your choice.....as long as it is within 50 miles of the nearest Mini Dealer. It's sponsored by AAA, has the same benefits of AAA (lock your keys in your car?) and is good as long as your car is in the warranty period.

Not sure what happens when you are in the middle of nowhere. But it almost seems like they would still have to honor it. I never read the fine details, but it is worth a phone call to Mini to find out if she (your girlfriend) would be covered.

 

[FONT='Times New Roman']Bah, I never bought a new car yet, and I have no intentions of EVER going to a dealer for repairs/service/modification. I bought my 02 cooper-s about 6 months ago with 56k miles. So far, so good as far as repairs go. Go to a local shop you trust. Even better if you know someone who works there. So what if they have to order parts in... Waiting makes you appreciate the car even more when you don’t have it. [/FONT]

 

The closest Mazda dealer would be over a hundred miles away and the closest Mini would be over 200 away. But I think she has made up her mind and decided to go for the Mini. This would be the time to get a fun car instead of the future when we're going to have kids to lug around.

 

Welcome to NAM, Exodus! You need to talk to our friends in Canada about how great the MINI is in winter and snow conditions. lot15, a Moderator here on NAM, loves his MINI in the winter and has a block heater for it, which I believe is standard equipment in Canada. It's a very hardy and stout little car. Your gal will LOVE it, but I agree that she needs to test-drive both the Mazda and the MINI to decide which one she likes best. Good luck!

 

Unless she has a specific and rigid list of features desired, you might consider buying from dealer stock instead of ordering and waiting. It is not uncommon for folks to buy from a dealer way out of their home turf and drive the new baby home. Good opportunity to get it sorted out ahead of time.

 

I bought mine off the lot. There was no way I was going to put myself through 8-10 weeks of waiting. As far as the break-in. She'll be driving that car so slow that it will be impossible for anything to break.

But seriously, you will be getting a very reliable, solid, and beautifully engineered piece of BMW machinery. Although your concerns are valid for many vehicles, I don't think you have to worry about this one letting you down.