I'm intrigued by your comment given that the 1-series 5-door is 9" longer than the CM? Is the 1-series really that space-inefficient? Have you considered the X1?

 

Our CM is actually bigger interior wise than our old 2011 3 series.

 

The 1 series is a 2 door coupe in the United States. I don't find the X1 to be an attractive looking car.

 

Grab a 4-door cooper s hardtop, throw a bubble on the roof and pat yourself on the back for saving yourself time at the dealer for warranty repair niggles.

 

I had forgotten that you don't get the 5-door over there, over here it's the other way around. I do agree with you about the looks of the X1, however.

 

Any car will have niggles, doesn;t matter what the badge on the bonnet says. You have warranty to look after most things. Modern cars are more complex with more and more electronics - they all take up space and weight, hence why cars are externally bigger but no more roomy inside than previous models.

I do question why we need all these 'necessary' items, but the marketing men have done a great job over the years convincing us we must have these non essential items.

 

I just hit one year on my 2014 and have nearly 14k miles on it. I've had 2 problems...The first was due to driving at 8000 ft in altitude when it was 80 degrees out. The car went into limp mode. Turned out MINI had a software fix for it and that issue never came back. The other was a rattle up near the mirror that was very irritating. The second time they tried to fix it, they got it and I haven't heard it again since. Other than those, I've absolutely loved it! Nice to have a car that is AWD that can go anywhere, carry 4 people easily (5 with difficulty) that can scream around corners. It's really been a fun year with this car.

 

I've had my 2011 for four days so far, and have put around 150 miles on it, and I haven't had a single problem yet!

I'm debating whether or not I should buy an extended warranty program (I probably will based on the fact it's a first year production car), but I have until July of next year to decide that.

I expect that it will have some issues, and I'm ok with that. I feel like I got a really good price on a fantastic car.

 

curious what's the repair history on it? Extensive? plan on doing your own repairs? Mileage?

I'd get one but I've got a 2011 lemon and I already lose money driving it under warranty it's gotta go.

I wouldn't bet on the whole "got the kinks out under warranty" premise that aligns with most german autos, this one is a different animal. Parts that shouldn't fail on any make of modern day car do at high rates, and low mileage, I'd get one if the car has a good history, the likelihood exists of a major repair, there's a lot of grey area to cover.

Just my two cents, that money you saved on the purchase could likely end up an earlier water pump replacement, carbon buildup, tow bill, etc. If the cars a keeper, reliable, get the warranty, insure your long-term ownership, if not flip her before the manufacturer warranty goes. I'd wait until next year too.