I would love to hear from anyone who has owned both an 05-06 R50 and a 3rd gen Mini.

I've owned my R50 for 11 years and it now has 190,000 miles. As much as I am tempted to try to take it to 250,000 miles I am also tempted by the torquey 3 cylinder in the current Mini.

Back in 07 people talked about how unreliable Minis were. But, mine has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. My hope is the new Mini is in the ballpark reliability and durability wise.

So, if there's anyone out there who has owned both please take a few minutes to tell me how they each have worked out for you.

Thanks for reading!

 

Yep!



I recently got old blue and I enjoy it in a different way I enjoy my F56. Old Blue is just a fun car, no worries, no concerns, just a fun little car

Now my 3rd gen is well, my race car

 

I don't have an R50, but I do have an R55 and a F56 ... does that count.

They are both great cars, but totally different.

 

I drive the hell out of my '06 R52, take care of all it's needs, whatever it needs, and it takes care of mine. My co-pilot drives a '15 R60. Two completely different machines. Her's has the comparative feel of a soccer mom grocery getter while mine whispers 'you could have taken that turn a little tighter'. Also, the first crowd is likely to wave while the third wonders 'what's wrong with them?'.

 

I've had a 2006 R50 Justa automatic and a 2015 F56 One manual. And now a 2017 F56 Justa automatic.

Of the three, I thought the R50 was the most fun to drive and gave the true Mini experience. It was smaller, lower, and seemed to grip the road better. I also liked that the shorter bonnet was not in my field of vision and seemed to put me right on the road. Some say that 1st Gen give the true Mini experience. The failing CVT issue constantly in the back of my mind AND the high costs of keeping it on the road forced me to upgrade.

I remember the first time I took an F56 for a test drive, I hated it and couldn't wait to get back in my R50. But Mini leaves us no option. IMHO, Mini's trend to bigger, higher, and longer is wrong. But I'll never buy another brand. Before buying my current car, I looked at and drove a DS3 and could have gotten a top of line one for cheaper than my Mini, but - at the end of the day - I knew I'd regret not buying a Mini.

I had to get rid of the One because the traffic here just made the manual too much of a hassle with my daily commute.

I do thoroughly enjoy the F56 though. You can't compare the turbo with the non-turbo R50. And the upgrade in technology is a big plus. But I do miss my R50.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks.

I was underwhelmed by a low miles 2014 CPO Cooper 6-speed that I test-drove but understand that the subsequent models are better.

My plan would be to order a car since manuals have become so rare. Who knows? In the end I may keep my R50 since it's worth so little with its 190K miles even though it's in perfect condition.

I've also had the fantasy of buying a 2006 low miles GP and toggling back and forth between the two 2006 Minis.

Tough decision...thanks again.

 

had an '04 MC standard for 12 years, 165k mi...no major problems ...loved it ...then traded for brand new 2016, 4 door MC 2 years ago ....

'04 ....loved the manual transmission ...the base MC really was plenty powerful for me ...loved the mpg

'16 .....took long rest drive with the 6 speed...the clutch throw is longer and it was hurting my knee, so with much trepidation i ordered it with the automatic ,,,,you know what? ...an automatic is easier...i was afraid i might miss having a standard but now like the automatic ( though if ever i need a loaner i would like to try a standard again for old times sake)

differences: the '16 is way faster off the line, more powerful overall and gets much better gas mileage...it did seem bigger at first but shortly after purchase seemed same as the '04 size wise although of course a bit longer since the 4 door .....one difference is the cloth seats on the '04 did not attract dog hair ....the cloth seat on the '16 ( had to get the JCW interior package for $600 to get cloth seats) attracts the dog hair like velcro :(

overall ..love them both...both handle well and both are great in snow

 

Very helpful, thanks.

I've never owned a car with an auto trans but after all these years it's getting tempting. Some of those dual-clutch gearboxes are amazing. I loved the one in the last generation of VW GTIs. If Mini used a version of a BMW DSG in a Cooper S it would be hard to resist.

Anyway, thanks again.


QUOTE=umberto;4385957]had an '04 MC standard for 12 years, 165k mi...no major problems ...loved it ...then traded for brand new 2016, 4 door MC 2 years ago ....

'04 ....loved the manual transmission ...the base MC really was plenty powerful for me ...loved the mpg

'16 .....took long rest drive with the 6 speed...the clutch throw is longer and it was hurting my knee, so with much trepidation i ordered it with the automatic ,,,,you know what? ...an automatic is easier...i was afraid i might miss having a standard but now like the automatic ( though if ever i need a loaner i would like to try a standard again for old times sake)

differences: the '16 is way faster off the line, more powerful overall and gets much better gas mileage...it did seem bigger at first but shortly after purchase seemed same as the '04 size wise although of course a bit longer since the 4 door .....one difference is the cloth seats on the '04 did not attract dog hair ....the cloth seat on the '16 ( had to get the JCW interior package for $600 to get cloth seats) attracts the dog hair like velcro :(

overall ..love them both...both handle well and both are great in snow[/QUOTE]