So I have decided to keep my 2006 MC. It was touch and go for a while there. I thought some of you would like to read why I almost moved on...

I owned a fabulous Arctic Silver BMW 318Ti M-Technic that I bought new in 1998. Great car. I am a lover of hatchbacks. It ran perfectly from Zero to 138,000 miles. Then, it was time for a clutch, AC compressor, front end dampener and a bunch of other little stuff. I thought long and hard amd decided that 2006 was the perfect time to buy a Mini. It had been 4 years since its introduction and was likely to be comparatively bug free. Plus, I just loved the way the car looked and also its size.

I bought my 06 (10/06 build) in December and sold my BMW for $10,500 (no kidding and it sold the first day it was posted and to the first person to see it). I had both for a week or so and the Mini made the BMW seem a little old.

Once the BMW was gone I began to realize that I liked the Mini but the love just wasn't coming and it hasn't yet. The Mini is the first car I have ever owned that I do not love, and I am not totally sure why.

That said, it has been a totally trouble-free 8500 miles. No a simgle burp.

Anyway, here are my issues:

The gearbox and clutch just don't measure up to even my 11 year old BMW's.

The engine is OK, but a tad coarse.

The car feels solid but the strut tower thing fails to inspire confidence. By 2006 they have still not figured this out?

Stories of bad trannies (even the new Getrag) have the same effect. Again, 4 years and they still have question marks?

My longtime BMW mechanic (a local legend who I trust completely) has the following to say about Minis. He kind of shifted his head and said, "They are not the most robust of cars, but I am trying to like them."

I'd like to know why they are not the most robust of cars? BMW has had a long time to get this car right and they just have not seemed to want to sweat the details. They got the marketing right and quite a few of the design elements but when you look at the car as a whole, there are holes.

My plan is to keep the my Mini for 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. Then, I'll sell the little guy and buy a BMW 1 series or maybe another 3.

Unless, of course, I have somehow fallen in love with my Mini by then.

 

Hey, I almost moved on too. The car just seemed to be too toy like, but then I found an '06 JCW with the upgrade suspension to trade-up to. Now I feel complete. Totally satifistied with the car. It is truely exciting everytime I drive it. She is hot, hot and hotter.

 

The 07 Mini is the zippiest car I've ever driven. Have you tried one and compared it to the 06?

 

It has crossed my mind to drive an 07 but they still look kinda funny to me. I'm sure I'll get used to them so maybe it's worth a test drive.

I wish BMW would build the Mini engines on their own.

They are, after all, an engine company. Why should they rely on the likes of Chrysler and Peugeot when they make some of the best engines on the planet??

 

Maybe it's a UNION thingy--- after all they're not building the car on their home turf. I dunno. Good question...

 

Yes, take an 07 for a test drive...try the turbo.

 

Heck, if BMW could build the M-Coup in South Carolina with a German engine it's hard to figure how the Brits could complain...

 

Don't do it, it might be habit forming.

On the other hand you might get spoiled if you drove the 07' R56.

Why not search for a 1998 low mileage BMW 318Ti M-Technic?
Seems like that might be possible.

 

pffft....get a JCW R53 instead

 

Boss, if I could have that baby back for what I sold it for it would be in my garage right now. It looked as good as the day I bought it. Never had a door ding and never had an ounce of curb rash. There won't be another like that 'un. They are very hard to find w/o scads of miles on them.

That said, it really was time for a new car.

From time to time my mind drifts towards a 2002 M-Coup, however. A friend has one and it is easily the most thrilling car I have ever driven. Also, very hard to find.

 

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I'm kind of right there with you. My 2003 is the first car I've had in a while--the last one that was exclusively mine was a VW GTI VR6. That thing would scream! So much so that I scared me a little (I had a full size truck prior to the GTI). I got the Mini to go from A to B (as a second car). It does that well and more. I love going around the traffic circles at the speed limit and not even breaking traction. But, there might be something out there that really speaks to me--I believe it is a Porsche; either the 911 or the Cayman. But, the Mini is a second car that I drive daily and cost a fraction of my two dream cars. Maybe I'll keep the truck (I live in Texas after all!) and the Mini (for the kids) and get a third car when the kids leave the house so my wife and I can get away from town quickly--at least quicker than the Mini!

But, of course, there are times when I absolutely love the Mini--it just wasn't made for straight roads!

 

You've had it for 8,500 miles without a hiccup? What are you worried about?

Just because you read about a small per centage of owners here on this forum with problems doesn't mean you'll have them too. OTOH, if the car itself just isn't doing it for you, that's another matter, and maybe the upcoming 1 series would be the right way to go. But I would not sweat it for problems, besides - you're under warranty aren't you?

 

I'm thinking if you had bought a MCS instead of the Cooper you might be feeling the love. My 2006 MCS 11/05 build with 28,000 on the clock has been rock solid. Plus a whole lot of fun.

Disclaimer..... I like Cooper's just fine. Just trying to help this fellow understand the love I have for my S.

 

I also am not really impressed by the reliability of my MINI. I love the styling and the performance but I never expected all the problems I am having with my 04 MCS (bought used a month ago) from a car built by BMW. The last car I had that had this many problems was a 92 Lumina 3.4. I have never gone back to Chevrolet or GM since then. In a months time on a car with just 20K I have a SES light that comes and goes, a drivers door that will not open easily, and the latest is it needs brakes! I have never heard of a car that only got 20K on a set of pads. Even my Stang that I drive hard has the same pads on 40k later. For the premium price they ask for replacement parts I would have expected more reliability.

Just my 2 cents!

 

i just didn't like the 6 speed on the S or the less than stellar gas mileage. Again, my Ti spoiled me. It got around 29 MPG overall. My Mini is great in this regard averaging over 30 MPG and near 40 on the freeway.

 

I like the 6 speed, but I do understand. Yes the S gets less MPG than the Cooper. I still manage to get 28 MPG on most tankfuls. The way gas prices are going I think a Cooper might have been a smarter choice. My next MINI may well be a Cooper, with the 6 speed. In the mean time I'm loving my MCS.

 

.......hehe . JCW'll do that for you!

 

And this is why you need to get yourself into an '07 MCS. Hot hot (literally) turbo lovin', but with around the same gas mileage as the R53 MCs.

 

+1

 

Sorry to hear your not lovin' your mini. I might feel the same in a base cooper, an S is a must have for me. I bought my 07 MCS for the good gas mileage (I get about 35-40 mpg on the highway) amongst numerous other reasons.

 

Have to agree here. Over 10k on my '06 full JCW MCS and still love getting behind the wheel each and every time. Not tempted at all by the smoother newer brother or the R56 JCW, though if a seriously hot new JCW (230 bhp or more) comes along in another year or so, might have to think about trading up.

 

I always loved the classic mini, so when New MINI came out I saved up & traded my VW GOLF for the new MINI. I went to the dealer couple times to look at them in person and picked my color I never even test drove one before my own Mini arrived. =)

I think of Mini as in Love it or Hate it kinda car?

Friend bought a Mini and next day he took it back and exchanged for BMW

I say go with what you like and be happy for next 2 years +++

 

Have you tried running an autocross, fun drive, or rally with it?

 

I will confess (on NAM for the very first time ever) that I have occasional bouts of ambivanence concerning my MINI...moreso now w/ the second one than the first. Why? I think I'm just too accustomed to MINI motoring. When I'm feeling this way one of four things happen....I travel and get a rental , I have a really nice drive unrelated to daily commuting , I consider what other automotive option are out there for me , or I recall my motivations for getting a MINI in the first place .