I've tried searching for an existing answer, but couldn't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for ... sorry.

Anyway, I recently injured my back, and my doctor says that I'm probably never going to be totally well again. So ... I may need to sell my '03 MC because pushing the clutch in and out is not as easy as it used to be. So I may now have to consider buying a used MINI with an automatic transmission. So my question is this ...

I would probably only have about $15K to spend, so what year should I absolutely stay away from, and what year would be the best one to look for?

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Probably 02' from what I hear, stay away from it.

 

Saddened to hear about your back injury, Revray, and that you may not recover completely from it and can no longer drive a clutch comfortably.

I imagine an '04 or '05 auto tranny would be in your price range but I'm just speculating. Perhaps if you scrolled through various MINI dealer websites you might see some prices in inventory.

I've read on other threads to avoid '02 as introductory model years have quite a few bugs that do get worked by the next model year. But again, I'm far from expert.

Will hope and pray that your back gets as well as it possibly can.

 

05 or newer if you can. Our you looking forand MC or and S. If you can find one with the paddle shifters, it's alot more fun and you won't miss shifting as much.

 

Mini's not the best car when it comes to ride quality, will your back be okay?

cvts were available from 02-06 on non-S Coopers

 

You got hurt somehow?! Nuuuuuuu! (>_<)

I hope you recover.

Oh hey, get an auto S, it may be a flappy paddle, but at least it's not a CVT.

 

From all the negative talk on the CVT transmission I would look for a Cooper S with steptronic... The MCS didn't have the troublesome CVT.

 

I've heard of a lot of trouble with the CVT.

I test drove one a while back.
Justacooper cvt.
It was not zippy.

 

Thanks for the input everybody. I doubt that I would be able to afford an S, so if I do decide to switch it would probably have to be a cvt. As to the ride quality issue, I think that the seats are form fitting enough that I can live with the bumps. It's working the clutch that I'm having trouble with, mainly because the enduring problem involves my sciatic nerve in my left leg. Other than driving around town, I have not had MS MINIVER out on the twisties for over two months, which is not good!

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05 or newer, I really hope your back pulls thru, I am also living with a very bad back:(

 

Could you possibly take that 15K and drop it as a down payment on a new MINI that's an auto? It's win-win. I've heard from the local dealer that sales have started to dip back down so there should be stock on the lot soon so you wouldn't have to wait for delivery if that was a worry.

I really hope this works out for you, and I'd hate for you to get a MINI that you could end up having problems with!