I've had my car (2006 R53 with 25k miles) for 25 days and its in the shop for the second issue.
Last week, it was the coolant leak that was (as I had learned from here) the thermostat housing.

This week, its my gas gauge and the fuel level sensors have to be replaced.

Fortunately, I have a free 30-day warrantee from the place I bought it from so I have had to pay nothing but inconvenience, and they've been great about giving me loaners (Civic? YUK!)

I absolutely LOVE this car, but I am scared that stuff is going to keep going wrong!
I wonder if these problems existed before I bought it and the dealership just didnt see it when they did their "zillion"-point inspection.

I traded in a 2008 smart with 15K miles on it that I had no service issues with.

Did I do the wrong thing?? Please console me!!

 

It's going to be all right When this hiccup is behind you, you'll LOVE your MINI!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by CalicoGal

Did I do the wrong thing?? Please console me!!

Probably. It's a car built in England. What have the English ever built that was better in any way than a Japanese car? After driving several Lexi (Lexuses, Lexus), driving a BMW is a step down. My wife loves the Clubman, but it's not a car we will take on any long trips. The old Lexus is sitting in the driveway with a cover since I ride everyday. The Mini will probably be the car we sell when we downsize to one vehicle.

 

Cars are machines made by humans and none of them are without problems. Have a reputable shop or dealer make necessary repairs and I'm sure you'll be motoring with a big smile on your face soon.

I know it's understood that we all have opinions and mine differs greatly on Japanese feaux luxury. Just my 2¢...I've owned a lot of cars - luxury, muscle, sports, & utility, and have to say that next to Mercedes, Lexus is another heap of a piece...my experience. I would not compare a MINI to a luxury brand, after all you can buy two MINI's for less than I paid for the Mercedes, Lexus, or Infiniti.

From what I've seen Mercedes has finally leap-frogged the imitators but Japanese will do what they do best...imitate & refine. Hey, it's worked for them for years. Don't give up on your car...as long as you enjoy it that's all that matters.

 

If they are going into the trouble of opening up the tank to access the fuel level sensor, maybe they can inspect/replace the fuel filter at the same time....just a thought.

MINI's are BMW's, esp the 1st Gen. They are not w/o their problems like most German cars. Parts can be expensive too.

Never drove a Smart Car, but they look like fun too. Good luck.

 

You'll be ok. Luckily most of the stuff you'll need to do on these cars aren't terribly expensive. The expensive stuff like power steering pumps usually only happen once. You'll love your car, we have two MINIs, and we took my wife's Justa all the way to Winnipeg and back to Ohio, without a hickup. They are great cars, but they'll need some love sometime. Once you get the kinks out of your system that the previous owner didn't resolve, you'll be very happy.

 

That is so true!

Now CalicoGal, wether you own a Mercedes, a Lexus, or a (fill in the blank) they are all prone to some sort of mechanical malady. They are machines after all...

Therefore, don't beat yourself with a stick and worry over wether or not your car will carry on.

Stop and ask yourself this (with apologies to Cadillac)...

The real question is, when I turn her on, does she return the favor?

IMHO, no other car can deliver smiles and driving satisfaction for the price as can the MINI!

Hang on to your MINI and give it a chance to deliver, you won't be disappointed!

 

Let's see, you bought a 2 year older car with 10,000 more miles than the one you had from a non-MINI dealer, probably with no service history and you're surprised because it's had a couple of problems? Really?

Did you have it checked over by someone you trust before you bought it?

No, huh?

Maybe the best thing you could do now is to take it to your MINI dealer and have them look it over thoroughly, then maybe you'll know what you're up against in the short term as compared to getting "surprised"?

 

I have an 06 with 47000 miles and yes, I did visit the dealer several times to have multiple items fixed.

thermostat twice, coolant reservoir twice, broken axle nut, broken headlight washer, broken dome light, broken power-steering fan, broken power steering pump, 2 control arm bushings (although these go out on bmws ALL the time)...

so yeah, if I was out of warranty, it would be like $2000 at least in parts alone.

but then, all the things that broke are kinda minor things apart from power-steering stuff....

the bottom line is, Coopers aren't the most reliable cars in the world, but it will never leave you stranded if you take good care of it. And selling the cooper and buying another car just costs more in the long run than keeping your cooper even if you have to fix it occasionally.


Drew-

 

DON'T DO THAT.

get PPI done at the local mechanic that you know

I used to work at bmw dealer and they really do a half-*** job on pre-purchase inspections.

I swear, after seeing several dealer mechanics doing work on customer's cars, I try to avoid dealer as much as possible.

 

I say for an 06 with 25k on the odo some of it might be from sitting around. I have to say MINI is a great car but they are not the turn key and forget they need TLC. And I tell you what a lot of people here are going to gripe and complain that it should be. You can hope for it but, sadly its a British car and they are really quirky. When stuff breaks its going to be that WTF part. Maintain it to the best of your ability and love it to death.

 

So nothing *assembled* in England can compare to *anything* assembled in Japan? Ridiculous.

As far as long trips go, I drove my MINI 8 hours to Atlanta on Sunday evening, flogged it on the full Road Atlanta course including redline shifts / ABS-activating braking / 4-wheel slides / etc, and then drove it immediately home another 8-hours. 16-hours of driving with multiple track sessions thrown into a <40 hour time period and not even a hiccup. I didn't so much as even have to adjust my tire pressures.

I'm not claiming MINI's are the most reliable cars on the road, but a bunch of stereotypes and claims that you "wouldn't take it on long trips" are just inflammatory and useless.

 

Calicogal...the most important thing is that you get comfortable with your ride. MINI's are great cars, no other car in the price range is as fun or exciting to drive, and they come with a huge family of people that are as quirky as they are. Don't get dicouraged. Car troubles/repairs are always stressful and especially on a car that's new to you. There are a lot of talented and knowledgeable owners on this site with lots of different opinions but I think most would agree...get it to a reputable shop or dealer and get the repairs done and a thorough inspection. You can always come back for shoulders to cry on or much needed hugs. We're cool like that...

 

Those are both common issues, the previous owner had the fuel gauge issue on my car. All cars are not without issues, and the MINI is more of an example of that fact than an exception for it. A small price to pay for such driving joy, IMO.

If it makes you feel better:
Week one: dead HK amp (like that when I bought it)
Week two: motor mount fails
Week three: kill battery
Week four: caliper seizes
Week five: well... it's Thursday and nothing's happened yet!

But in defense of the car, the battery and caliper weren't its fault.

 

The rest of us don't always do the right thing the first time, MINIdave. Your sarcasm is no help.

 

They are built in the midlands, after all.

In an old British Leyland shop.

Be glad it isn't an Austin Princess.

 

 

Thanks for all the replies, guys!
Regarding a PPI, the large and reputable national company from which I bought it (3rd vehicle bought from this company in my family) does a supposedly through inspection before offering it for sale. (I'd rather not say where I bought it cause I just dont want to hear from all the nay-sayers. I've had not one issue with them, their products, or their service. They've always been very accomdating to our needs, and gone out of their way.)
I did look at the CarFax ahead of the purchase, and, also, they fix anything for free the first 30-days. I also bought an extended warrantee.

On a humorous note, the prior owners had a bunch of stuff done to it only a few months ago, including brakes, tire rotation & balancing, detailing, to the tune of $1700. They redacted their name and address on the receipt for this that they left with the car.
However, they neglected to remove the registration renewal, with their names and address!
So, me, being the information junkie that I am, Googled them! They are an older couple from an affluent area-- he is a retired microbial toxin expert and she is a cardiologist!
I am certain that they took good care of my little "Hamster"* before I got it.

Thanks again, gang. I look forward to many more hours of MINI overdose from this forum!



*Named after Richard Hammond of BBC's Top Gear because it's little, cute, and British!

 

It's a crapshoot buying any car. Before we got the Mini Clubman, we bought a Nissan Murano at a local dealer. We got it home and the battery was dead. Put in new battery in it, drove it 300 miles and visited the grandkids. When we tried to leave, the battery was dead. Took it back and canceled the deal.

Any car can have issues, but the Japanese seem to have a better build than USA and Europe. Hope your issues are taken care of. Like mentioned here, it's a fun drive, so have fun with it.

 

Or that could just be the fact it was a Nissan. No offense, but I wouldn't own one if someone gave it to me. They're about as much junk as the Olds were IMHO (and indirectly Pontiacs).

We've had quite a few BMWs in my family, and they're very good cars and very reliable. Obviously the only experience with MINIs I have are the two I own, but I'd own a German made BMW before any other luxury car, that's for sure.

Like what was said before, cars are cars, they all suck in their own ways. We've had Toyotas and Hondas that were horrible cars that were always in a state of repair. Doesn't mean that Japanese cars suck though or are unreliable.

 

An '06 may still be under factory warranty. Get your VIN number and call any MINI dealership and ask them when the car went into service. And whilst you have them on the phone ask them what options you have (unless you already have the window sticker).

Be worth knowing.

And BTW, Mrs. Moreorless and I just completed a 1,600 mile roadtrip in our MINI with nary a problem. So don't be shy about hitting the road. Don't listen to the doom and gloomers!

Enjoy that MINI!!!

....Les

 

Well, you'll be glad to know that i'm trading my R53 in for a Buick!!

 

To the OP: Like Gunner stated, buying a car is a crap shoot, even new ones. I traded my 2003 MINI in on a used 2005. When I purchased the car I knew of several flaws on the it, but chose to get it anyway. Take for instance, I purchased the car with two blown strut towers. I had MINI fix it under warranty reluctantly. Since owning the car, I've had several tuning issues, broken passenger seat, faulty thermostat gasket, and now my clutch is starting to slip a little and the flywheel is defective. Some days this car runs like a champ, and other days it's a PITA!!!! Just monitor your car and you'll be fine. Keep up on the maintenance and catch problems early on.

 

No sarcasm, just legitmate questions......

People do dumb things I agree, but this has been drilled into everyone over the age of 5 forever, when it comes to buying a used car, have it checked over before you buy it. if you don't, then whatever happens is yours.....

However, she asked what to expect next, so my legitmate suggestion was to take it to the dealer and have it looked over so she won't have any more surprises in the short run. Still seems reasonable to me.....

 

Dave, I'm pretty sure she bought the car at Carmax, and they do pretty good inspections of their cars before you buy them. I bought my Z4 from Carmax and didn't have any issues what so ever with the car.