Why do MGs have rear defrosting windows?
So you can keep your hands warm while pushing it.

 

Same reason I bought mine. On a 4 day trip to 129 this year I completely wore out my S Drives, to the cords. I don't play behind the wheel, and although these are driver's cars, they are very fragile.

 

Well yeah, my mini's been in the shop more than I'd like. Broken boot hinges (not under warranty), leaking sunroof hose (fixed it AND replaced the carpet because it had mold from the wet at no cost under warranty) and some minor stuff. The closest dealership is 2 1/2 hours away, so that was a hassle. BUT...I've had this car 4+ years ('06), and I still smile when I see it in the parking lot! It's so much fun to drive, too. We own 2, and when mine goes kaput, I'll probably get another. Still have to keep a reliable minivan for airport pickups and an easier back seat to put grandkids in car seats though... But buy one while you're still spry enough to slip into that driver's seat!

 

Before I bought my used 2006 MINI Cooper S in April of this year, I read all the horror stories, but still got the car. I was seduced by the test drive.

I've taken this car back to the dealer for, literally, thousands of dollars of work covered under warranty. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend MINIs to anyone that can't handle higher than average vehicle hassle and cost. In truth, the car's reliability is much, much worse than I thought it would be. But, it's also more fun to drive than I thought it would be.

 

Great points!!

 

I don't know maybe you should give up the MINI plan, you obviously have mental reservations about making a mistake, I'm not sure that you would ever enjoy the MINI waiting for it to blow up every time you hit the road. I would suggest a 2004 Toyota Corolla, a solid safe performer.

 

If i were a bit more wealthy i'd have a brand new MINI potential repairs be damned but throwing all my spare money into buying a 4-5 yr old used one it will leave me with a parts car if it blows an engine or a tranny.
I guess the question is how many would feel as comfortable buying a used MINI thats out of warranty has 80-100K on the speedometer and expect it to reliably do $20K+ miles per year..If that was your only option would you still buy a MINI?

 

Just go with whatever the folks over on Miataforum are telling you.

 

Another thread by someone wanting us to talk him out of buying a MINI.....I've had three, '06 MCS, '08 MCS, '09 JCW, and a new '11 JCW due in next week. NONE of mine have had any undue problems, no excess visits to the dealer, or ...well anything out of the ordinary. To say I like them is an understatement, obviously you don't keep buying the same/similar vehicles if you think they're a piece of &%^$. I've had lots of cars, and the MINI is a great amalgamation of many of the things I enjoy about driving. One thing I should add, other than ditching the runflats that come with the cars pronto, I don't mod my cars.

 

I agree with those that said these types of forums are filled with a larger than real world percentage of those that have problems. Sure people come here to share and talk but I am guessing a large percentage come here because of a problem. How may first posts are about a problem or needing help? I know mine was. It was a minor problem that was fixed for $0 (not warranty work either) and minimal fuss. I came here because it happened on a holiday and I didnt want to wait a couple of days to bring her to the dealer.



Now having said that, I am sure as hell happy I didnt come here befor buying the MINI...I might have been scared off. I have had a lemon-car before and it was not fun at all.

 

Thought it was you when i saw the user name, looks like you've been interested in a MINI for a long time as well...
Hopefully Come Springtime i'll be posting the pics
All Assuming my recent sudden visual affliction clears up,
6th Cranial Nerve Palsy

 

"If that was your only option would you still buy a MINI?"

Not unless I woke up 40 years younger.

 

It's all been said, but I can take you to a Dodge, Harley, Chev, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, Audi, VW, Toyota, (etc etc) forum and you will read complaint after complaint about various cars. That doesn't mean we should be okay with these problems, my only point is that it's the same with every car company. It also seems much worse now that we have the internet. Every little problem is all over the web instantly. Things that most of us would have thought were no big deal 15 yrs ago, are now a crisis, because we read 10 posts about it.

 

Couldn't've said it better!

 

Well said!

 

Jambo, what do you currently drive? I think when you get down to the nitty gritty, preventative maintenance on a MINI with 80,000 miles won't be but a few hundred more a year than on a Civic. Yes, it will cost more, and annoying things will go, but what you pay in maintenance, you make up for in fun. It's just a matter of if the trade off is good for you.

On a personal note, I sold a BMW Z4 with 75,000 miles on it for a MINI Cooper S with 34,000 miles on it so I could have a more long-term car. I've had the car for 10,000 miles now, and I think in the long run, the BMW would have been more reliable.

 

Sold the MX-5 last year and had almost 200K trouble free miles with nothing other than regular maintenance.
Also traded the 01 Toyota Echo with 220K and just regular maintenance For an 05 Echo that i've put 100K trouble free miles on.
And i also have an 08 Yaris sedan with 60k trouble free miles..

 

That is why when I buy used, I ALWAYS buy straight from the original owner. You can also tell how the car has been treated by just talking to the owner.

Also, I'd advise to buy before spring time to get a better price.

 

MINIs are British in the same way that SEAT Leon's are Spanish and the Skoda Octavia is Czech...

 

MINIs are built in Oxford, Birmingham, and Swindon. How much more British do you want before it becomes British?

 

I think the driving experience far outweighs the issues. I love to drive my MCS. My car has some issues that are described in this forum. As time goes on, I will try to DIY as much as possible to save some cash. But, I know that others may not be able to do that. And, there are jobs that are just too big. You pays your money, you takes your chances. But, I love to drive my MINI.

All of our other cars are Japanese. Though, none have left us stranded (important attribute), they have cost me quite a bit to keep going. Our '05 Odyssey has been through 4 sets of run flats. Problem was that early on no one could change the tire and gel packs. The RFTs on the Odyssey have special wheels. Before the special Michelin tire breaker got into the hands of dealers and tire stores, you had to buy new wheels and tires when your tires went bald. And then, the only last about 20K. So, I shelled out about $1800 per axle a couple of times, then the dealer got a machine. That saved me from having to buy wheels, finally. This car has had cracked motors mounts, premature brake wear, alignment trouble, A/C failure, to name a few. I have had to put a lot of money in it to keep it going, but it is a nice car and my wife loves it. So, we keep it going. My son's Civic needs a head gasket. My daughters Mazda has developed a shimmy. Anyway, Japanese cars aren't all that, necessarily. It is just that there are so many and everyone will tell you that they are "no trouble." Sure no trouble if you stand back and throw $100 bills at them. Just like the MINI.

 

Our '05 Odyssey has been through 4 sets of run flats. Problem was that early on no one could change the tire and gel packs. The RFTs on the Odyssey have special wheels. Before the special Michelin tire breaker got into the hands of dealers and tire stores, you had to buy new wheels and tires when your tires went bald. And then, the only last about 20K. So, I shelled out about $1800 per axle a couple of times, then the dealer got a machine.

Could you just have switched brands?

I just cut a set of tires off with a reciprocating saw and a dremmel.
It wasn't easy, but it was doable.

I'm just asking what did the people do that didn't have $1800 per axel?

I think we got lucky. I needed a car that day and had wanted the MINI
for quite a while. The CRZ was still way on the horizon, and also, I
have reservations about buying another new honda. It was budget
driven so I bought off the lot, base model, came with sport package.
The only random problem was I used the horn and the airbag light
went off. Some money wasted there I can say it is best to buy the
tool as soon as it is available, whenever you buy a new car.
66k miles and that's been the only problem so far.

I would never ever consider buying the supercharged or turbo mini even
if it had a warranty I can say that.

Our main concern now is that we need 5 seatbelts (thus, the purchase
of the suzuki which is a fantastic car, over the clubman).
We would consider another MINI if they can give us 5 seatbelts like
they have in europe. If not, we will continue to get other brands.

After looking into the maintanence on an AWD suzuki I can say I would
not purchase a MINI with AWD. (our SX4 is 2 wheel drive)

 

 

Thought I'd jump in here as one of those who hasn't really had any problems. I'm approaching 30K after 16 months of HARD driving in a heavily modified MINI Clubman S, and I've been back to my dealer once for non-maintenance issues. I brought it in because my rear calipers were sticking and burning the pads - probably trashed them on one of my crazy mountain trips. At the same time on this visit the SR noticed initial signs that my HPFP was beginning to fail, so he replaced it no questions asked.

With the free maintenance plan that BMW/MINI offers, my overall maintenance costs are lower than with my old Honda Accord. Do I expect more failures than I experienced with my Honda? Sure, but then again I drive a heavily modified small race car now, so that's expected. Oh, and my Honda had to have the tranny completely replaced (under warranty) TWICE - so do I then assume that all Honda Accords are crap? Hardly...

 

OK so what problem areas should i be looking for when shopping for a used 06-08 manual tranny base as possible MINI with somewhere around 100K miles,and probably no warranty.The car needs to be reliable and be expected to run 15-20K per year.