Hi all! I need advice from some mini owners! I found a 2006 MCa with roughly 87,000 miles on her. She was owned by a woman who drove it around for corporate purposes. The carfax is absolutely clean...no problems, accidents, or failures. The interior has some very minor wear and tear, nothing unexpected for a used car.

Here's where I need help. The dealership is asking well below retail value for this specific car. KBB has the retail listed at $13,200 and the dealership is wanting a flat $10,900 for the car. I've also looked at the values on NADA.com and Edmunds...all are also showing around the $13,000 mark. So, should I be overly concerned with the low asking price or should I consider it a steal? I test drove it with my husband and everything is perfect....(with the exception of a slight shudder in the CVT transmission before taking off).

I am in the financing/trade in stage right now, and I expect to move on the process as the week goes on and I want to be prepared for negotiating or if negotiating is not really necessary!

 

CVT has been very troublesome if not maintained properly (fluid changes, etc.) and transmission is expensive to replace. I would insist on proof of proper maintenace and extended warranty on the transmission or else look for a Cooper S with the trouble free Aisin 6 speed automatic.

 

Thanks Suzanne's. This car is a pretty expensive dealership, they only carry porsches, bentleys and the like so I'm hoping they made sure the mini was well taken care of. My husband asked the dealer if the car had been properly maintained and of course they said yes. He said that we could bring in a professional mechanic if we had any qualms about the care of the car.

Do you think the price is good or should we negotiate a little?

 

The quality of the dealership is irrelevant to the problem that CVT auto MINI's have exhibited. Likewise the care of the previous owner because the CVT seems to have a design flaw that leads to catastophic failure. I'm not saying it will happen but.... The CVT drive can quit at any time...I traded my CVT at 72,000 miles simply because I did not want to be faced with a 3K or 4K or higher bill to fix the transmission. Mine was an '03 with that 72K and it was sold for $11,500 so price wise it's a good purchase but I would not buy another CVT....we traded out '03 for a 2010 Clubman and I'm very happy with my decision.
Philip

 

I'm starting to get a wee bit nervous about it, but i will definitely ask the dealer about the care of the transmission tomorrow. If there is one thing that can destroy the excitement of a used mini, it would be the gigantic transmission issue.

Maybe I can negotiate the price down due to the fact that the CVT is known to have issues!!

I also have read that the later '06 CVT models didn't have AS many issues as the older models. Is this true?

 

You can ask the dealer about transmission care all you want, however, what "Minilla" is trying to tell you is: Even when perfectly maintained the CVT automatic transmission can go out at any time. In fact, out of all the issues that MINI's may have problems with, the CVT transmission is the biggest and costliest that we see referenced on this forum. CVT = BIG RED FLAG!!!

 

I suppose I am taking a big risk.....I just don't drive sticks and an automatic is just a pre-requisite for me. I can only hope for the best!!

 

Lorals, another way to think of it is like this. For the price of a CVT transmission you could afford to upgrade all of the following items: a) Brand new wheels, b) brand new tires, c) brand new struts, d) brand new bushings d) a sprint booster e) a tune and still have enough money left over for a trip to Hawaii.

 

Then buy an 07 without the CVT. Well worth the extra cash.

 

With all due respect, Loral...YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!

This is only my opinion, but there is Plenty of backup, DO NOT BUY A CVT!!!!
Any year, any maintenance record, ANY mileage!

You probably are thinking (as anyone would without specific knowledge) that auto trans failure might cost what, $2000? No. The CVT used in the MINIs cannot be repaired; the parts cannot be purchased! The ONLY out is to buy a reman CVT for about $6000! Plus Labor! Are you able and willing to buy a car for say, 10K and then put $8000 more in repairs?

Do what I did, learn which MINIs came with CVT and which used the Aisin 6-speed auto. Buy the Aisin which is a conventional automatic trans and is apparently bulletproof.
The CVT was used in ALL automatic equipped 1st generation 'base' Coopers.
This means base (not Cooper S ) model hatchbacks thru 2006 and base model convertibles thru 2008.
I studied the same issue as I wanted a Cooper automatic; The answer was to buy EITHER a Cooper S auto (always had Aisin, not CVT) OR buy a second-generation Base model auto because they put the Aisin in all of the second-gen cars.
That's exactly what I did. CLICK
Note that the failure of the CVT has nothing to do with maintenance.
Note also that the failure of the CVT is presaged by shuddering. Probably why that car is on the lot!


RUN RUN RUN!


EDIT: Btw, all car prices are quite depressed just now. Its the market, the economy, Christmas, tax time, etc. There are some very very good deals out there. I bought a 2008 base Cooper auto with 50k miles for some two grand less than NADA Trade-in.

 

The consensus from reading this forum for a few months is that you should avoid this transmission at all costs. It is not worth the risk. Buy an '07 or newer which will not have these inherent problems.

Listening to the above posts may save you a lot of money and headaches.

Keep looking, you'll find a MINI with a solid transmission that will give you lots of trouble free miles. Don't settle!

 

Add to the above that in the current market (and ignoring the CVT issue for the moment) 10900 is two grand too high! at least it is for the Dallas market.

 

The difference in performance, feel, and reliability between the two automatics (CVT in the base vs, Aisin 6 speed auto in the S) is enough to justify the extra cost in going with an automatic Cooper S.

 

The same would apply to second-generation base models (they have the Aisin automatic as well) The normally-aspirated engine performs surprisingly well when backed by the six-speed auto!

 

To the OP: what did your independent mechanic say during an inspection???

That's my point, you're going into this purchase too emotionally (meaning I don't think or hear you got a "second opinion").

Use this as an "excuse" with the dealership to get out the commitment...blame it on your indie mechanic...he says "better re-think this" and look for another deal. Wink-wink.

You may regret your purchase sooner than later...if it's too good to be true as the old saying goes.....you know the rest of the unfinished line...

 

Loral,

Goodluck and be sure to update us on your decision!

 

How true!

 

Thanks for all the heads-ups. After thinking about it long and hard, I've decided to purchase a manual mini. I have absolutely no experience driving a stick shift, but I am willing to learn in order to drive a reliable mini!!! Luckily, my husband drives an Infiniti G35 automanual, so I'm learning on his car before I try to drive the mini.

I've read on these forums that a manual causes less problems than an auto and it saves more on gas. Plus, it's more fun!!!

By the way, I don't like the style of the 07's and newer, so I better stick with an 05 or 06 (plus I can't afford the 07's!)

Is it pretty easy to drive a manual mini? Considering I'm someone who has never driven a manual in her entire driving career!!

Oh, and to Steve20607: Our independent mechanic is my father-in-law. He works on fixing up our police cars. I told him about the mini and he said that he's always wanted one, but to stay away from the automatics! Ha!

 

I learned to drive manual on my '06 Cooper. I had clutch/gear experience from riding motorbikes but this was my first manual car. It took a few drives to get the hang of it, and months later I am still getting better, but you will figure it out pretty quick. One thing that helped me pick it up was a tip I got from my driving instructor.

When you're getting it moving from a stop, instead of giving it gas while releasing the clutch pedal, learn to just let the clutch out very slowly and feel where it engages and starts to move the car. Keep letting it out very slowly until it's fully engaged, the clutch pedal is all the way up, and the car is moving. THEN you can give it some gas.

It is a slow process at first but you will get better and better. This should help you avoid the risk and fear of burning the clutch by revving it too much and slipping it out, etc.

Congratulations on your decision to go manual, you won't regret it! Nothing against driving automatics, but many feel it is a more "connected to the car" driving experience when you're manually shifting gears. It's a skill worth learning.

 

Thanks for this!!! My husband said the same thing about letting the clutch out slowly before giving it gas. I LOVE that the mini comes standard with the hill-assist feature. Too often in my town, people will get right up on your tail and I don't want to roll too far back and hit someone!!

I already had a little bit of fun driving his automanual car....thought I didn't want to admit it! =o)

 

You did the right thing. CVT in any car is still new technology. Do not be a tester for the auto industry.


Just do things right from the start and you will get good over time without any bad habits.

At a light, never, ever use the clutch to stop rolling backwards. I see this a few times a year and know they are going to visit the clutch man soon.

When stopped, it is best to have the car in neutral and your foot off the clutch. This saves your throw out bearing, but as the time for the light to change (or whatever) approachs, you can get in gear, just when it makes sense to do so, put it in neutral and take your foot off the clutch.

Don't worry about the car behind you. Let them wait. Twice my wife stalled, the car behind beeped and she accidently put it in reverse...lol...they stopped beeping.

A trick for a hill (that I still use in a pinch if an idiot is too close on a hill) Put the car in gear, pull up the emergency brake, let the clutch out a bit until the engine dips, and then release the hand brake. This gives you a third foot to hold the brake without much effort. Don't rely on this for hills, but remember it in case you seem to need it.

Have fun

 

Lorals, I commend you for listening. A manual is a blast when you get the hang of it. Like "HRM" said, Use the emergency brake anytime you are worried about going backward into someone, Hills etc....
You can still get and Auto as long as it is not a CVT. Prices are going down as the new ones come out.
Lastly, If you are from Springfield, Missouri and were looking to buy from Premiere Auto. They are a very good top of the line dealership. That is where I bought my 06 S. I am from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. However, a CVT is flawed no matter where you buy it from.
Happy Motoring

 

Loral, thanks for popping back in to let us know! I was afraid that we had either come on too strong and scared you away, or you had already purchased the CVT car and (given the gist of the thread) might not want to talk about it.
I'm relieved to see that you have not bought the CVT! YAY!
To put the auto thing to bed, note that a real (and reliable) auto is available in all of the Cooper S models that had autos. As well as the second-generation base Cooper.
Now to the stickshift, it's really not that hard and after you've been driving a stick for a little while, you'll wonder why you waited so long to try!

 

Yeah, I'm a strong believer in that things happen for a reason. I'm sure I would have problems with that CVT from the mini I was looking at. Premier Cars was a great dealership, but at the end of the day, they are there to make money and they would have sold that mini to me....transmission problems or not.

I'm still very nervous to drive a manual mini, but I want to learn how to do it and have fun with it! I like to drive fast, but I also like to be gentle with my cars, so I hope I can take care of the mini while being a newbie to stick shift driving!

 

Find someone with a manual that's willing to let you practice in a parking lot somewhere. It's not difficult.

And in any case, avoid the Mini CVT transmissions like you would the plague. (The CVT in our Nissan Murano is great, however.)