Dude, I'm 58 getting ready to turn 59. Buying the 6 speed was the BEST thing I've ever done.

Revision 1.

Got to add this. My comute to work is at 6:00am in the morning over 16 miles of country road with no traffic. IF my comute was in stop and go city traffic I honestly would have to consider the Auto.

 

*********************BUT************************** **

As my GF tells me " I have the brain of a 15 year old"

I bought my 2009 Factory JCW in Oct. 2008 and she is proven correct every time I drive my car.

I have a very bad right hip and thought I would have trouble with the manual but so far no problems at all.

My GF hates the car because She can't drive a stick at all. I will probably beat up anyone that tries to teach her. (just kidding)

Go to your Mini dealer and test drive a few models. It will make it easier for you to decide which one is for you.

 

Not sure if the shortcomings of the R56 engine has been addressed. 4 fixes so far so this makes the 5th. I hope they finally have fixed the problems. But the jury is still out about that.

I hope they have fixed them, I'd like to buy an R56, but as of now my 2006 has been more reliable than the R56 MINIs seem to be.

Trust me I'm a MINI owner & I know it doesn't have the reliability of a Japanese appliance car. It's a heck of a lot more fun though!

My 2006 is the last year for the R53 & yes they ironed a lot of bugs out of them by that time.

Edit... Coot a set of snow tires & a MINI will climb right up that driveway.

Not all R56 owners have problems, but far too many do. Engines falling apart is not a trivial problem. Best do some research.

 

By the way, I'll be 63 next month.

Crashton,
I traded my 2008 BMW 335i Coupe for my MCS. I am active on a few BMW forums and the 335i owners have a lot of problems too, especially the HPFP. I did see some HPFP issues with R56 MINIs, but not as many complaining as BMW. I put 34, 000 miles on mine and the HPFP died at 22,000 miles-----at the dealer. Other than that, nothing.

 

I'm glad you are having good luck with your MINI.

 

Once again, the reason I suggested a NEW car is that you will avoid all of the issues of all the earlier models, whther you think the R53 is better or not, and you'll have 4 years and 50K to let the mfr take care of anything that might come up.

My 2009 Clubman has had exactly one small problem since I've owned it - at 3K I had the chain tensioner updated - end of story. Nothing since, nothing!

But if you only keep your cars for a couple of years, the new car is the way to go.

Now, without starting a war, someone please explain to me what you can do with your stick shift car that I can't do with my auto, besides push the clutch pedal in. Upshift and downshift with the stick? Yep, mine does that.

Match revs on up and downshifts? yep, I can do that too.

Put the car in exactly the right gear for a particular turn or other situation? yep, I can do that too.

Downshift thru the gears on decelleration and braking? Yep, do it all the time.

Leave the car in D and just let it do all the work while I relax when in heavy stop and go traffic? Yep, I can do that too, but stick shift owners can't.

 

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on a few things. Having a warranty is great! After the warranty having a great car is even better!!!

I understand the need some folks have for an automagic. Maybe when I get too old I'll have one too. Some days I feel like I'm getting close to that.

Motor on automagically....

 

Didn't read the whole thread but how are you at turning wrenches? If you're decent then there's nothing to worry about with 06's. I just bought mine and it had 79k miles on it. So far, I've only worked on the leaky oil filter and leaky thermostat, which cost me a whopping $75 on parts. I do have a few things I want to change due to miles, bushings, transmission oil, oil pan gasket, and engine mount...but that should cost less than $500 to replace with me doing the work.

As far as which model... S all the way!

 

I'd prefer not to have to repair a daily driver.... I don't even change my car's oil anymore. I might enjoy working on a classic or a kit car (if I had the time and money), but I'd much rather own/drive something I can really count on in rural areas... expecially long trips away from home (in the Blue Ridge Mountains).

I found a 2011 red Cooper I like at the nearest MINI dealer. I'm going to test drive it this week (along with other models). It's about $21K... Do dealers "deal" on these cars, or do they sell at MSRP? Also, do they all come with cruise control?

 

All MINIs now come with cruise. Some dealers will deal on a car that is in stock. MINI also has some incentives going. Check the MINI USA website.

Good luck...

 

FWIW, when I was shopping for my mini a few months ago, I eventually came across my cream-puff '05 MCS with only 25k miles. Doing my due diligence before purchase, I called the local MINI dealer to get the service history and was happy to find it was all dealer serviced and up to date.

Anyway long-story-short, I asked her what their experience was with respect to problems -- she said 2005-2006 was the best gen for fewest problems.

I'm guessing most would agree here - no?

 

I understand about not wanting to work on your daily driver in which case I would advise going with a new one or "newer" one with warranty.

I do agree with Jwesty. MINI got their act together with the last two years of the first generation, which is why I specifically looked for an 06 myself.

Either way, test drive both the justa and the S to see which one fits your needs. Some dealers deal and some don't.

 

Definitely test drive both the S and Justa, there are many many folks who are completely happy with their Justa, and more than a few who quickly wished they'd gotten the S.

The only way for you to know is to drive both. Me, I wouldn't be happy with a Justa, and like I said earlier - I'm an old coot too!

 

I had a 73 Midget as well and tweaking the SUs was part of the fun, the dealer somehow could never get it quite right. Now we both apparently have found our way into MINIs. I have owned (2) VWs and (4) BMWs since the MG and the MINI is the only car that I would say was actually more fun then that primitive MG.

 

I agree; being a "young guy" at the time, I didn't mind messing with the carbs. It was indeed part of the fun.

That car was my first experience with something actually fun to drive.
It wasn't until 22 years later that I was finally able to get into another fun car, a used '99 M Roadster. I sold the roadster after picking up a used '04 Cooper S, because the MINI was more fun.
Now I'm in an '09 JCW Coupe, having a blast, feeling like I did in the Midget, and trying to avoid the sheriff.

 

On the other hand I did oh so hate driving a screwdriver through the ill placed spin on (read baked on) oil filter to get it off. One time it took me an entire weekend.

Our MINIs are also somewhat quirky as is befitting a british built car I guess. The rattling dash for the first five miles on a cold winter day and so on and so on. None of it bothers me when I take my 2003 S on a romp through the twisties. And so far it has never left me stranded.

 

I visited the MINI dealer today with two of my sons and I drove a 2011 Cooper and a 2011 S turbo. What fun cars!

Being an OldCoot, I was fine with the Cooper, but both of my sons dogged me about getting the S. (Hey, they're right: the S is FAST! And I had a blast nailing the throttle!)

The title for my Suzuki was in the glove box so I could trade it in on the MINI, and I had a check in my wallet to pay the difference, but the dealer wouldn't even match the lowest trade-in price for my car or the TMV price on Edmunds, so we left -- sadly -- without a new MINI.

Oh well.

On the up side, I still have a fun little car with low mileage, all-wheel drive, AT, 4-doors (for the grandkids) and a separate set of wheels with snow tires -- and it's all paid for, so no complaints.

Thanks for all your help and advice. Maybe someday I'll try to re-negotiate. (Lord knows, I love the MINI!)

 

Bummer. Maybe try selling your car privately and see what Carmax would give you for your car.

 

That's really sad to hear. I know how frustrating it can be when you're ready to buy and the dealer throws a wet blanket on everything. Keep on trying and good things will come to you.

 

Was the dealer offering anything off the list price of the MINI?
Reason I ask is, I've received a coupon from the place I bought my car for $2K off a new MINI; don't know what restrictions are involved, though.

 

The sales manager only offered $350 off MSRP, so my son whipped out his iPhone, went to Edmunds and showed him some numbers. The sales manager said he didn't know how Edmunds came up with their figures, at which point my trust level fell through the floor. Thankfully, my son said, "I've got to get to back to work." (He owns his company, so that was a bit of a stretch.) He was feeling the same discomfort as me, so he simply got us off the hook.

When we got back in my car, the sales manager came outside and asked what we needed to make the deal... after practically waving my checkbook in his face while I was in his office to get the Edmunds price, I politely told him I'd think about it and let him know...

 

Sounds like you definitely need a different sales person, if not a different dealer.
I'm not sure I would've been as polite.

I figure if my dealer is knocking $2K right off the top, there must be others out there who will deal.
Maybe you should get in touch with International MINI, in Milwaukee.

 

If you're still considering the MINI, one suggestion worth trying is another dealer if in your area. Otherwise, try the number that you like - cost of car plus tax,etc, minus your desired trade in. Hand him a check for that amount.

A check - I'm not talking about a verbal offer - they get talk all day long from people who are not sincerely interested. They don't turn down money if there's any profit in it for them. There's no shortage of MINI's!

From another old coot.

 

It didn't come out right when I said the SX4 is a better car.

Certainly the MINI is much more zippy.
I can say the SX4 is not un-zippy though.

He mentioned that he was retired, and needed some dependability.
I've read a lot of horror stories on this site the past 3 or so years.
I was concerned for him being retired maybe he is on a tight budget.
I'm thinking his budget might not be that tight.

You certainly will not regret (unless it is a total lemon) getting a new
MINI with the warranty and service plan, although it is more expensive
(I got the service plan, it is unclear if I regret it yet it depends on how
much they will do for me at 99,999.9 miles) it does give really good
peace of mind.

As for my personal reliability, I have exceeded the CRX standard.
The first year I replaced a battery about $80.
At year 4 or 5 (don't have my book here) I had to do a $250
AC repair which today would probably cost $2000.

In four years of justacooper I have only had to buy the tool
to reset the airbag light $300, plus the $250 dealer charge to tell me
the airbag was bad when it only needed a wire wiggle.

Not a bad record for closing in on 75k miles in my opinion.

 

Hey, grgramps,
Great idea. Cash talks much louder...
Where are you in WNC? We might be close to each other. I'm in Hendersonville. I went down to Century Mini in Greenville. I don't know of other dealers in my area. I think the next closest are in Charlotte and Knoxville.
Thanks for the suggestions.