Hey Guys,

First off, looks like there is a huge online community for Mini's that's really awesome. Currently I own a 2010 GTI.

I had a few questions about the ownership of a mini Cooper s /John Cooper works.

So i have questions on how is the maintenance and reliability of the mini?
Anything know to fail?

Secondly, how is the manual transmission on these things, this would be my first full-time manual car. It would be a daily driver in an area with little traffic.

Third, What is the tuning potential of the S or the Cooper Works, I mentioned I have a GTI which I would assume gets anywhere from 250-280WHP (never been dyno'd) but I got to that point with Just standard bolt on's Intake/Turbo-back exhaust/Tune. The stock handling was pretty awesome as well without destroying my back or making my girlfriend upset haha.

Are their any reputable tuners for mini that over bench flashes?
How does the stock clutch handle the added power/tuning.

Thanks guys, I'm not sure where this should have been posted in this forum, if the moderators can feel free to move this to the proper location.


Thanks so much guys!

 

Many of your questions I cannot help you with, unfortunately. I have owned my 2007 mcs for about 18 months. It had 43k miles in it when I bought it and the "clock" reads about 55k at this time. My car was purchased from a mini dealer and had all maintenance performed on time by the dealer I purchased it from. I received a complete set of maintenance records at the time of purchase as well as brand new run-flats which I changed almost immediately.
My mcs is a 6 speed car with many options and has been very reliable with no major issues or repairs of any kind. You asked about the transmission, I can say they are pretty tough, however, many have had clutch problems. My clutch is solid as a rock so it may simply be the way some folks ride the clutch or think they own a race car that may be the real issue.
It looks to me that the Mini is on a par with Corvettes and Mustangs as far as the items available to modify the car either visually or mechanically so that will not be a problem for you.
My suggestion is buy a lower mileage car that has been well maintained and adult driven. IMHO maintenance records are a MUST on these cars and will be easy for the seller to have/obtain if the maintenance has actually been accomplished.
Good luck, you are correct about the quality and quantity of help available here. Just take your time, ask questions and don't be in a hurry to buy any Mini that you have ANY doubts about. There's a lot of Mini's out there and a car is definitely out there with your name on it just waiting for you to find it!