Hey guys! I will be buying a new car soon and I definitely want a 2014 or 2015 mini hardtop... but I'm not so sure it's a smart choice (I know this isn't the F56 section but I would like all mini owners' opinions). So I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

1) What model do you have, what year is it, and how many miles do you have on it?
2) Has it been a reliable car for you? Why or why not?
3) Do you still love it as much as you did when you first bought it? If not, what made you dislike it and how long did you have it before you started to dislike it?
4) Have you had any major problems with it? If yes, what was the problem, could it be fixed, how long or how many attempts did it take to fix it, at how many miles did the problem occur?
5) Did you ever feel like every time you turned around something else was broken that needed to be fixed, like you were always having to repair it?
5) How many problem free miles did your car have?
6) Is the extended warranty worth the extra cost? Would it have benefited you?
7) Would you buy another mini? Why or why not?
8) What do you like most about it?
9) What do you dislike about it?
10) Do you have any advice for me as a potential new mini owner?
11) Am I crazy for thinking I can afford the repair costs (after the warranty has ended) on a teacher's income?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions. My current car is a lemon and we're finally getting it repurchased under lemon law. It has been a very long, horrific fight for over a year now and I'm honestly terrified of buying anything at all. The mini hardtop is my dream car and I want to be able to feel good about buying it and not panicking when I'm signing the papers.

 

Honest answers~

I got my car in October '13 with 34K on the clock and have had it for a year. The day I picked it up the top went down, never to go up again. The dealer paid for the repairs, but I found out then that a malfunctioning window will kill the function of the top. The window motor problems seem more common than not, even though I believe the trouble is not the motors themselves, but the design. A few months ago the top failed to go down. This time it was the drivers side. I managed to take things apart and got it working again without changing parts.

The power steering hoses and rack sprung a leak after adding about 6K to the car. My expense was about $900 since I'm not limber enough to do that sort of work any longer.

Today my passenger door lock ceased functioning. I suspect it will be another expensive parts change, although that job I can handle.

I believe that if you are getting a new or newish car, you may not have problems if you do not expect a long term relationship with the car. However, I think that you need to understand that these cars are BMW's under the sheet metal and as such have BMW quirks as well as BMW priced repair costs. I love driving the car, and when it is working well it is a dream, but I am instantly thinking about getting rid of it because of the absurdly high repair costs as well as the overly intricate design of everything. I know there are owners who have had over 110K of relatively trouble free driving, but I will also bet that they are few in number, relative to all ownership.

You asked, I told you my opinion.

 

The only thing I can add is that there have been many years and changes from my 2008 to the new Mini's being sold now. I will say that the lack of support of their product is the main reason I won't buy a new Mini. There have been far too many issues with the 2007 - 2010 Mini's that MINI USA has chosen to ignore.

Good luck with your search and new car regardless of choice!

 

2012 Mini Cooper. ("Justa" Cooper, not an S model.) ~32K miles.

Yes. It has yet to strand me anywhere. It has had two issues, and two electrical hiccups that did not affect the basic functioning of the car.

The issues were: The oil pump solenoid leaked, which the dealer found and fixed. (Also wound up replacing the thermostat at that time, due to the oil getting into the wiring.) And the stock jack utterly failed to lift the car, and dug into the rocker panel cover. The dealer replaced that under "good will".

The electrical glitches are: The radio has, on three occasions, turned off by itself, and stayed off for 1-3 seconds. And the lights and readouts in the tach were inoperable for one trip, and came back by themselves later that evening. That was a one-time occurrence.

Yes, pretty much. I am more familiar with it, so the fun of exploring the new is gone, but I'm still enjoying the car thoroughly.

Not really--see #2 above for the complete list of all minor problems so far.

Nope.

All of them so far.

I'm not out of the regular warranty yet. But I felt when I bought the car, and still do feel, that the warranty would not be worth the $$.

Well, I already have one... But as for new cars, I'm not sold on the F56 yet. I might wind up deciding to get one if I had to replace Fenimore, but I might not. I would be worried about the turbo that is even present in the base model F56es--it seems like the turbo and the other things that are unique to the R56 "S" version of the motor are biggest problem points. (Direct injection, vacuum pumps, excessive blow-by, oil consumption, auxiliary water pump--and even the timing chains seem to have more problems in the S models!)

The driving experience.

I honestly had a hard time coming up with an answer for this. I think I dislike the sheer extent of computer controls in it. Nothing is a simple switch, all of those nifty toggles are actually microswitches that ask a computer to turn a specific function on or off. That will make adding anything later more an exercise in programming than in wrenching. (And I do enough programming at work, thanks!)

Get in the habit of checking your oil religiously at every fill-up, or maybe every weekend. If the F56 dipstick is as hard to read as the R56 one, replace it with one that is easy to read!

Do the oil changes twice as often as MINI tells you to. Every ~5-7000 miles or every 6 months. I'm hitting time generally before mileage.

Find your local SCCA or NASA (or BMW CCA) and attend at least one or two autocrosses. You'll be amazed at what your car can actually do if you push it hard enough. And you'll be shocked at how quickly things go wrong when they start going wrong, and it's a lot better to learn that part in a big parking lot with nothing to hit but traffic cones.

Teachers incomes vary pretty vastly. If you're an adjunct prof, you're crazy anyway. That's no way to earn a living, as several of my friends can attest.

Repairs on all European cars are expensive. If you can't do the work yourself, any significant problem will quickly put a big hole in your budget. If you can do the work yourself, you may still wind up needing some relatively-expensive specialty tools, and some software and such. Keeping up on maintenance can help reduce your odds of hitting a significant problem, but it's no guarantee.

I think if I were in your place, I'd have a hard time deciding between a MINI, a Honda Fit, or the cheapest new Hyundai or Kia I could find.

 

1) What model do you have, what year is it, and how many miles do you have on it? 'BRG II '08 MINI Cooper S 6-spd. Just about to turn 100K miles this month . Purchased the car at 67K miles.

2) Has it been a reliable car for you? Why or why not? Extremely reliable. I've had only ONE check engine light(see below). It's my daily driver. I have complete confidence every time I hop in the drivers seat that she'll fire-up no problem. I change the oil every 5-7K miles with ACEA C3/B4 grade 5W-30 synthetic motor oil. A common misconception is that in North America all "synthetic" motor oils are the same. They are not. Many Castrol EDGE, Mobile1, Pennzoil "synthetics" ect that you commonly find DO NOT meet BMW LL-01, LL-04 or Europe's ACEA C3/B4 standards. Best bet is to purchase BMW/MINI oil and filter at the dealership. That's what I usually do. Replaced spark plugs, transmission fluid and air filter at 80K miles as well. MINI claims transmission oil is "lifetime". I call B.S!. Better to be safe than sorry and it's inexpensive stuff anyway.

3) Do you still love it as much as you did when you first bought it? If not, what made you dislike it and how long did you have it before you started to dislike it? I like it even more today than the day I purchased it. My particular MINI came with the non-sport suspension and 16" non-runflats. Even with this setup the ride was still fairly stiff and bouncy. Mid-corner bump-steer was annoying. I replaced the admittedly tired suspension at ~88K with the H&R Touring Cup Kit (4 KONI Yellows and H&R springs) from the Tirerack. Along with new 17" Sparco wheels and 205/45/17 W-rated Michelin Pilot A/S 3's. It rides 1.4" lower but the ride and handling has vastly improved. The ride is firm but much smoother. One quick, short "jounce" per bump and that's it. Perfection. And no more annoying bump steer. I have complete confidence at any speed.

4) Have you had any major problems with it? If yes, what was the problem, could it be fixed, how long or how many attempts did it take to fix it, at how many miles did the problem occur? I replaced the valve cover at 90K miles due to a faulty PCV valve. This threw my 1st (and so far, last) check engine light. Most of my work is performed by Jesse at Banchwerks in Providence, RI. They specialize in both older and newer BMW's, Audi's, VW's ect. When replacing the valvecover with a new OEM one, he remarked about how clean my engine looked. No gunk or build-up. Timing chain and tensioner were still OEM spec. Said that the engine has clearly had regular synthetic oil changes since new. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Many owners run into trouble when they follow the absurd 15K mile oil change interval. And as it seems, bad luck .

5) Did you ever feel like every time you turned around something else was broken that needed to be fixed, like you were always having to repair it? Not even once.

5) How many problem free miles did your car have? I'd say 30K miles and counting since a PCV valve is somewhat of a "wear and tear" item. They don't last forever.

6) Is the extended warranty worth the extra cost? Would it have benefited you? Doesn't apply to me.

7) Would you buy another mini? Why or why not? I'd say yes, but only new. I feel I got lucky with my particular MINI as it was well taken care of since new. By buying new, I'd be able to change my oil every 5-7K miles and hopefully have no problems.

8) What do you like most about it? Power and handling with the feeling of absolute control at all times. The chassis is very rigid for such a small car, i.e. high quality. Excellent low end torque and mid-range punch. Smooth shifting transmission. Bulldog stance. High quality interior materials/fit and finish. Did I mention 30.8 mpg avg with an "enthusiastic" foot?

9) What do you dislike about it? Realistically speaking, not much. How about coolant, oil pressure and boost gauges MINI!!!! The fact that there aren't any is atrocious for an "enthusiasts" car.

10) Do you have any advice for me as a potential new mini owner? Like any car, make sure you have a complete service history. Check your oil on every fill-up. Make sure it's at least 3/4 full. Timing chain tensioner runs off oil pressure. If oil gets too low... we all know what happens! Make this a habit. An oil-catch can isn't a bad idea (I don't have one yet, I may get one in the future). Use only high grade (93+) gasoline from SHELL or Texaco ect and Techron before every oil-change to avoid carbon build-up. And lastly, don't be afraid to "open" her up occasionally. If you always drive on the HWY at 55 with the cruise control on, you will likely build up carbon quicker than not.

11) Am I crazy for thinking I can afford the repair costs (after the warranty has ended) on a teacher's income? Not really. You only live once. If you a car enthusiast like myself and everyone on here, go for it. Otherwise buy a Camry.

 

I bought my '13 base (non-turbo) Hardtop in January and have 7,000 absolutely and 100% trouble free miles. It is a joy to drive. I like it more now than when I first got it.

As far as I'm concerned extended warranties are snake oil. Just like Las Vegas, the house will win. However, I have to say that I've read enough horror stories on these forums that when my factory warranty (four years) nears its end I'll be looking to trading my car in. The way I feel now it will be on another Mini.

 

1. 2013 Cooper with 12k, 2012 JCW with 18k. (They replaced a 2007 Cooper with 48k and a 2008 Cooper-S with 25k.)

2. The current ones have been totally reliable. (Only the 07 had a few small issues.)

3. We've loved all our MINIs and were sad to get rid of any of them. We got the JCW in an attempt to be faster (on track). We got the 13 because we liked the 07 so much we wanted to get a new one before they went away.

4. No major problems with any of them.

5. They've been very reliable, so no.

5a. See 1.

6. We got the extended warranty for the 07 because it had had its few problems, it them worked perfectly for the duration of the extended warranty. The others never got out of the warranty period.

7. Don't know. Not fond of the F56, like the mechanicals, not the bloat. We're still looking for something faster on track, so got something faster (not a MINI).

8. They're MINIs. They (almost) the perfect car, at least for us.

9. Nothing I can think of.

10. Get one.

11. We've never been out of warranty or extended warranty, or the service or extended service plan, so we've never spent anything on the MINIs.

 

WOW! I expected these comments to be SO much worse! I fully expected "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!! DON'T DO IT!" Thank you guys SO much for responding and showing me that I might actually be able to get my dream car and not have a tremendous amount of problems with it. On that note, thanks for all the advice about what to keep an eye on like changing the oil more regularly that MINI advises - all very helpful and much appreciated tips!

 

The way I see it is this: Most people do not submit a post unless they have a "problem". There is nothing wrong with this since forums are a place for advice/help. When everything is going well, there really isn't much to write about. Makes for boring posts. It's very easy to assume the R56 is a ticking time bomb by reading all the posts. This isn't to say an R56 is trouble free. All cars have their problems at some point. Good luck with your decision!

cheers, Ian

 

MCS 2010 49,000
Totally
Yep
Nope
Nope
All of them

Extended warranty? Eh no...never worth it to most people. It's 6 years or 100k miles from in service date, whichever come first. Most people will time out before miles. Most parts fail with mileage. Very expensive for two extra years...

Maybe. I really want a Tesla S... I've got a E36 M3 that I bought new, and will probably never sell.

Lot of stuff

Not much

Drive it like you stole it.

 

1) What model do you have, what year is it, and how many miles do you have on it?
two 2014 Mini Cooper Ss. 2700 mi on one and 3200 on the other.

2) Has it been a reliable car for you? Why or why not?
Both have been very reliable...why....their quality has improved, I gather from my experience of my cars and what has been written about previous year models.

3) Do you still love it as much as you did when you first bought it? If not, what made you dislike it and how long did you have it before you started to dislike it?

My wife and I love the cars.

4) Have you had any major problems with it? If yes, what was the problem, could it be fixed, how long or how many attempts did it take to fix it, at how many miles did the problem occur?

No worries so far.

5) Did you ever feel like every time you turned around something else was broken that needed to be fixed, like you were always having to repair it?

Nope.

5) How many problem free miles did your car have?

See above stated milage.

6) Is the extended warranty worth the extra cost? Would it have benefited you?

Extended warranties are a profit center for the dealerships. Question to ask is do they cover what goes wrong on the car. My experience has been that most "defects" make themselves known during the normal warranty now that the standard warranty is so long vs the old 12 mo/12000 mi warranties.

7) Would you buy another mini? Why or why not?

In a minute flat. Why is the quality of the car (materials and workmanship) is so much better than the other small, efficient cars. The power is better. Yes you pay for what you get.

8) What do you like most about it?

I like everything about the car; but, to me the most impressive is the linear power from the engine....so smooth...not peaky at all

9) What do you dislike about it?

Their pricing strategy.....you pay for everything. But, there is a lot of choices in packages, quite a few available packages and all options are available outside a package.

10) Do you have any advice for me as a potential new mini owner?

If you want it, can afford it, then go for it.

11) Am I crazy for thinking I can afford the repair costs (after the warranty has ended) on a teacher's income?

Explore what is available outside of the dealership for maintenance work. If quality shops are available, then use them.

Parts are more expensive than say a ford or chevy; but, then again, it's not a ford or chevy...now is kit?