If you've been on this forum very long, you may have heard this one before - "What should I look for when purchasing my first MINI?" Just to be clear, my wife would like a MINI as her second vehicle. She's thinking about a later model (2008 or newer) Cooper S or a Countryman S. I always review my purchases before making them and the reviews are really all over the spectrum. I'm no stranger to turning a wrench so most of the problem areas don't scare me too much. I'm comfortable with the replacing a power steering pump motor, thermostat housing, water pump, timing chain, etc. However, the excessive oil consumption issue doesn't leave me with the warm, fuzzy feeling. Just looked at a 2013 Cooper S at a local dealer - very clean with only 6,100 miles (first red flag). Ran my fingers through the exhaust tips and they were almost dripping with oil. Also, the nearest MINI dealer is 2 hours from me - just in case I did run into something I couldn't handle. From reading the forum, it's become very clear that there's a WEALTH of knowledge out here. If anyone would like to share their thoughts or give some advice, it would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

 

You pretty much got it - MINI is a very cute, fun to drive, and a statistically unreliable car.

2nd Gen R56 cars got a slightly more powerful, and slightly less troublesome N18 engine post 2011, so definitely focus on those. Yet, even there the carbon build up will catch up with you, as will cooling system weaknesses.

Excessive oil consumption is a semi-random problem. Some have it bad, down to 1 quart per 1K miles (deemed OK by MINI/BMW), some have none at all to report between 10K oil changes. I'm in the second category on both engines (yes, the first one burned exhaust valves and became a boat anchor).

If your budget allows, I would look into new 3rd gen F56 MINIs with BMW engine, and avoid Peugeot engine experiment altogether.

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Another option to consider may be the non-S models. I find that my "Justa" has more than enough power to get me into trouble (in fact, it is the most powerful car I have ever owned!!) and generally enough power to get me out of trouble as well. The handling is just as good as the S models (especially since I picked the sport suspension option!), and many of the more troublesome systems are not present on the non-S cars.

There are still issues, of course, like the thermostat housing and oil pump solenoid, but timing chain issues appear to be much less common, oil use seems to be much less common (those may be related!), and there are zero problems with intake carbon buildup.

When I compared the feel of a loaner CMS All4 Auto to my base HT (manual), the CM really didn't feel any faster than my non-S HT. The extra weight of the CM, plus the extra drag of the AWD system and the slushbox seemed to rob the S of all its extra punch. Plus the lighter HT handled immensely better, though again some of that is due to the sport suspension.

And, at least to me personally, I think the HT looks tons better than the CM does. (I know there are people who disagree with me, but they are WRONG! )

See if you can find a non-S to drive. It might be worth considering.

 

Haven't seen any Oil burning issues on either of our S models, but it does seem to be an issue out there for some people.
Have your wife drive all of the models she's interested in. 4 doors on the Countryman make it a no brainer for people who need to haul kids and related items generally. Having an S makes it fun.....
Having said that, the handling and general driving feel is SO different between our two cars that you REALLY want to be happy with what ever MINI you two end up with since there are def. differences between the models. We have both a manual and an auto. What trans preference does your Wife talk about?

 

Thanks for the replies as it's all good information. While my wife isn't ready to budge from the S-model HT, she would now consider a non-S CM since the styling isn't noticeably different. She's still fixed on the 6-speed even though there have been some issues reported with early CM clutches.

 

Hmm, one more note about those Manual Transmissions/clutches.
I've driven manual equipped cars, and some trucks, forklifts, etc, all my life. I, and my wife, still can't always predict where the clutch is going to engage on her CM S. We also seem to get the 'trapped' shift where you almost get locked into 3rd gear gate/shift rail position, and you have to move backwards to 2nd gear, then forward again to get into 1st gear[which was the gear you wanted all along...] when trying to come off a stop or stop light.
Very annoying.

 

Buying any used "S" model is a crapshoot. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new one with the expectation that I would unload it as the warranty was expiring. The "S" isn't really that much faster than the plain R56. I like the "S" styling cues but I don't like the reliability especially in a used car that may have been abused by a previous owner.