I'm in the market for a used car to commute to work. Which is 99% high speed turnpike driving and about 100 miles each way. I really like the idea of the mini but the low resale value and many reliability complaints have me scared. I don't want to get into another situation like my 1999 bmw 323i in which I love the car but seem to have to keep pouring money into. I'm looking to spend under 10 grand. I've found everything from 5,000$ 2008 cooper s with just under 100,000 miles to a 2011 mini base 5spd with 50,000 miles just under 10,000$. Your help is appreciated.

 

I love my 05 MCS, but it is a daily driver. If I were to buy another MINI, I would only buy it for fun. It requires lots of attention and $$ and yes, the resale with higher mileage is not great. They're great cars, but I would go for pleasure drives and auto crossing and that's about it. KBB says mine with 143k is only worth about $4k and bought it 2.5 years ago for $9,000 with 68k on it. I would also avoid the '07 and '08 with the turbo. I've heard nasty stories about them.

 

i picked up a 2011 S with 30k miles about 8 months ago.... daily for work i drive anywhere from 80-200 miles.
Good commuter story : My pops drives nearly the same mileage, has owned 3 minis all bought brand new - first two (2005ish and 2010ish) were base 5sp cars he ran them nearly to 200k miles and traded them in with doing very little maintenance, long time between oil changes. his latest is a 2014 clubman S he's put about 60k miles on it, same situation very little maintenance done and has very few problems.

Bad commuter story: On the other hand, I've put about 40k miles on mine so far with (what i figure) is excessive maintenance, some of it neglect from PO but most i wouldnt expect to have done.
before the mini I had a toyota yaris bought CPO@30k miles(awesome i know!) that in 4 years did nothing but oil changes, tires, and brakes once. sold it with about 180k on the clock (for nearly $3k).

I regret to say it, but for a reliable commuter i would say get a base (non turbo car). If a turbo car is your main draw to a mini (was for me), then spend the money to find one with some sort of warranty. I've replaced the thermostat, hp fuel pump, ignition coils, valve cover, oil leaks. neglected earlier models have timing chain issues. I want to throw some more power on mine but i will probably find something else to rely on daily before i do to much

 

I have a first gen which I gather is the most reliable. I don't drive like that anymore but when I did I had no problems. If you read a lot of threads you'll see the problems but many do exactly as you're planning and do so without issue. Look up XSmini's threads about his car. Or look up the there's nothing wrong today thread.

FWIW I just read that MINI is the top ranked for segment by JD Power.

 

I would say the first gens are great commuter cars. I have a few threads out there reporting on how it was doing at 100,000 150,000 etc. Currently I am rebuilding it at 365,000 miles. It was on the original clutch, and still had life left. I decided to rebuild it because of low compression. Only issues found were the oil rings.

As with any aging car it has issues, but none I wouldn't expect from a 13+ year old car....

Nik

 

I commuted for 13+ years in my 2003 R50 and put over 250K miles on it. I loved driving it and I don't think it had any more problems than any other brand car. It finally threw a code that indicated cylinder resurfacing was needed and the car wasn't worth as much as the repair was going to cost.

I replaced it with a 2013 Coupe a few months ago and so far so good. Though now my commute is only 6 days a month, 100 miles each way. So I'll be driving around 15K miles per year instead of 35K+ so that will help.

 

I drive my R52 with 262K miles daily , year round. its lasted well. Its a Gen 1 MINI so its holds up well.

 

A base MINI would be more reliable and economical should a repair be needed. Per my signature below, I have a 2008 base with over 100,000 miles. It has been reliable and certainly has had no more repairs than any other car and even my Toyota Camry. I'd recommend a base MINI with a few options. Especially if it's going to be a commuter. Good luck in finding the right one for you.

 

So does the 2011 base 6spd manual count as a reliable commuter mini? Does that have the timing belt issue?

 

I do 120/day commute with 98% freeway driving at 37.X mpgs.

Preventive maintenance is key and fresh oil every 8K (for me) will definitely show some dividends in reliability.

But most would agree that each MINI is different.

Best of luck!

 

In my worthless opinion. The most reliable Mini for under $10,000 would be a 2005 -2006 R50 OR R53 6 speed manual.

 

I bought my 2007 base model new in December 2007. It is my daily driver for a total of 104 miles a day, 520 miles a week. On Monday of this week it hit 180,000 miles. I have changed the oil and filter religiously every 3000 miles. Trouble? The battery went dead in my driveway when the car was three years old and I once had a flat tire. Mini recalled the catalytic converter and the thermostat housing. I am on my third set of tires, third set of brake pads & discs and second windshield. It is just beginning to burn oil to the tune of a half pint between changes. It has never made me walk home, something I have had to do with American iron more than once. Having said that, a Mini is not a vehicle for a person who thinks an automobile is a utensil. Ya gotta love'm and pamper them.

 

I'm ok with doing normal routine maintenance. I just want to make sure routine maintenance isn't lower control arms, bushings, full rotors as well as pads, window regulators, expansion tanks. Etc etc. Like my beemer.

 

The timing belt issue is reserved for the "S" models only.

 

I have an 03 MCS with 121k miles. It's been a great car. I've only had to replace the left drive axle on it and that was a few weeks ago. It gets driven everyday and has even made it to California and back with no problems.

 

MINI is made by, and mostly engineered by, BMW. If you've had bad experience with BMWs, you might want to re-think the MINI.

 

200 highway miles a day in my Countryman would overload my hearing. I would opt for a quiet car, but that could just be old age syndrome.

 

With proper oil changes and maintenance, would a 2006 MCS be good for daily commuting?

 

Obviously not ever single MCS is going to be reliable or be trouble free but you should be good if you look it over good enough.

 

2004 R53 is a baby still at less than 70k, but has been a great daily for about 6 months now. Except one small tantrum where it decided to overheat, All it took was a radiator flush and some new coolant, no problem since.

 

Nick,

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE AWAY FROM THIS FORUM AND THIS CAR LOL !

This car is a maintenance nightmare no matter what anyone on this forum tells you. And I say that because I am one of them. I got so seduced by the fun of driving this car I became the biggest apologist for it ever!

And guess what? I still own it ? I want to get it out of my life forever, but then.....I take it to the shop and drop another ridiculous amount of money on it....and it's perfect again, and I fall in love with it all over again.

I bought it from the original owner, and I have spent $8000 fixing it over the last two years. Yep, you heard me, $8K! And yes, I have the dreaded N14 engine and those repairs include the timing belt tensioner work, and once I basically had to have the entire top of the engine replaced.

It burns at least a quart of oil every 1500 miles. AND MINI THINKS THAT'S NORMAL!

That's ridiculous!! My 1980 Camaro didn't burn that much oil !

But, as a reliable daily commuter forget it. No matter what these people tell you. Don't do it !

As for my other vehicle....a Japanese pickup? 100K miles of flawless perfection with only one new battery, and one new set of tires, and synthetic oil change at 7500 mile intervals.

Japanese products are boring as hell but they just work.

 

That's funny. It's pretty much the same as my e46 Beemer I just gave away for 1000. I had way more the that into the suspension. Everyone on Beemer fest forum is like yea. Once you replace this that and the other thing they are great. We'll I have other hobbies. Not to mention a 2 year old and 1 year old that need attention too.

 

I've had a few Japanese cars that worked beautifully and sure weren't boring. Check out the Miata and Scion (soon to be Toyota) FR-S.

 

I'm on my second R52 without issue. I guess I'm the only one that's had a good'un.

 

Too bad for Hockeydad2000. There are a lot of very good MINI's on the road. My family has three and they have not cost a lot of money in repairs. Rarely have they had to be repaired and we have enjoyed many care free miles. None of the problems stated have occurred with my cars. Like with any brand there are good ones and some that are not as good as others. I'd still recommend a MINI.