Hi!

I currently own a 2006 mini cooper convertible with 140k miles on it. Unfortunately I bought it from a dishonest dealer, and it has been no end of trouble since the minute I bought it last June. I LOVE this car -- it's beautiful, I love having a convertible, and on top of that I am 4'10" tall and this is the only car I have ever driven where I don't have to strain to reach the breaks or see over the dashboard. So, I am hoping to buy another one just like it, but with many fewer miles on it. Therefore I have several questions relating to this:

1) size is a key factor to me, and I have noticed that minis have gotten MUCH bigger since 2006. Which years and trims will fit me the same way the 2006 S convertible does? I know that gen 1 lasts through 2008, but I test drove a 2008 base the other day and it seemed bigger, although not as huge as more recent ones
2) In a month of looking I have only managed to find 1 gen1 mini in my area at all with under 100k miles. I would much prefer one with under 50k miles. What are good resources for finding low mileage minis from this era?
3) I don't know how to drive stick so I am hoping to get an automatic. I have found, however, that there are slightly more manual transmission minis available. Will I be able to find an automatic or do I need to rent a stick shift car to learn on?
4) unrelatedly, I am moving soon. Will my mini be able to tow a trailer?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

I know that gen 1 lasts through 2008 only on the rag top, hard top changed in 2007 so which did you drive? Hard or soft? It matters . . .

In general terms GEN1 cars are 10 years old and you want one with low miles .... 10,000 a year is considered medium use and that means 100,000 miles. And you want an auto trans' .... Your search parameters MAY need a re-think


1 - go test drive a Miata

1a - if you can find a rental with a stick anymore, more power to ya! Better is to find a friend who has and knows how to drive a stick well ...... if you don't know how to drive a stick, how do you plan to get out of the rental place parking lot? I taught both my kids how to drive on stick. Daughter had trouble on driving test as she kept looking for the clutch in the school's test car! I've taught interested folks how to drive manual tranny in an hour. It ain't rocket science.

2 - MINI + trailer = bad idea. It can tow a small trailer, but do you really want to install a hitch? You may want to think about a smaller Ya'll Haul and a dolly to tow the MINI

3 - Unfortunately I bought it from a dishonest dealer, and it has been no end of trouble since the minute I bought it last June.

Sorry, but used MINIs are not exactly known for reliability ......

At the risk of scorn from the MINI folks here, let us review

You want a small convert' that is reliable ...................... read up on the Miata . . .

I liked my MINIS and love my Mini, but I owned my Miata for 12 years and had MINIMAL issues, and still know the guy who bought it and it STILL has had few issues!!!!!! It is over 20 years old.

 

Thanks Capt_bj!
I have thought about testing a miata before, but I really would like to have 4 seats rather than 2. Maybe I'll still try it out to expand my options though!

As for learning stick, I have been asking around but very few people seem to own them any more, and the ones who do are very protective of their cars and don't want a novice driving them. I'll keep asking though! I agree that it would be a great skill to have even if I don't wind up buying a car with a manual transmission. I do use my car to commute to work -- are sticks bad in traffic?

I was considering installing a hitch, yeah, since theyre only a couple hundred $. Will it look clunky?

Thanks!

 

There are too many possible problems if you're buying a used MINI from the era that you mention...especially, if you're not able to do your own repairs. Between the CVT auto transmission in the Gen 1, and the problematic N14 engine used in the Gen 2 S models you can end up buying somebody else's problem as well as the possibility of having some expensive repairs.

Avoid:
2002 - 2006 R50 non S model with automatic (CVT)
2005 - 2008 R52 convertible non S model with automatic (CVT)
2007 - 2010 R56 S model (N14 engine)
2009 - 2010 R57 S model convertible (N14 engine)
2008 - 2010 R55S Clubman S (N14 engine)

Your best bet is a new/used MINI with a warranty or MINI NEXT CPO purchased from a MINI dealer.

I'm not sure that a hitch on a MINI is the best idea...it will look clunky, but the main problem is that it's just not practical.

Yes, the MINI has gotten bigger over the years.

Have you looked at CarMax? ...at least there you can purchase MaxCare and have a warranty.

 

A hitch is fine on a mini. It's nothing different than on most cars.
Things you will want to access in looking into hitch options will be trunk access and the load rating.
The smaller the car the lower the load rating. It's important to be careful with that. Not to mention the obvious safety aspect, you don't want a catastrophic failure or unreasonable negative impact on the car engine from ignoring the car load rating.

I mounted a hitch on our MINI and made my own spare wheel tire mount for long trips. It's been great. You can check out this thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-roadster.html

and this thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3903166

 

As an R52 Owner with many miles, they are not bad, they just have to be taken care of. And if you get a MINI that has not been taken care of then it can be a rough road.

Go for a Newer 2006+ R52 MCS , ( dont get the Cooper w/ Auto in CVT ) with lower miles and has had MINI love from the previous owner, mine has 263K+ miles . The reason it last that long is because I cared for it.

Good luck on the search, otherwise a 2011+ MC or MCS in the R57 Convertible format would be great.