I bought this car with an automatic transmission in February with 19,900 miles on it, currently have 48,000 miles. Have had zero issues with it at all. Have changed the oil at the Mini dealer 3 times in this time frame. They said in 6000 miles or so I'll need front brakes and then soon after, plugs replaced.

My question is this, it's out of warranty now and I'm beginning to question whether I should keep it much longer as I've read about too many issues as they get more miles on them. I do love the car. It has every available option you could get, fun to drive and good on gas. I'm a single dad and honestly couldn't really afford to do any major repairs, so I've been toying with the idea of trading it in on a Honda or something.

Can anyone give me any insight to long-term reliability and expectation of how many miles they are good for?

 

Well, it should have the N18 motor in it so you're fine there. It'll be the most reliable up to the F series (don't know much about their reliability) but you won't get Honda or Toyota reliability. MINIs are meant to be driven not operated and there will be expenses that come with that. If you need to stay reliable, that's your call but you can cut your expenses significantly by either a. finding an independent shop or b. doing work yourself at least on maintenance items. Keep on your preventative maintenance, don't beat on it like an idiot, and you'll have fewer problems too.
Good luck on your decision!

 

^ this. Everything the General says is spot on. And yep, you're due for new brakes. I just had the brakes replaced on our '12 MCS at 50k miles, front and back. Was a bit spendy, but that's a European sports car for ya.

 

As long as you keep up on the maint they are good cars. I have one customer with an AT that has over 180k on it, heck you may know him as he lives in Indy too.
If you do need service check out Reggies Motorworks in Noblesville I know the guys there personally and they will take care of you.
Also check around as many companies offer aftermarket warranties and these can be a good investment if you read all the fine print. USAA seems to be the best.

Seeing that your screen name is glhboy you must like the old Omni's, Always wanted one as I went to school with Lucas on the southside that has a few of them.

 

Hi ghlboy, there are many on this forum with MINIs that have 125K and more on them with just minor repairs. Please check out our service maintenance and upgrade guides on our website. You'll see there are many things you can do to keep her running "spot on" and a grin on your face.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

Thanks for the info. I live about 80 miles north of Indy now, but do go there quite often. Noblesville is even closer, probably 60 miles away.

I have had 3-4 GLH Turbo Omnis, Shelby Chargers and more 80's turbo dodge cars. Loved them when I was much younger and naive! They were all headaches!!

 

What everybody said. The reliable indie is the key. I take mine in every 5K primarily for lube/oil/filter but he also gives it a thorough 'turn your head and cough and rubber glove' inspection. Pro-active service is much cheaper than Oh, Crap what now service.

 

My son has 149k in his. Original owner was my father. Since new it has need t-stat housing, valve cover, tensioner, clutch bleed, a few brake jobs, and tires, crank seal, pvc pipe and we just did the water pump and will be doing the water pipe tomorrow along with the rear pads. That’s it. Not to bad if you ask me.

 

I am the second owner of a 2010 Clubman that shows 176k on the odometer. The car sat for a year and a half about three months after we bought it because of the timing chain tensioner backing out and the engine bled to death. We were unsure what to do with the car but over time my wife decided she wanted to get it running again so it has its second engine now. Much of what was wrong with and happened to the the first engine I have read about on this forum. Even while the car was parked, I found this forum to be full of priceless information that I would need when the car was put back on the road. I learned that there are a few unique "wear" items that I should purchase and keep on hand and acquire the knowledge to diagnose them. What I have learned most is that a Mini requires attention to detail in most everything related to it in order for it to last a long time with as little surprise costs as possible. I even keep a wireless OBD reader attached all the time. Minis are great but they are not crank and drive vehicles.

 

Here's what I've done on my 12 S hatch so far so you might be coming up on these if you haven't already:
Thermostat, water pipe/pump (since we were in there), hi pressure fuel pump, front pads/discs/fluid (36k)
Rear pads/discs (40k)
Turbo inlet pipe (50k)
Alternator (62k)
Gas cap (65k)
I do a 2.5L drain/fill of the auto trans fluid every 10k with synthetic and oil/filter every 5k
We do the work ourselves and it's not bad, just sometimes more things have to come out to make space. Dealer should be your last resort, everything is straightforward for a decent mechanic. I twisted the brake pads sensor wires together as I check the pads every 5k when I change oil/rotate tires. Those things are $15 each which is way more than they're worth imo, and there's nothing special about the brakes except you have to turn back in the rear calipers.

 

I have an 09 clubby s, n14, and she has 148,000 on the odometer. I just did a weekend trip with daughter from Cincinnati down to Pigeon Forge. Friday night I ran the dragon a couple of times. Then Saturday we drove the scenic route through the Smokey’s down to North Carolina, rode the 19 over to Moonshine 28, then ran the dragon again a couple more times. Drove home yesterday in 90+ degree heat with high humidity driving 85+ mph with no issues whatsoever. Burned less than 1/4 qt of oil this whole weekend almost 1000 miles logged.

I’m the black one