All:

My wife & I plan to move to St. Thomas in the U.S.Virgin Islands in ~4 years. Our primary vehicle there will be the Land Rover Defender 90 that I'm building & putting an LS motor in. As a secondary vehicle, we want a convertible Mini. It will need to be an 'S' model, with an automatic transmission. That stuff is not negotiable. 'S' because it has more power. Auto because it's all stop & go driving, VERY steep hills, and lots of American guests who will borrow it that don't know how to drive a stick. Cabrio to let the Caribbean sun in. We test drove an '05 and the gearbox SUCKED. I had been warned that it might. Budget is not an issue, but I'm not a fan of brand new just because they depreciate so fast.

What years should we focus on?

Thanks in advance!

Paul & Kathryn.

Edit: Posted in the wrong place originally. Sorry.

 

You have asked a question that will have answers based on the individual making the response.

The Gen1 verts, one of which you already looked at, had the Tritec engine for the 2005 to 2008 model years. Only the R52S and or R52 JCW had the supercharged engine that came with a Aisen 6 speed transmission. The base model for those years had a CVT that you could use as an anchor for a boat you would buy in the VIs. The Tritec engine has a cast iron block and about the only item that causes problems is if non-premium gas is used that can lead to premature valve guide issues and then a burnt valve. The water pump is driven off the supercharger and is a PIA to work on. The Gen1 usually suffers from rattles and or vibration that you can see in your rear view mirror. The rear trim on the Gen1 also suffers from dry rot, and below is thread you can read about the issue. It is my opinion, backed up by a dry trunk, that you need not replace the trim but rather use some body molding trim to provide a better looking transition.

The Gen2 came about in 2009 and both that year and the 2010 have N14 Prince engine that most will tell you is nothing close to a prince but rather another boat anchor. The n18 engine debuted in 2011 and remained in place until 2015 (I believe). I am thinking some N18 folks will chime in on any carbon build-up, or, turbocharger issues they may be. The Gen2 vert rear trim is not as bad with dry rot as the Gen1 but there are still issues but the OEM trim is less expensive to purchase.

The Gen3 has a BMW engine, is longer, and higher. As the car is the newest it is also the most refined. There are those here that like that and there are those here that do not.

The general consensus by most is to buy the most recent best example of the car within your budget.

Good luck and please be sure to invite all of us to your island via a pre-paid all expense paid trip. Somebody else here plans on hitting the lottery (going to mod his Justa without forced induction) so I am sure he will foot the bill.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ng-away-3.html

 

Thanks for the info. We'll go drive Gen 2 version 1 & 2, then Gen 3 & see which we like best.

As for visiting the VI, sounds like a great plan!

 

Why do you care about how fast it depreciates? Sounds like it is a business write off and newer means less maintenance. Gen 3 is more reliable IMO after you excise the early demons.

Defender 90 with LS motor sounds like my kind of transport. Always wanted one.

 

I only care about depreciation because I can buy one with ~30k on the odometer for a lot less than new.

Defender will be badass. 300bhp!

 

What exactly sucked about it? Perhaps the 12 year old car you drove wasn't running as well as it once did. The 2005 S auto gearbox was not particularly notable good or bad, and was typical for a gearbox of that era. In any case, I don't think Gen1 is the best choice for your purposes. They would be either high mileage or getting into a range (80K-100K) where major parts often start failing. BTW, Gen2 gearbox is nearly the same, just tuned differently for the different engine.

 

It sucked because the paddle shifters didn't work, it felt like it revved really high even when not in sport mode, it hunted about a lot, and the overall experience was much less favorable than my wife's '07 BMW with twice the miles on it.

 

With paddle shifters not operating and the other behaviors, it is clearly in poor condition and not working properly. The tranny on your wife's car is in better condition despite the higher mileage.

I wouldn't discount considering a Gen2 non-S (any year). It has a reliable engine and good low end torque compared to Gen1. For an S I would look for 2011+ which has the less problematic N18 engine.