Hello Everyone,

First time posting here. I am in the process of researching mini coopers because my wife may want to get one later next year for her next car. She has liked mini's for some time now but does not know anything about them or much about cars in general, she just likes the way they look. She currently drives a 2010 Nissan Cube.

I myself am a car enthusiast and have, at the least, always liked the mini's in general. They certainly look good and look fun to drive. If it were up to me, I would love to have a JCW 2 door mini, manual of course. I currently drive a 2018 Subaru Forester XT as a daily and have a 2016 Mustang GT as a fun car for the weekends.

But my purpose to join this forum is to get opinions/suggestions from the Mini Community. I am starting to do more research into the brand and the one thing that scares me a bit is the things I read about reliability/repairs.

For my wife, since she drives a lot from place to place and has to carry a lot of things, I would probably steer her towards the Clubman or Countryman simply because it may afford more space for her and it would have to be a auto also.

What I would like to get opinions/suggestions on is the following if possible:

- The fun factor between a Non-S model and a S-Model (especially between a countryman and clubman respectively). Meaning is the performance/fun factor of Non-S Models that much less fun than a S-Model or just a little less?
- How reliable would you guys say the mini's are in general? If we get a new one, should we be thinking about getting an extended warranty?
- Between countryman and clubman, which one would you choose? I think, myself, I would prefer the countryman.
- Seems like getting the previous year mini would have better deals and discounts. For example, right now getting a 2019 would definitely have better deals than a 2020 (unless the 2020 has major changes and improvements, in our case, we will probably be deciding between a 2020 and 2021 by next summer or fall).

I think these are the questions I have right now but will probably have more later.

I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

Jay

 

I would not have a MINI as my only car. They have a reputation for being less than reliable and if you drive a lot of miles and the car is out of warranty it could be financially ruinous. As for the fun factor, I can really only talk of the one car I have owned, which is my 2005 R50 MINI Cooper with the base engine, 5 speed transmission and 16 inch wheel package. Is it fun to drive? OH YES! I have never driven anything that loves corners more. Acceleration is not bad although it is not fast. The brakes are decent but not incredible. However, I have never driven a small car that drives better from an enthusiasts standpoint. From a normal person's point of view, the back seat is only suitable for toddlers and people who have had their legs amputated, the ride is a bit rough due to the short wheelbase and stiff springs, and there is very little cargo space. It is more of a 2+2 than a true 4 seater and would not be suitable for two adults and children with legs.

If I were you, I would do some research about newer MINIS and how reliable they are. From what I have seen, they seem to have improved a bit (they used to be the absolute bottom of the rankings in terms of reliable brands). I would avoid automatics though as modern automatic transmissions can have spotty reliability unless the car is coming from a quality brand like Toyota. I would also look into an extended warranty since BMW is not a very good company when it comes to servicing costs and they tend to charge a lot of money for everything. However, I would shop the warranty outside of the dealer as there are better deals to be had than what the finance guy wants to sell you. Now, if you do not plan to drive a ton of miles every year, you may be just fine. (I drive 30-40k miles a year) Just don't expect a European car to be as reliable as a good Japanese one. However, it will be a nicer car with a better quality interior, and it will be much more expensive. I have recently priced out a MINI similar to mine new, and it was nearly $30,000 for a base 2 door hatchback with a manual, sunroof and leather seats, which is very pricey. At that price point, I have no interest in buying one. The models you want are more expensive than that. OYu may want to look at a CPO with an extended warranty since MINI has lost a lot of popularity due to the SUV and crossover fad and you may find a nice, low mileage example at a significant discount to new.

 

In a cooper hardtop the 3-cylinder is plenty peppy. For either big Mini you are shopping for you probably want to jump up to the S to get the 4 pot. The base model for 2020 is the S, which I think is pretty telling. Drive them both and decide for yourself. I wouldn't bother will All4 unless you NEED a second AWD car.

Third gen Minis? Precisely as reliable as modern BMWs. The 3rd gen marks the first time that BMW put their own engine in a MINI. An extended warranty is a good idea for peace of mind, but certainly not required. No car is perfect and as BlueR50 mentioned most fixes will cost significantly more than your japanese cars.

I would go Clubman every time, but I am a wagon-a-holic. Why do you like the Countryman better? Similar to the AWD comment above if you need ground clearance you will grab the Forester. The MINI fun factor comes from great handling, and while the Clubman is the larger vehicle, the center of gravity is noticeably lower and that pays dividends when chasing lateral Gs. The Countryman handles great.... for an SUV. The Clubman handles great. Full stop. You mentioned your wife values cargo space. Neither are going to live up to her Cube, but the Countryman is the better human carrier while the Clubman is the better cargo hauler. Again, drive both and decide for yourself.

Unless you fall in love with a new for 2020 color (Coral Red and Engimatic Black are pretty special to be fair) I see zero reason to opt for a 2020 over a good deal.

 

If you choose any model of the MINI's don't get the base, get at least an S, your going to want the extra peppiness. My wife has an 17' S Countryman and we both love it. She travels constantly, does conventions and it's pretty amazing how much we can fit into the countryman. We also have a 19' 2DR JCW for my fun daily car. As for reliability we never had a single issue with the CM and we've put 40K on her in 3 yrs. My JCW is also fine no major problems yet. We are going to get the extended warranty once the factory one runs out. No point in paying for it early unless you want to add it into the financing.

I have to say MINI's are just awesome, and fun. I still have my truck for couch hauling as needed but once we got my wife's CM I gladly traded over my S4 keys for the JCW ones.
You definitely will want to test drive them all.

 

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

I will certainly continue to research and may use Carmax for my wife to test drive some different models (I think they usually do not have pressure sales).

I will also see how much extended warranties cost and try to factor that in. I think it would be good to have for peace of mind since this would be my wife's daily driven car and not just a weekend vehicle.

Do extended warranties tend to cost more if you buy it later right before the factory warranty ends?

 

I was not in the market for a Mini when I stumbled upon my 2013 JCW Clubman with 10K miles sitting at my local Mini dealership.

Its my daily driver and I love it. I immediately ripped the catt'd downpipe off, installed a larger intercooler and had MarioKart tune it to Stage 2 spec and it hasnt missed a beat since.

As a daily driver for your wife, I'd suggest going with the Countryman. S vs Non-S? Drive both and see but I'd find something your wife likes and go nuts. Ultimately buy a CPO and extend the warranty or buy from Carmax and get their MaxCare warranty. Drive the snot out of it and let someone else pay for maintenance. Its nice to have a loaner when a daily driver is down and with both options I mentioned you can use the dealership for repairs and they'll likely have a loaner waiting.

I do my own maintenance but I also have another car for when my Mini is on my lift. I wouldnt normally recommend using a dealership for mainenance buf since they'll be paying, who cares. Let them fiddle with it until they get it right lol

 

Well I can say this. I had a R53 which is the s model 5 years ago. Very stiff suspension. Sold it for a dodge nitro. Then last year a hurricane totaled my truck. I went back to a 04 mini r50 non s. I love the car Had 64k on it when I bought it.
Now since I had it . I done a lot of work to it.
Lower control arm bushing
All the bearing hubs
Front ball joints
struts plate reinforcements
I replaced my head liner myself.
Water pump
Thermostat
Alternator
All coolant hoses
Resevoir tank
All exterior black trim
Added aftermarket gauges
New tires. Hate run flats
New tail lights
Plus a few other things.
All this work I did myself. It seems alot. But that's part of owning an older mini cooper. But I love to work on her. So it does not bother me.

 

Here's what you need to consider when talking about an extended warranty. How many miles do you typically drive and how long do you keep a car? The dealer will be all too happy to sell you one when the car is new and will try to pressure you to do so because that is where the finance guy makes his commission. However, if you usually only keep a car for, say 3 years or 40k miles then it makes no sense. You can always opt for one at a later date if you keep it longer. Maybe it costs more at that point, but it is guaranteed to cost you more every day if you roll it into the finance contract. This is also where a good CPO program comes into play as some of them give you a 100k total vehicle mile warranty. So, if you buy a car with reasonable miles, you may get a better warranty than if you bought it new. Partially this is because dealers make more on used cars than new ones and so they can bury the cost in the sticker. I have no idea if BMW/MINI does this, so you may want to do your research.

I will give you my personal example of how I approach it. I drive a lot, so when I buy a new car I buy based on operating costs and reliability and discount style and performance. I have never bought a significant extended warranty with a new car. The only time I got one is with my last purchase, where they extended the bumper to bumper warranty to the length of the powertrain warranty as part of the price of gap insurance (so from 36k to 60k). I did end up using it though when the A/C compressor went out at 38,000 miles (it would have cost $2,000 for the electric compressor otherwise). This was on the most reliable car you can buy at any price, a 2015 Toyota Prius C. It currently has 109,000 miles and has had no further issues and is even still on it's original brakes with about 75% pad life left to go. It is an ugly car with a flaccid driving experience but it fit my needs at the time since I was delivering pizza. If I worked a normal job I would have bought something else and got no extended warranty or gap insurance since I would choose based on operating costs, reliability and residual value since my new cars are all appliances. My previous new car to the Prius is a 1998 Nissan Frontier and I did not buy any additional coverage for it because the cost of parts in the 40k miles from when the factory warranty ended until the time the extended warranty (100k) would end would not exceed the cost of the warranty (I do all my own work). It also had an excellent reputation for reliability and likely would not go wrong. (BTW, it currently has 411,000 miles on it and still see 3-7k miles a year and my MINI should see 5k miles a year, with neither one being a daily.)

 

The fun factor between a Non-S model and a S-Model (especially between a countryman and clubman respectively). Meaning is the performance/fun factor of Non-S Models that much less fun than a S-Model or just a little less?
-I tried the base MINI before the S and thought it was fine. It felt a little better than a standard economy car (Mazda3, Civic, etc). Then I tried the S and it felt much stronger. So I went with that. I think which version would depend on how much power your wife feels like she needs. And this is all for the 2 door HT. I'm not sure if a Clubman/Countryman would feel underpowered since they're much larger cars.

How reliable would you guys say the mini's are in general? If we get a new one, should we be thinking about getting an extended warranty?
-Mine is still new (I bought it in August) so I can't really say much about it's long term reliability. But it's pretty much a BMW and people seem to have varying options about BMWs. New MINIs do come with 3 years maintenance included. I will do more maintenance (like oil changes and the like) than the recommended (free), but I don't know if that's actually necessary or if I'm just an old person who can't grasp new guidelines.

Between countryman and clubman, which one would you choose? I think, myself, I would prefer the countryman.
-I like very small cars so I'd go with the Clubman. Basically, a Clubman is a larger MINI (still low to the ground) while a Countryman is the MINI SUV. Your wife drove a Cube, so I think a Countryman would fit that more, but if she'd rather drive a... station wagon/hatch style car, then the Clubman. The new Clubman is supposedly very powerful too...

Seems like getting the previous year mini would have better deals and discounts. For example, right now getting a 2019 would definitely have better deals than a 2020 (unless the 2020 has major changes and improvements, in our case, we will probably be deciding between a 2020 and 2021 by next summer or fall).
-If you can wait, it's also nice to get an extra discount at the end of the model year. Another thing to consider is if you want to "build your own" MINI. I think the options get reduced every year, but I'd say it's worth looking at it. If you are planning to do that, you can't wait too long since they switch to the next year's model in like August. When I bought, I couldn't order a 2019, just 2020. And at that time, they didn't have a manual transmission option. So while I wanted to build my own, I couldn't. I ended up getting what I wanted plus a little more, but at a good price.

Oh for the extended warranty, I don't think it's needed at first. From my experience, they sell an extended (up to 7 years), more coverage (including transmission, brakes, and fluids), paint/interior (against chemicals), and tires. You should be able to add the extended if you need after your factory mileage is up. The additional coverage seems to only be worth it if you need to replace the transmission, maybe if you need brakes. I don't understand the paint/interior one too much they claim to coat the car (interior/exterior) and stuff like... chemical damage from covered. So I'm not sure if it's a coating or a warranty. The tires can be worthwhile if you drive in an area with particularly bad roads (and don't plan to use aftermarket wheels/tires).

 

This is a Mini


This is a MINI


and I even accept this as MINI



but the extended/expanded and g'forbid 4wd ....... my Mini heart bleeds.

If you like 'em I'm OK with that ... but please don't call it Mini!

I prefer the moniker MAXI

:::::::::::::::::::::
btw, this Mini is for sale in Florida ... $7000 last I heard .....





Daytona area . . . <it is NOT a genuine MK1 despite the grill/bumper ... it IS what I call an ITSABITSA ... it is a bit this and bits of that {as is MY Mini}. i believe is has a 1275 and is a decent runner. Owner (of only a year or so) discovered he doesn't have the disposable cash or time he thought he did AND got transferred. If interested PM and I'll forward contact info or look for it on FB group: sunshine minis> I understand it is sitting in parent's garage and he's moved away . . . aka motivated seller.

 

Damn! That's nice for $7k! I wish I was in a better spot right now because I would buy it. With that and my R50, I could turn my 1 car garage into a 2 car!