Who's go/or had a Mini Clubman, what year, and how's it been, mechanically?

I'm going to be looking to buy a Mini in a few weeks, been looking (online) at mostly the Countryman, but the Clubman looks great, too.

Looking at years 2014-2016, but could go a little older if they're reliable.

I'm not wanting sporty or racy mods. I'm wanting reliable transportation, decent gas mileage, and a modest amount of cargo space.

 

I had a 2012 model year, with a build date of December 2011 or January 2012... Had the early version of the N18 motor. If you're looking for a 2nd generation model, go for a 2013-2014 model year. If you want a 3rd generation, I would go with a 2018-19+ model year. Mini made some slight improvements in 2020 to make them even better, if you can swing the costs.

My Clubman was pretty reliable for me, but I took good care of it, and drove it a ton. Oil changes every 5000 miles, never neglected maintenance on it, did 98% of the work on it in my own garage. I miss that car. Sold it with 205,000 miles on it.

The Clubman isn't going to be any less reliable than any of the other models. They all have the same drivetrain underneath, just slightly different body designs. I am now in a 2019 Countryman JCW, and I hope it proves just as reliable (or more) as my old Clubman.

 

Thanks, that's helpful info! I read that 3rd gen Minis are more reliable than 2nd gen, but my son and DIL have a 2011 Mini hardtop that they love. They've had it a couple of years, and haven't had any problems. I might go with a 2013. I don't want to go older, but I don't think I can afford newer than a 2016, maybe a 2017.

Other than the double back doors instead of a lift gate, are there any significant differences between a Countryman and a Clubman, that you know of?

 

Difference between Countryman and Clubman... Depends on what model year you're looking at. The 2nd generation cars, the R55 Clubman is more R56 (hatchback) than R60 Countryman. The R60 Countryman is a bigger version of the platform with optional all wheel drive. Engine and gearbox are the same, but almost everything else is special to the R60 Countryman. But when looking at 3rd generation cars, the F54 Clubman and F60 Countryman are almost identical, except for the body.

Which model is which? See here:
https://www.minimania.com/MINI_model_designations
https://www.outmotoring.com/mini-mod...FRnkm0zRDxSHjw