I've been seriously considering a used new mini for some time now. I've been doing my homework on the car, but I have a few question regarding fuel economy that the search function hasen't answered.
The www.fueleconomy.gov website indicates that 03's get substantially better fuel economy than 02's. The 02's seem to avg below 30 mpg, while the 03's are above...If I'm buying this relatively small car its gotta get at least 30 mpg's. So, from your experience is it realistic that 02's get worse fuel economy and if so, why? Were 03's tuned for better MPG's and if so, is this tune available for the 02?

Thanks in advance!

 

Looking at the website you listed, the 02 is only listing the automatic Cooper for mpg, whereas the 03 you can specify automatic or manual for viewing the mpg (as well as Cooper or Cooper S). That would be my guess as to why the 03 appears better. There isn't any significant difference between the 02 and the 03 in either model that would impact gas mileage, other than the strength of the foot being applied to the gas pedal.

 

+1

 

yep...good observation. You're right. Thanks!

 

on another note tho, I've been told that the earlier models (02-04) had 'maintenance issues' that were taken care of in the 05-06 models. Is this true, and if so, what sorts of issues would these be?

 

Mike, I'm certainly not the expert on this, but one of the most significant changes from '04 to '05 was the move away from the Midlands transmission and to the Getrag. The latter appears to be more robust and less prone to premature failure.

I think improvements were made to the power steering pump design as well. Others can probably itemize some other upgrades.

 

The tranny change only applies to the Cooper, the Cooper S has always had a Getrag.

 

If MPG is your primary goal, then an '05 Cooper might really be your better choice. I have driven both; and, frankly, in urban/suburban driving, one is not likely to find a great deal of difference unless you start doing some "spirited" driving.

I firmly believe that if you can habitually drive in "economical" style (with a light right foot) that you could get great mileage with the S. But, then, why pay the premium to get something that you don't use?

 

^ +1. Hard to get 30 mpg in an MCS around town (I certainly can't), so if that's part of your criteria, focus on the MC.

 

I've had an '03 S for about 6 months now. I drive just under 100 miles of highway per weekday and do my fair share of tooling around town on nights and weekends. I've consistently gotten around 30 MPG even after doing auto cross for a day. Something I have noticed about the S is that it only requires 91 octane, but most gas stations only sell 87, 89, and 93. To save a bit more money you can combine 50/50 89 and 93 to get an effective 91 octane mix. Personally, I have found a few stations (Sunoco especially) that do carry the straight 91 and it's usually about 5 cents cheaper per gallon. I love my S, she's got great pickup on the highway and the gas mileage is acceptable for me. Good luck!