I don't know what I want to do. I bought an 07 MCS with 19,000 miles on it a few weeks ago and haven't been 100% happy with it since I got it. It doesn't have any problems or issues, but it seems so fragile and I'm so **** about everything on my cars, that it's driving me nuts. There are a couple of rattles, nothing I can't live with, etc. I just don't think it's something I can keep driving. I'm always worried about getting a door ding, curbed wheels, hitting potholes and more. Althought I worried about these things with my other cars, it seems to worry me more now in the Mini.

Although the tires are in good shape, the stock run flats, I will need to buy some new ones for the winter season that comes up, that's another expense.

I traded in my 09 Scion xD for it, got a heck of a deal on the whole thing and although I don't miss the Scion, I miss the reliability of the Toyota's/Honda's and similar. I guess what I should have done is bought one of those again or kept the Scion, but I had always wanted a Mini and the deal was too good to pass up, so I did it.

A lot of what I read on here is how many problems everyone has/is having with their cars, even new ones. While I understand most people only post problems, it seems to outweigh the good??

I guess the nice thing is that if I want to trade it now, I am in a good situation with what I owe on it.

 

Sounds to me like you need to get rid of the Mini. You want almost bullit proof reliablity and a vehicle you don't have to worry about. Buy a Toyota, Honda or Scion. Get a used one - already has the dings, dents, curb rash etc. It's no fun to own a car you can't drive without worrying about it.

Kevin

 

Take the car out and drive it, that's what it was made for. All cars will end up in the salvage yard sooner or later.

These cars are much more reliable than some on this board would have you believe, most of the issues are nit-pickey little things, not big issues that will leave you stranded on the side of the road.
I've got an 08 MCS, I've had it 11 months and have over 20k miles with no reliability problems. Yes the sunroof would stick when hot, the A/C was not cold enough and the headlight went out, all these have been resolved and I never had to walk home.

Again these cars were made to get out on the road and enjoy, so get out and enjoy your MINI, take it to the mountains and bust some curves.

A side note, I have a Porsche 911(very nice car) and it sets in the garage while I'm putting miles on the MINI because the MINI is more fun

 

No, the problems don't outweigh the good in the car...but then again, MINIs aren't for everybody. If you don't "feel" it, it may not be the car for you.

Can I ask how much you owe on it? My brother desperately wants a MINI (MCS) but can't afford much - i guess those who want can't always have, and the ones that have don't always want. Good luck no matter what you decide, though.

 

Anyone that is ever 100% happy with a car probably has really low standards (or more money than they know what to do with ). MINIs were meant to be driven, not coddled, although they appreciate some TLC to stay looking nice.

Get involved with your local club, go to some of the regional/national events, meet other MINI drivers, WAVE at them.

My '05 S Cabrio has a set of winter tires on 15" rims for the bad weather times that at the current rate of tread wear will last me 15 more years (on top of the 4 winters already handled). I swapped out the run flats last year for some really good performance tires and couldn't be happier.

If you think you have rattles, try a cabrio, they aren't as stiff. I have a few issues with the top, white spots that Mini USA says aren't big enough for free replacement (yet) and now I'm out of warranty, but c'est la vie. The grin on my face when I am doing twisties, or just taking a corner at speed is ginormous. Not too far from here is an expressway on ramp that does a 270. I hit the bottom at 40 (local limit) with a 'vette on my tail, accelerated all the way around, hit the merge lane at 75 (xway limit) and the 'vette was only half way around

Anyway, if you can't live with it, dispose of it and let someone else have the fun.

 

Some real good pointers posted here. Get your MINI out and get some bug juice on it. As far as the tires go, ditch the RFs when they wear out and, depending on your winter climate of course, replace them with regular all seasons for a little more than the cost of one RF. You'll get a smoother ride and a lot better wear as well.

One other thing; If you are not familiar with "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance", read what Brian Helton has to say about MINIs and the open road at http://blog.brianhelton.com/2008/12/an-ode-to-motoring/

Hope you get over your remorse and begin to enjoy your MINI!

 

Drive your Mini and enjoy it. Don't worry about all of the things you read on this forum. They made millions of these cars and everybody I have run into at the mall or other places that were driving a Mini always praise their car to me. I think you will love your car if you get out and drive it.
I have a 2009 JCW with only 4,600+ miles on it but so far I have no problems at all. I plan on keeping runflat tires because I don't need the problem of having a flat tire (EVER). Runflats get very noisy when they wear out. New runflats stay pretty quiet for a pretty long time.
As far as worrying about door dents ETC. I'm just as bad as you. I don't ever take my Mini to Walmart because of the way people drive in the Walmart Parking Lot. I do take it most other places but I'm careful where I park.
I really like my Cooper and I just got out of a 1998 Corvette to get it. My JCW does not have the prestege of the vette but it is a whole lot more fun to drive.
Ronnie948

 

I appreciate the honesty and I still have no idea what I'm going to do. I wish I would have thought more about this before I bought it, but that can't be changed now.

I do like driving it, it's just so rough over bumps and then I worry about the drive to work if it snows or what not. I'm not sure yet.

 

in both love and cars!

matt

 

I feel your pain. I bought mine new back on 6/20. Impulse purchase with very little research. And right off the bat I had issues with the car. All but the whistling noise which they claim is normal are now fixed. I scored a set of new take off 195/55/16 wheels and tires and put them on and now i am starting to bond with the car. I just ordered a JCW grille for it as well as some stripes and after putting 1k miles on it i am warming up to the car.

Try doing a few minor mods to the car and get out and do a road trip with it. See if you warm up to it.If you would have asked me 3 weeks ago I would have said the car will soon be gone. Now I am waiting for my next trinkets to come in to throw on.

 

I drive mine year round here in CT. I do have snow tires for it had had no problems in the snow. Made it up hills other cars were getting stuck on too. I came out of a ram 4x4 so I was a little ify about the snow as well but was pleasantly surprised. Like others have said get active with some local mini owners and find out what this little car is really about. Meeting new people finding new roads and finding some really good food (sometimes)

 

go put a big scratch in it and get over it
you havent bought a garage queen
go run it hard throw all you money in to it
and enjoy it.

baby your first born

 

It just keeps piling up on ya. You are gonna love motoring once you get used to being a MINI driver. Go find some twisty roads, drop it down a couple of gears (higher rpm = greater gyro effect stabalization) as you go into the turn as hi as you can (without crossing the double yellow), drop to the bottom and power yourself through upshifting as you straighten out. You may have to hold back a little so as not to attract unwanted attention, but the fun factor will become addictive. You don't have to break any speed limits or squeal tires or brakes, just push it to your comfort level. You will soon find that those YELLOW speed signs describing the upcoming turn are pitiful suggestions.

 

This is not the car for you.
SELL IT or trade it in on a Scion/Toyota or Honda, they are much softer over rough bumps plus you'll have much cheaper payments. You are not gonna get rid of the rattles until you get rid of the MINI. MINI is more a drivers' car than a plush commuter. Trust me you will be much happier in a Honda.

 

If this statement doesn't hold true to you , maybe you should sell your mini:

For the price of a Mini Cooper S, you could buy an Acura RSX Type-S or a Subaru WRX, and either of those cars would be a more reasonable, practical choice. But since when did car nuts become reasonable or practical? How many people have purchased a motorcycle for its excellent fuel economy? The Cooper S is a good value because it is two barrels full of monkeys. It's not unlike a ride on a quick go-kart. It's a rousing game of air hockey. It's a trampoline. It's the infectious laugh after hearing someone fart in church. If we didn't value that highly, we wouldn’t be driving a car like this!


Best of luck

 

For what it's worth, the stock runflat tires are *really* *really* stiff, very rough riding. it's not a cheap fix, but if you drop $700 on a set of new NON-runflat tires (plus whatever it'll cost you to have them mounted & balanced), you will notice a significant improvement in going over bumps. Lightweight wheels also improve suspension compliance and smooth out the ride a little (also improve turn-in and braking).

That said, the Mini has very little suspension travel; it's always going to be a stiff car. (I haven't driven an xD so I can't compare, sorry.)

As for reliability ... I don't think that Minis really compare to Honda and Toyota vehicles. BMW makes cars that inspire passion, but long-term reliability is not something BMW seems to care about anymore.

Whatever you do, good luck ... and don't feel bad if you decide you have to swap it for another one. My first Ducati was very fun but it wasn't the right bike for me ... not ten months after buying it I replaced it with a new bike. (Also a Ducati, but very different in style and function -- bigger, more comfortable for long distances, better weather protection.) When I traded in the first Ducati, it still had a good positive value vs what I owed, and helped offset the more expensive one I was replacing it with.

 

Heres my story...and i will make it quick.

I had a 07 civic coupe 5 speed...i bought when i changed jobs and i needed better gas milage. I drove it for 2 years and put 52k miles on it...never had a single problem with it until one day i left the e-brake off and it rolled into a tree. It was in the shop for 2 weeks and i needed a rental.

My rental was an 09 mini cooper...auto and non S...just a basic cooper.

I had more fun with that car in 2 weeks than i did in any car i ever owned.

The day came to turn in my rental and pick up my reliable soft riding civic...i turned out of the repair lot and within 100 feet i knew the civic would not be my car for long....i knew the civic was a crappy car..i just didn't know how crappy...

2 weeks later and i am driving an 09 cooper S 6-speed...

Just yesterday i drove 2 hours to buy an ice cream cone....in my civic i would have just grabbed something out of the freezer

 

Hi ghlboy,

Last winter was my first here in Chicago with my MCS. I don't know if it's climate change or what, but it was pretty brutal in terms of snowfall. I park in an alleyway, which, of course, isn't ever really plowed or shoveled, and several times I got frustratingly stuck trying to get my car out.

That was the only trouble I had in the snow. No snow tires or anything, just the factory-spec all-seasons. And to be honest, I'm not sure anything other than all-wheel drive would've helped much.

And I was pretty **** about the car, too, at first. Now I've got a mysterious golf ball-shaped dent in the bonnet, and I'm much less worried about it. I'd like to get the dent fixed at some point, but, you know, it happens, right?

I too wince every time I hit a pothole. They get pretty bad here. But I've really nailed a couple, like the MINI was magnetically attracted to them or something, and I worried like heck about them...but it's fine. No damage to the tires, rims, or anything. It's all great.

I guess what I'm saying is, these little guys are a lot tougher than they look. My advice, which you are free to take or leave, is to keep it for a while, and see how you feel in a month or six. I bet you'll fall in love with it.

(Also, what Fly'n Brick says is truth. Freely ignore curve speed signs. )

Happy motoring!

-Will

 

Great advice here. glhboy, you sound a lot like me when I first took the MINI home. I doted over it, was **** about every little flaw I discovered, and was super-concerned about all the little things that popped up. But after a few months I realized that I had the most fun when I stopped worrying about issues that never happened to me, sat behind the wheel, drove it, and just enjoyed it.

Over a year later, and I am 100% convinced I made the right decision. I understand that the MINI Cooper is not the most practical, nor the most reliable car on the road. But when first I decided on the Cooper it came down to two things - will I really enjoy driving my car everyday, and will I enjoy the ownership experience. And these two things hold true to today. It is 100% the visceral experience of driving and owning a Mini Cooper that makes me happy about being an owner. There is no other ownership experience that even comes close to Mini ownership.

Ultimately you have to ask yourself - why do you want a car, and what will you do with it. If your answer is "I needed something small, practical and reliable to run around in" then you bought the wrong car, there are other cars much more suited to those tasks. Go ahead and trade it in while you still can. If your answer is "I wanted something fun and satisfying to drive and own everyday" then you're undoubtedly in the right place, imo.

I have another suggestion. Watch the videos "Rebel without a Pause". Hopefully they will re-instill some pride in ownership.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2009/06/...without-pause/

 

Lets remember though, this vehicle isn't for everyone.

To the OP, do what you think is best. None of us will fault you for it. (ok, maybe a few but hell, who cares right?)

 

The MA (salesman) scratched mine right after he had it cleaned up for me to take home. Then their dent/scratch guy did his best... still noticeable, but I didn't want to them to paint a whole door on an new car. Anyway, I got an ipod adapter out of the deal and it is going to get dinged sooner or later.

I worry about mine too. But I have to keep telling myself it is a car and not worth getting an ulcer over.

 

You worry too much. Just enjoy the car. You said you don't have any problems with it except rattles. Guess what, every Toyota or Honda i've been in rattle also. Including the 2005 Scion I used to own, that thing was a rattlebox. Minis are all about the driving experience they offer. If you don't care about that, maybe you should have stuck with an appliance car (Honda, Toyota).

Seems like there's nothing wrong with your MINI, the problem is with you.

 

I agree with getting new non-runflat tires. The car feels much different and more solid, and less like it's going to rattle apart with every bump.

 

I haven't done anything yet. Just was weighing my options and of course, yes complaining.

So much negative reading on here:

Cold start rattle, melted hood scoop, brakes, tires, rattles, sunroof sticking, etc...add that into already worried about owning a "nicer" car and yeah I am obsessively worrying. I have to get over it.

I want to keep this car and am just deciding the next step I guess, keep it and buy new non run-flat tires or ?

 

Just a quick add on about the curve ahead speed warning signs, at lot of people with MINIs, when the sign says speed 'n' go for 2n + 10 (or the legal limit of course always).