I'm wondering...

Many people on these boards have issues with their cars. Serious ones.

I only know two other people with Minis - one has an R53, the other an early build R56. We've all had problems since day one. Our cars are tremendously unreliable.

But their resale value is tremendously high. Far higher than their competitors.

I don't get it - if the car was unreliable, it wouldn't hold its value that much, would it?

Or, considering the problems every Mini user faces, can we assume their values will drop when people realize how problematic the car really is?

 

Consumer Reports Reliability History rates 2002 MINIs as very bad, 2003-2005 as below average, 2006-2007 as average, and 2008 as much better than average. This is based on user surveys.

 

For instance, Ferraris used to be wired by hand, each car was a bit different. Made service suck big time. But who wouldn't want to own one?

The reason resale used to be so high (it's dropping) really came down to two things... There were less MINIs made than those that wanted to own one, and it's a really, really fun driving experience.

the resale is dropping because people can't afford cars, and now there are more cars than people want to buy. So I've seen prices on used MINIs that were unthinkable even 6 months ago... You can see this in the financing deals that the dealerships offer as well. there are just more cars per buyer than there used to be!

Matt

 

Simply put supply and demand...

 

There so many Minis on the road these days, use to be a rare sight but not anymore...

 

yup..... too many and not many ppl wave anymore

 

Its a Niche car. Typically a lot of people over look the MINI. It is an enthusiast car. And they haven't flooded the market as bad as you guys say they are more then they used to be but you can go several days with out seeing one. At lest around here thats is how it is.

 

One reason the cars hold their values is the "MINI" moniker, and its role in automotive history--design, racing, culture etc. One cannot underestimate this.

 

I doubt it, unless there was a massive recall for something safety-related.

 

Don't see too many of them around here. There's one other one in my neighborhood and one around the corner, but neither of them are ever getting driven.

MC's and MCS's on the used car lots are priced almost at what they were brand new. Usually $1,000-$2,000 less than new, but they usually have 20,000 miles on them

 

Well, you said it right there. "People on these boards;" How many MINI's are on the road versus the number of people on here? A standard in any type of business is that people that are upset will tell significantly more people than those that are happy. For every 1 person on here with an issue, there are dozens who do not have ANY issues. A car is just a machine, built on an assembly line. A car with issues is hit or miss, it can not be predicted or prevented. The "best" cars on the road even have vehicles with issues. MINI owners just happen to be one of the most vocal groups on the planet. This does not make the car sub-par. Your particular experience does not reflect the experiences of the majority of MINI owners. I understand and appreciate the way you feel about your personal experience. However, they build a great vehicle with an unmatched driving experience.

 

Thank you Minifixer!

This is a message I've been preaching since I joined this board, but it's hard to get people to believe it, especially when their car is having problems - they'd rather believe negative things.

I've also noticed the same folks running this doom and gloom scenario in multiple threads, who do they think they're reaching with these sermons?

Our cars are not perfect, the recent JD Powers survey showed that as well as anything, and I hope MINI improves their quality and their customer relations, but it's not all doom and gloom.

 

If my 02 was terrible I would not have bought an 07

the 02 when traded in went on a dealer lot with a price of $16,500. Not bad for a 7 year old car with 98,000 miles and an original cost of $24k. (of course I don't know that they sold it at that price, but the dealer THOUGHT it might)

Joining the immediately above post about 'doom and gloom'

I have also observed that MANY MINI buyers are first time new car buyers....and that is a more demanding bunch. You need to buy a few b4 you reach a reality level IMO. Does a new car meet every expectation you have and never have a problem? No .. sorry to say.

AND some folks seem to think they will get BMW levels of fit trim and service from what is BMW's lean mean econo-car machine ....

And yes ... for everyone who posts here; good or bad experience .... there are 20 MINI owners today that live happy in their experience and do not understand why you are waving. And perhaps that is the GREATEST testament to Sir I. What is it that he set out to build? A small family car was it not?

Moms driving the kids to school in a MINI is THE testament to Mini IMHO .. and they have NO idea why you R waving.

OTOH if MINI ownership has brought you into the light .... buy a classic and really join the fun

 

i tell youse guys the name-linked-with-history thing is huge-- case in point the 2 door ragtop Jeep Wrangler was, and I think still is, one of highest resale value American vehicles made. Why? the Jeep name and its role (in this case) in world military history; it literally changed command and battlefield logistics with the ability to go almost everywhere like a fast little billy goat.

The Mini did the same thing, just in a different historic context, that of automotive history and popular culture. and yes Im sure this would apply in Mexico as well. MINI, like Jeep, is a world-renowned moniker. BMW AG knew this when they dumped Rover/Land Rover and retained MINI. One of the smartest business moves ever.

(plus keeping production numbers down helps as well.)

 

Last year I traded in my very problematic 3.5 year old 05 MCS w/only 27K miles and an msrp of $24.5 for $18K. of course, gas was hitting $4.50/gal and the dealer had no used inventory. I shudder to think they may have sold it as a CPO.

moral? just wait to the next $4+ gas spike, and see how much yr little car is worth.

(btw, I bought another one because the dealer was great about addressing all the first one's problems, so I decided to give it one more chance. 7900 miles and all's well, save for one melted non-functional hood scoop and one very loud cold start knock last winter.)

 

Don't forget the Mini sells for list. Other cars sell for below list, so it's hard to tell what the resale value (percent of list) really is because they assume the new car price is list. Your 30k Mini sells for 23k (77%). So does your 30k Accord. But the Accord listed for 33k. That's 70% on paper but it's the same resale deal.

 

I purposely bought one with no real options. I plan to run it for 2 years maybe 3 and sell it. One of the reasons I got the car was the resale value. I was aware somewhat of all the issues they have. Didnt really bother me. I think the thing that does is the lack of dealers. You either get a good one nearby or you are screwed. One thing I do know is there is no way I would own this car out of warranty.

 

I must have the worst luck on the planet, since my first R53 spent three months at the shop, and my current R56 has spent 3 weeks out of three months I've had it for repairs... :(

 

I LOVE my '09 JCW... no issues at 9K miles yet except a fuel pump died when I first got the car...other than that, nothing.

My '08 was the same way. I did have some complaints about the sunroof and idle chatter but they were quirks that annoyed me, not anything detrimental to the running of the car.

I love my Mini.


Mark

 

I had the same problem with my JCW within 500 miles of ownership.

 

Yup, sadly to say, I was about 1300'ish. I drove to FL from NC to visit and on the way back, the pump took a dump.

I stopped at Walmart and picked up a code reader/clearer so I could get it out of limp mode.

As long as I babied it at 70mph, I was able to limp home... boy, what that a long trip.

Mark

 

I feel your pain. The one thing that makes these issues so outstanding is the time to repair and turn the vehicle back over to the owner. Due to the smaller size of most MINI shops, a tech can only spend so much time on one vehicle non-stop. Weeks on end are often lost due to the car sitting and waiting. Whether it be for special order parts, PuMA authorization, etc...That is why it is important to have a facility that can accomadate more techs, more vehicles, larger inventory, and so on. As unfortunate as it is to the customer, techs also have bills to pay and OFTEN do not get compensated for even a fraction of the time they spend on complicated issues. They have to work on other cars to make money to care for their families and themselves. This is not to say they do not try their best to fix every car as quickly and effectively as possible. Check for threads on code P2096; one of the worst codes you could ever find stored in the dme...many a tech has lost days of their lives to this nefarious fault.

 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my car. I'll keep it until the warranty runs out. It's just too much fun, too cute, too useful for me (I live in a big city with small parking spaces).

I understand what you are saying - I'm sure the guys at my dealer aren't very happy about my car being brought back to them so often.

I just wish the car was better built / engineered / whatever. BMW has the resources to do it. I wonder why they have so many issues doing it. Maybe they need to hire a couple of HOnda guys