Hello from Kamloops, British Columbia.

I am hoping that someone will share a little information regarding the Mini, I have no doubt that its fun to drive and so on but I really need to know the meat and potatoes about this car as well. We’re seriously considering buying a low kilometer (20,000km) used 2005 Mini with the automatic transmission, but before making that commitment I would really like to understand the realistic cost of owning one. As a rule, I would never buy a BMW, not because I don’t think that they’re beautiful or an amazing car to drive, but because I could not afford (justify) to service one at a BMW dealer. Does it really cost about $300 just for an oil change? And, is the back seat functional or if, like the old Datsun 240Z, just a 2+2 and nobody can really sit back there? Also, is the car generally considered reliable? I’d like to buy something that's fun to drive and own but I also depend on my car to earn my living so I would appreciate any feed back at all.

Regards,


Christian

 

The 2005 MINI was the facelifted version of the first R50/R53 cars. They contained resolution to most of the complaints early adopters had. It also included revised manual transmissions. Some would even argue, from a sheer fun-to-drive point of view, the 2005/2006 MINIs were the best, even better than the current new ones.

MINIs use synthetic oil, so expect oil changes to be more than, say, a Toyota Corolla's. However, you don't need to change oil as often so overall cost to you should be about the same over the long run. MINI's, like BMW's, have a service interval counter. It measures how far and how hard you drive and indicates when you should bring your car in for "Oil Service" or "Inspection Service". Both of these are expensive. But they ensure your car is in top operating condition. It would be in line with 2 hours of labor and a few parts.

Personally, I do not find the cost of ownership of a MINI to be out of line. A 4 wheel brake job on my MINI worked out to less than what the same thing cost on my Buick (which I no longer own).

A BMW's oil service is really expensive because the car uses 8 liters of synthetic oil. I also think BMW charges more for the same part than MINI charges. Even though they are the same company.

Overall, my 05 MINI has been very reliable. I've driven from Vancouver to AMVIV twice, Rally in the Valley in the Okanagan a few times, Seattle's PSMINI's show n shine a few times, Whistler and the Duffy Lake Road and have had no issues with the running of my MINI. However, I am a stickler for taking care of my cars. Those who don't maintain their cars properly might find they're not as reliable as other (not as fun) cars.

BTW...my MINI is the most fun car I've ever owned and after 5 years, I still am not tired of it, even though I have had people offer to buy it off me. So no regrets.

Hope that helps.

 

Your only problem might be leaving it parked! If you go with a MINI with a CVT auto trans see if you can get an aftermarket warranty for some piece of mind.

 

Get the manual trans if you can. Apart from avoiding CVT problem, you'll have way more fun by being able to control how close you are to the sweet spot of your Mini's rev range.

 

Well stated I feel the same way. My 05 just went over 39000 miles tonight. No major problems and I still love the car as if it was the very 1st day I got it. Liked mine so much that I talked my wife into getting one. She has a 07 and is trading that for a 2010 which is on order. I have a manual trans so I can't speak to the trans but as stated above if you keep up on maintenance then you should be good to go! Good Luck with your decision.

 

I agree that the 05/06 are the best of the BMW Mini models to date. I've purchased two new Minis and still have an 05 MCS.

However, based on the premature post-warranty troubles I've had with mine, I wouldn't recommend buying an out of warranty Mini. Mini parts are expensive (example: USD 800 for an A/C compressor) and Mini dealer labor rates are very high (at least in the US). And, although I live in an area where there are several Mini dealers, I have yet to find a Mini service department which I consider to be competent.

So unless you're willing to shop around for cheaper parts and do your own wrenching, it can be an expensive and unnecessarily annoying ownership experience.

But they are fun to drive!

 

Short answer:

Automatic - 60% or higher failure rate / expensive repair ($8,000)
Back seat - I rode home tonight in the back seat and it was fairly comfortable. Im 5'11'' and had a 5'5'' girl in front of me. Way better than a tiburon / rx8 / 300ZX.
Dealership - Who goes to the dealership? Oil changes are $50-60 for full synthetic, just make sure you get an OEM (Mann) oil filter. You can buy your own and bring it to Jiffy Lube.

 

Yes, you might want to avoid the regular Mini with the CVT auto. The MCS auto is not CVT and much more reliable.

 

Hmm, never knew that. I just looked it up, and the 2005+ MCS had a 6-speed auto instead of a CVT. Im not sure on the reliability, but it still adds 1.6 seconds to your 0-60 time. For best performance, go with the manual 6-speed. You will NOT regret it.

 

I don't know about the canadian version, but USA manual says 4.5 liters.

To the original poster -
Agree with others, '05 is a good year. And manual all the way! But the mini is a premium brand, so it is more expensive to own and service, IMO. If you service your current car at the dealer, more than likely you will with the mini, at it will be more costly (- who pays for the valets, the donuts, the shuttle, the lounge, etc.)
If you do your own maintenance, not so bad. Premium gas is generally 10% higher, as could be car insurance.

The back seat is actually better the many sport coupes, but the trunk is nil. A drawback is the size; I'd say OK if it is primarily 1 or 2 people, but inconvenient if you travel alot with more than 2. Also the car is great around town, but it is not a cruiser. It is a light weight, short wheelbase, tight suspension <translate= bumpy>. Other than that...

 

delete

 

Once your MINI of out of warrenty....extended if you have it, plan on finding a local mini guy to work on your car....much cheaper than the dealer. 05's are a good year in the s, and if you get a regular Cooper, stay away from the CVT automatics....but all gen1 mini's the 05 and the 06 were the best. They are not like some japaneese cars that can run forever...some mini's are great a relalible, but they do reqire regular matainance, and if you get a car that was beat on or abused, things do break and get pricey....so get your possible car to the dealer and do a prebuy for an opinion.

 

You sound a lot like me and I have the same impression of BMWs. My current MINI/BMW dealer has a sign that lists the oil change running between 800-1200 USD (this is what you are saving because 3 years maitenance is now included) and that is just crazy.

I also recently bought an 06 base with CVT (prior to researching) that had just over 11k miles on it when purchased. The first oil change cost me $270 including the pollen filter change (which is recommended with oil service). I think the oil change by itself would have run somewhere around $190 (I called my dealer and 2 other dealers in the area and this seems to be the consensus) which I think is a little outrageous even if done around once a year. (When I mentioned it being high, I was told that they also fill up the wiper fluid with premium MINI brand cleaner.)

Even with that, I would say that so far I have really enjoyed owning the car. The handling is great and it sips gas. I get around 29 mpg doing a lot of stop and go driving around DC. The CVT is smooth as glass once you get going on the highway and it just looks cool (interior is awesome too).

On the flip side however, I can't say that I will be keeping this car for the long haul. As a daily commuter, it just feels like the car is really not set up for the abuse. Road bumps seem especially harsh (I don't mind it but worry about the car). With such a small car, everything I read is that normal wear and tear can be harder on smaller components such as the tires, brakes, suspension (I have the M7 shock plates installed), etc. The CVT is jerky at low speeds and I am paranoid about it going out on me (which I think is a little overblown). I tend to take great care of my cars and drive smoothly and think the transmission will be fine as long as you don't try to mash it all the time but it is definitely still a concern. I also recently had an 02 sensor changed under warrantee (happens to a lot of cars) and also the transmission fluid changed (heard some rubbing noise when cold, sounds great now and is a lot less jerky) which ran me $270 (not too bad I guess compared to the oil change).

So to be honest, as much as I really like the car, I will definitely be trading this one in, in about 3 years or so at around 60k miles (which I don't see anything wrong with as I am enjoying it now). If you live in an area with better roads and less traffic, I think it would be a better daily driver but if you are going to be grinding it out in traffic daily, I would have to recommend something else. I also cart a 3 year old around in the back seat and it seems barely aduequate for that. (To fit an adult back there the front passenger would have to be pretty short.)

 

I agree that the 05-06 are less troublesome. I had an 03 that had plenty of electrical issues. My 06 is just fine.

Try to go for a manual to truly enjoy the car and keep future troubles at bay.

Good luck!

 

We do seem to have the same philosophy when it comes to how we drive and care for our car. I very much like the Mini and at this stage of my life I would like to have a little fun with my next car. But having said that I have also had the misfortune of purchasing a few mistakes in my life and would prefer to side step another one. We'll see.

Thank you for your feedback,


Christian

 

I dont have a definite answer for or against buying. I'll just list some points.

-The 300 dollar oil change is a myth if you do it yourself. You can get a filter for about 6 and a case of synthetic for about 40, 15 minutes of wrenching is all it takes if you have a floor jack and some jack stands. This car is pretty easy to do an oil change on as you can get to the filter from the top of the car. Before you do it just read around a little about the right way to put it on, there is an o-ring that is used to hold the oil in (you replace it with the filter) and if that gets knicked or something you can get a pretty bad oil leak.

-The back seats are usable if you are under 6ft and the person in front is willing to slide their seat up a little.

-Reliable... Well it always starts when I turn the key but over the course of its life I have had the following things done (order of occurrence) it's worth pointing out that most of these problems arent super serious (except the motor mount) and mainly just prevent you from passing an emissions test.:

-Replace oil pan gasket (12000mi)
-replace leaking thermostat housing (common problem)
-reset ecu due to p2096 code
-update ecu firmware due to p2096 code
-replace intake tube due, signified by p2096 code
-replace bypass valve, signified by p2096 code
-replace passenger side motor mount (common problem)
-replace driver side intercooler boot, signified by p2096 code

The motor mount and the intercooler boot are both things I am doing/did out of warranty. If you get one of these cars do yourself a favor and try and find one with a warranty or make really good friends with an independent shop.

 

$270? Where do you get your oil changed?! The cabin filter is pretty easy to change, and there's no way they cost $80. Thats absolutely ridiculous! I was quoted $150-$175 or so at the dealership. I usually take it to a Jiffy Lube (mind you, BRING YOUR OWN OEM OIL FILTER ** MANN **) and it runs maybe $50-60 for a full synthetic. Most local garages are even less.

I stress the Mann filter because aftermarket filters aren't even the right size, and lead to engine failure over time.

 

Do what you want, but I would never let or advise anyone to have a 6 dollar an hour kid at some quicky lube touch my MINI with a 50 foot pole. Better to spend the extra 10 bucks and have a real mechanic perform the task.....

I have actually seen cars leave these places with NO OIL put back into the engine. And if you have any sort of mileage on your MINI ( As most of us do ) they will barely give you enough money to have it, towed let alone buy you a new engine.....Heck, I have even seen guys with MINI's who change their own oil regularly mess up putting the filter cap/O-ring back on correctly.......

Treat those places like they have the plague, it's the best advice to anyone with a MINI.

 

First, I wanted to say a MINI is a great little car to drive and a joy to own day in and day out. As others have said, a 2005 or 2006 is your best bet from a reliability perspective as well as some useful performance improvements (gearing change being most significant in the stick shift cars). If you are set on an automatic, then you want an S model to avoid the CVT - not only because the CVT is feared for expensive failure, but because a CVT is a love/hate driving feel (I dislike them strongly, you may differ).

As for cost of servicing, I can give you a Canadian reference point for oil changes - a very reasonable $90 CDN at the dealer I frequent (Windsor, Ontario; same price in Ottawa). Given that is using synthetic oil, it is fair and square for dealer pricing (VW charges similarly if you have a GTI).

My 2006 Factory JCW has been very reliable (much more so than my briefly-owned and quickly-swapped 2007 R56, in fact) and in my experience the car feels quite sturdy flying down bumpy back roads, etc. The ride is choppy but that can be greatly improved by swapping out the horrid run-flat tires for a better performing summer tires in summer and winter treads in winter.

I would also recommend considering a NEXT-certified car... although the original 4 year warranty would most likely be expiring soon, NEXT provides an additional 2 years of BMW warranty with only a $50 deductible for warrantable repair visits. Peace of mind. Further, if you find a 2006 sold late in the year or even in spring 2007 then you will still have several years of warranty remaining!

Good luck!

 

I've recently regained my single status and I, too, am looking at getting a '05 or '06 MINI. Those years seem to be the sweet spot for value with most of the depreciation factored in. My question is what about mileage? Usually at the four to five year mark most cars need major maintenance, even if they are kept up. Not so coincidentally, that's when most factory warrantees expire. Is it worth it to look for a car with less miles?

What are the issues for a used MINI? Clutch? Transmission? Can these things be determined just by the repair record or is a pre-buy mechanical inspection virtually mandatory? I don't want to pay $14-15k for a car and then end up with another $5k in repairs within a year.

 

Even with an inspection it is not beyond the range of possibilities....if you need a clutch and a supercharger....(or for the non S...a new Midlands 5 speed...or $6000 CVT...stay away from the CVT!!!)....
Most likely this would not happen and a dealer prebuy would turn up issues....it all depends on how it was driven and cared for, and a bit of luck. That being said, I LOVE my MINI.

 

I feel I know MINIs fairly well, having owned an R50 Cooper since May '04, but we still went through an independent garage for a pre-purchase inspection of my younger Son's '05 Cooper S. The cost was less than $200 and the inspection yielded some good info other than the obvious cracked windshield, shot tires, worn rear pads - they identified a front crank seal leak, which we recently had corrected by the same garage for the labour rate quoted at the time of inspection.
The '05 and '06 Cooper and Cooper S are the desirable used MINIs of the first generation cars, and I would highly recommend a pre-purchase inspection prior to picking one up.

 

I will say to the OP the above is the most sound advice I could give (as someone who owned an '04 that was in the shop 11 times in 12 months for minor pesky things). After a year without a MINI we did our research and bought TWO '05 MCS. Both cars have gone from Chicago to Vegas for AMVIV with no issues one now has 74,000+miles the other is just over 63,000.

You won't regret it. If you decide it isn't the car for you you can always find someone who wants a low mileage MINI.