So I've owned my r56 for almost 4 months, I bought it with 26,000 miles on it and its now up to 33,000. Out of the last four months, it's been at the Herb Chambers dealership for almost an entire month having various expensive (but covered by the warranty) repairs done, the first of which was replacing half my engine because I didn't even make it a mile from the dealership when I picked up the car. My warranty is rapidly running out and I fear how many more weeks I'll have to leave my poor car at the dealership to get one thing after another fixed. I literally picked my car up 2 days ago after not having it for more than a week and had to bring it back this morning because of awful chugging. I LOVE the car, but I have a feeling my bank account won't be loving it when the warranty runs out. Since finding out that the 2011 will have the spice orange color available I've been thinking about trading mine in for a 2011 and therefore getting another 36,000 miles with warranty but I honestly don't have high hopes for the car to last too long without needing major repairs. This is the newest car I've ever had (2008) yet it's needed the most major repairs and been out of my possession for the longest amount of time. I thoroughly regret buying my used mini which really bums me out because it is by far the most fun and enjoyable car I have ever driven Anyone have any advice for me? Or a happy story about getting a used mini to show me that this isn't normal and I just have bad luck?

 

My buddy just got a used '05 or '06 MCS hardtop in Denver. The information on it was that it had many of the usual items repaired at or about the usual miles for those items. The first week, the power steering pump went out which cost her over $800. As much as I love 1st gens, I'm staying with 2nd gen on up even though I didn't have one problem with my '05 MC hardtop I got used at 5k miles. When I traded it in at a little over 25k miles, I got hit REALLY hard for trade-in because it had been painted before and I had no idea it had. No more used MINIs for me. Also, I really like what is coming out for 2011. Remember, 36k miles is just for free maintenance, not the entire extent of the warranty.

 

kat1689, your maintenance plan is running out, your warranty is 50k/4yrs. How old is your MINI?

 

Sorry my mistake, I still think I've had to utilize it way more than I should though. That's a relief about the warranty. I also bought the extended maintenance plan to 100,000 miles. My car is a 2008, I got it at the end of April 2010.

Ft-that sucks about your buddies power steering pump, I just had to get the steering rack replaced. Also your trade in value going down considerably over a paint job is ridiculous :( I feel like MINI isn't very customer friendly

 

My advice is to understand the warranty you have, either the original factory warranty or a CPO warranty on a certified used car from a dealer. Then look at your options to buy an extended warranty before the current warranty runs out.

Then you can make a more informed decision about trading it in on a 2011.

New or used, it's a matter of luck whether you get a trouble free car and whether you or the car gets serviced when you take it in.

 

^^ QFT

It does sound like a you got a poor specimen; a trade in may be in order. You're the only one who can determine your pain tolerance.

 

When I asked the dealer if it was certified pre-owned, she stated that it was still under the original warranty and that was that. After buying the car I realized no way would it have been able to be "certified pre-owned" considering I didn't even make it a mile off the lot. I have all my paperwork yet I see no warranty, I'll have to request one I guess. The warranty info on miniusa is pretty vague.

 

Buying a MCS used was the only way I could get a MINI with the LSD option I wanted/needed since MINI for, whatever reason, does not offer a mechanical LSD anymore.

I did get lucky in that I was able to buy mine from someone that I know who has owned and cared for the car well from new. I also like that that I have at least a few months of the factory warranty left on my MCS.

 

I wish I knew the person who had it before me, they don't deserve to have a license after what they put the poor mini through :( unless of course it has had problems from the get go and thats why they traded it in to begin with! Now that I know I have another year and four months(ish) or 17,000 more miles under warranty I feel a little better about holding out for a new spice orange mcs. Although now I'm wondering if the warranty started at the beginning of the year the car is made or does it depend when it was actually produced?? So many questions! I wish my preferred SA was in today, the other ones haven't been so pleasant to deal with.

Also, thanks for all the responses! I really appreciate it, I'm a lot less worried about my coverage now! This forum is the best

 

The warranty started the day the car was put into service (the day it was sold new to the customer). It doesn't matter how long the dealer had it before it was sold.

 

Warranties start on the date of service. Or the day the customer purchased the car.

 

Knowing how some MINI owners flog their MINIs, I would have a hard time buying one used. A lot of these cars are coming off leases and well, I can just imagine how the cars are driven, with the driver knowing they are not in it for the long haul.

 

Just wondering, did you give your used Mini a full independent presale inspection before purchase?

 

I am not mad that I bought used but, I wish I had done a little more research cause I really would like MFSW and it is proving to be a pain to retrofit. But if you are somewhat handy capable the MINI is not hard to work on. It is just the software which is a pain.

 

It happens with any used car, you just don't know what you're getting...

 

Well, my 03 MCS came certified pre-owned with 31324 miles on the dial. I got it in 05 and I have not had any problems with it and I do not regret it in the least. I am sort of OCD and nit picky, therefore I went over the car with a fine tooth comb before I plunked down the cash for it. I just rolled over 101246 miles and as of yet I have only replaced tires, brakes, bulbs, oil and I am due for the Inspection 2. The previous owner was very meticulous in getting the car serviced and I appreciated that. I guess to be on the safe side when you go for a pre-owned car, do the research and if you are not mechanically inclined take someone with you that is.

BTW, I have only once in all of my driving years purchased a car new off the showroom floor. A 1990 Maxima that was stolen 2 years later and stripped out.

 

I bought mine from an individual a year ago with 6500 miles on it. I've put just over 30K more miles on it since then. No mechanical problems, just had to replace the tires. I plan on driving this until I have at least 150K on it. Still debating adding on the JCW Stage 1 kit. That price is hard to swallow.

 

I'm glad most people have had a better experience than me haha! I did not bring it anywhere to have it checked out because I was told that it was still under warranty, so any issues that arose would be taken care of.This has proved true, but it doesn't mean it's not annoying to have had my car away from me a quarter of the time I've owned it so far. At least the times I do have it, it's so much fun that it makes up for the times I don't =P
I don't think I'll be buying used again unless I know the person who had it before me! It's very true that you never know what you're getting into with a used car, this has been my 7th used and it has definitely had the most problems!!

 

I'm beginning to regret buying my used MINI. I purchased it a month ago and have had nothing but problems that the dealer cannot duplicate. I'm a very meticulous person when it comes to my cars but I missed the boat on this one. There are dings and chips that I missed simply because I was so in love with the car and didn't look it over like I usually would. Most of the cosmetic issues aren't noticeable by anybody else but me but they bother the hell outta me. My big beef is the mechanical problems I'm having. The cold start death rattle that they cannot duplicate and the rattling flywheel that they say is normal. Almost every car I've ever owned has been a manny tranny and I've never had one with a flywheel that rattles like this one. It just isn't normal I don't care what they say. If they still had my Nissan Frontier on the lot I owuld be begging them to let me trade it back. I had it for 4 years and never had a single issue with it. I love my Mini but hate the problems.

 

I am the third owner....a previously leased '09 MCS too.
Bought it with 21,000 miles and have enjoyed every
one of the 4,000 miles I have put on her in the last 3 months.
No problems....

 

I agree with you on the premise, but it's still always (IMO) a good idea to have a full paid independent presale inspection before purchasing any vehicle. At the very least, the inspection will cost about $100-150 and you'll likely get that money back through negotiating every miniscule negative detail that the report comes up with.

Plus, you never know, they could find something major, or at the very least find something that has been repaired before and bring it to your attention as an idea to possibly pass, etc.

 

Sounds like a trade in to me. Get into a 2011 asap. And please don't be turned off by the MINI brand, every car maker has its own problems. Specific to your situation, yes you don't know how abused the car was prior to taking ownership, and you have to wonder why it was traded in/sold in the first place.

Honestly, I'm in a similar situation - I've owned a 2008 for 41k miles thus far (bought new), and although I too have had all my warranty issues addressed and my dealer has been nothing but fantastic to me, I am seriously considering trading in for a 2011 because my warranty is almost up. The 2011 MY seems to address a lot of what ails the 2008 (in particular the cold start rattle - as I've heard the engine going full valvetronic will eliminate this problem), but even after all my warranty issues I will be a MINI owner for life.

 

Well...Consumer Reports does not recommend the R55/R56 any more as a used car, due to bad reliability. Let's face it: MINIs are not fully reliable cars, overall. Like someone else here said -- you have to hope that you get lucky when you buy one, since many are fine but many are not. Quality control and individual parts quality is not up to snuff at BMW/MINI, unfortunately, and there's been no sign of that changing (i.e. the same problems existing for a few years).

Only you can decide when you hit the threshold, of course. Sorry you've had all of the trouble...

 

i got mine used 05 mcs conv and so far no problem at 55,000 miles..

 

I'm having the same issue! They tell me they can't duplicate a problem that I have happen every time I drive on the highway. They said they wanted me to go for a ride with a tech but when I got there to do it, there were no techs!

I'm definitely leaning toward getting a 2011 before my warranty is up (and quite possibly doing so at the other dealership in my state), it does seem like they fixed a lot of issues from the past years AND no crazies will have driven and ruined it before I get my hands on it All my friends are shocked I still love the car so much considering how many problems I've had with it, but then again they've never driven a mini