Ive owned my Mini now for almost 1.5 years. I love EVERY minute of being a owner of a Mini Cooper and am already slowly planning my next Mini Purchase when the time is right.

Ive been trolling the Cabrio Talk forum on NAM for quite awhile, reading and learning about the 2009 Cabrio`s.

I must admit though, sometimes this neck of the woods on NAM is kinda of discouraging. I once visited here and almost HALF of the threads on the first page had something to do with how horrible the top is and how often it breaks!

Its giving me really second thoughts and cold feet about being a Cabrio owner in the next few years!

As I stated, im "window" shopping for a Cabrio with only the intention of ownership in 3 to 4 years, but leaning heavily towards 4 years. One thing for sure is that I would be purchasing a USED Cabrio when the time comes (3 to max 4 years old) but you guys are making me nervous!

Is there anything nice you can say about the Mini Cooper Convertible to help me even out the pros and cons on the balance that is in my head, as of now, its leaning heavily towards NON ownership.

 

Don't be too discouraged by the posts you see here. Remember that issues with the top are about the only problems with the MINI that are specific to the cabrio, so that's what you're going to see most of in this sub-forum. There are other problems, of course, but problems like leaking thermostats and bent strut towers usually get reported in the General forums where there's more traffic.

If it makes you feel any better, my wife and I have a pair of '06 convertibles with about 110k miles between them, and no problems with the tops other than the typical "shiny spots that never really developed into serious wear."

 

I counted 3 threads on the first page that mentioned the top in the title?...

but yea, like he said - most of the problems in this subforum will deal with the top as the rest of the car is normal mini.

 

I didnt mean TODAY Ive been reading this sub forum for a LONG time now.

Ill keep a less decouraging eye on the forum and keep doing my homework.

I have lots of Members in our Local Club that has Cabrio`s and they have answered most of my questions.

 

The only real criticism of the cabrio that appears to be universal and deserved is that rearward vision is horrible with the top up. Everything else seems to be anecdotal, and every "issue" seems to be offset -- in my estimation -- by lotsa folks who have had no issues at all.

The cabrio is on my short list for consideration in the near future, and I've been doing a "LOT" of homework. The only thing I can find that I don't like is that stupid openometer. I hope to see a thread on how to remove it sometime.

Disregard the horror stories, and decide if you can live with the limited vision, and with the needs to do a lot more interior cleaning. If you have no issues with those things, go get a cabrio. I suspect you'll love it.

 

I've had my 2006 R52 for 60K miles with no top problems.

Another consideration is that the convertible has less carrying capacity. Folding down the rear seats doesn't create a large contiguous space because of the roll bars, and the rear tailgate opening is relatively small. Of course, this is with the top up -- you can haul some enormous items top down!

Soft tops have some issues no matter what car brand. It comes with the territory of owning a convertible and you have to make the decision that driving top down is more important to you than potential problems.

You'd have to purchase a replacement tach without an openometer. There's no practical way to remove the openometer by itself because a single housing holds both the openometer and tach. If you're willing to void the warranty, it should be possible to amputate the openometer inside the housing and install a custom gauge. However, the casing isn't a standard gauge size.

 

The interesting thing about internet forums is that they attract negative comments. It is a place to air your grievances and hopefully get answers.

6 Years ago, when considering the purchase of a Honda Gold Wing, I got on a GoldWing forum. After a few weeks of reading, I almost decided against one. But I did buy one and never had a problem.

Same thing here except I didn't start reading this forum until after purchasing my MINI. I have had my door seals replaced and also the timing chain tensioner, all under warranty, and other than that I have enjoyed mine for almost a year and a half.

 

I have just purchased a used 09 s convert, I can only testify to the joy and all the trill of this car , My wife and I just simply love this car, many times we both just go on and on about this little jewel, ( and really it's not that little inside we,ve owned a acura 02 Tls and both have said repeatly " this little mini has just as much or more inside room for the front 2 seats!)
The top is what makes the ride so wonderful, the weather is about to start getting cool, and the stars at night will be wide open to us,

We both enjoy the sitting late nights on the beach enjoying the waves of the ocean and seeing the wide horizon of all of the stars , AND THIS WONDERFUL GEM OF A CAR ENABLES THE SAME SURRONDINGS AND THE FEEL OF JUST SITTING AND RIDING AROUND AND CONVERSING WITH EACH OTHER!

I ALSO HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR OVER 2 YEARS WONDERING IF BUYERS REMORSE WOULD HAPPEN, IT HAS BEEN "OUR" EXPERIENCE JUST THE OPPOSITE!!!!!!!

THIS IS ONE JEWEL THE PUTS "A PEP IN YOUR STEP AND A SONG IN YOUR HEART" ALL THE TIME WHILE JUST RIDING AND DATING AGAIN WITH MY LOVELY BRIDE!

I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS COOL AND WONDERFUL CAR

SINCERELY

 

I have an 05 with 19k on it....no problems at all. (But its early I guess)

 

Do I like our Cabrio? Yes, it's a lot of fun. Is there a problem with most of the tops that doesn't happen to other convertibles? YES. Is MINI willing to admit that there is a serious problem? Not on your life. Would I buy another Mini? YEP. Would I buy another Mini cabrio? Probably not.

Hey Kirk (I'm next door in New Brunswick btw), the bottom line is that the car is a ball to drive with the top down. However there is a legitimate problem with most of the tops. Mine is an 05 with only 19,000 km on it, never winter driven, stored in a heated garage and I still got the wear issues and the scratched glass. It looks like they haven't fixed the problem with the 09 +, but as you can see by the comments, some people get lucky and have no problems at all.

 

I got my R57 vert early this year, as my lease on the 2007 R56 was coming up. Last year, I got a taste of a cabrio on loan from my dealer while they took care of some things and I saw some of the percieved shortcomings that people have discussed. I also have observed other MB, BMW, Sebring, Mustang convertible owners, and saw one thing, that they enjoyed the out door feeling with their car. Everything else is secondary. I had a hard top Mini, and loved it, now a soft top and love it even more. Are there problems, there will and always be cases of problems, but I live and learn and try to avoid certain situations. Will I buy another one, perhaps the new coupe, yes, that is definitely on my list. If I wanted just transportation, then I would have gotten a Mini Cooper, not an S convertible, the name of the game is having fun, and these are fun cars.

 

One huge PRO - the open top!!!!! It is just totally awesome to run on down the road with the breeze blowing through your hair (or at least what's left of it)! One way to look at it, if you're buying it used chances are the problems with the top wear that seem prevelent with the 2009 will already have occurred and been fixed using someone else's dollar or at the very least the repair kit will be widely available for the broken grommets that cause the wear. As another poster mentioned, all convertible tops have a bit more maintenance requirements, you do have to treat them twice a year sort of like you would a good sofa, leather boots, leather coats, whatever.

I can definitely relate to this, I'm a newbie to MINI ownership but I bought Sarah Jane before I found NAM and to tell the truth, I'm not sure I would have purchased her ( but I LOVE this little car
!) after reading all the posts dealing with the different "issues" that these cars seem to have (top wear, HPFP, carbon build up, etc.). I only did a small bit of research prior to buying (not the smartest thing) but the reviews I read in the magazines were generally good. But sometimes this board is like talk radio, you generally only hear the less than positive things and sometimes you have to turn it off. Basically you just have to remember that everyone has their own point of view (myself included) and it may or may not coincide with yours or the reality you experience. Personally, I keep reading the positive and negative posts since knowledge is power and I can be prepared for something if it happens.

Ditto, a waste of dashboard space, but part of the cars character!

this pretty much sums it up! I love hitting the twisties breathing the fresh air, dodging the cows and really large birds (it really happened). It is a real disappointment on the days I can't go topless! Now if I could just get my wife to develop a love of open air driving! Just make sure you get the cold weather package so you can remain topless as many days in the year as possible!

 

the fact is that most people wouldn't start a thread with the title "MINI convertible owner is thrilled with everything!!" It just doesn't happen because people are much more likely to post about a problem or a complaint...

 

Well -- I went zipping around the "giant slalom" course that they set up at MTTS in Denver in a Turbo "S". I got to drive it for about 6 city blocks.

I haven't read anything here that, in aggregate, would offset the fun I had that day.

My wife and I have a Mini counting contest every time we are on the road. I have now become the champ at spotting Cabrios.

All cars have their detractors. There is nothing worse than a boring car.

I simply can't see a way that you could EVER become bored with a Mini Cabrio.

I have probably convinced myself. Gotta have one.

 

Now I'M getting a little nervous reading about all these problems! I have the same exact miles and year as your car, but haven't seen the problems you have either. Would I buy another cabrio? I don't see why not. The biggest issues I have are with the chassis flexibility problems that a drop top has, as compared to a hard top. I really love precise handling, and I just don't know if the cabrio is tight enough for me. Granted, many, or even most people would be more than happy with the way this handles--I'm just a bit more fussy than most.
In a nutshell--its fun as hell, I love how quickly the top deploys, and its fast enough. I plan to tighten up the chassis to make it as close to a hard top as possible, add a little horsepower...and let it rip. (As well as pray that I don't have any convertible top issues!)
To be continued....

 

I would not trade my baby for anything in the world. Her rear view mirrors are the best I have ever experienced, even better than those on my sister's 08 Coop. The back up alarm is fantastic and has never let me down. I keep a cab cover on the soft top during the summer and our winters are mild; rain and fog only. She is garaged at night and washed every weekend to remove dirt, sap and other crud. A bonus is that I can wash her in half the time it takes my sister to wash her coop.

MINImowse and I will be together forever and because of the soft top, it will make loading my walker so easy when I am 90!

 

^ Now that is what I call "positive thinking"!

 

 

I have had 8 convertibles including Fiats, Rx-7, several BMW 3 series. I have had very few top problems and I woudl have a convertible even if I had experienced aggravations. There is simply nothing more relaxing than top down motoring with a twisty road and listening to the exhaust purr. The MINI S has a great sound with the top down!!

I have had my MINI for 15 months and had no problems with the top other than the early R57 grommet problem (rear side of top goes a little slack once the spring can not pull it tight once the grommet fails). This was fully repaired under warranty and it has been golden ever since.

If you are an open car enthusiast I wouldn't give fears of top problems a second thought. Good luck!!

 

Thank you to all for replying.

This would be my first Cabrio EVER!

Obviously before making my choice I would test drive a Cabrio to see if that is really something I would like.

I live in Montréal, and would be driving it 12 months out of the year! Car would sleep in a car shelter like this one:



Wondering how COLD it would be inside the mini while driving around with -22°F weather.

 

I've been kicking around the idea of a Cabrio, and like yourself have been reading a lot.

I have decided that an '08 S (supercharged, not turbocharged) would be the ticket for me.

....Les

 

I'd say about -22°F not including windchill.

 

My 2007 MINI had seat heaters that you could cook on... the 2010's are just HOT...

 

Well there is a heater in the Mini, Im sure it wouldnt be THAT cold!

On my 2009 hardtop the heated seats are almost dangerous how hot they get!

 

Hello Need help with this issue. The dealer are denying warranty on my top. They accused me of using the car with the top open and going above the minimum operating speed. I never did that!!!!!!!! The issue the first time i had repaired, is that on the left rear, right by the trunk the top was separating. They fixed it no problem. Also the rubber trims were cracked. They fixed that to at the same time. When the other day I had to bring the car in because it died while driving ( fuel pump went bad). I showed them that inside there is a trim (where its sewed) and is unglued, sometimes getting in the way of the process of opening the top, and it will not latch. So today they told they will replace the pump, but not the top. I have a 2009 MC with only 10k miles. So any help I would surely appreciate it. This a less than a one year old car and I m having all of this problem. Very disappointed, and now they don't want to cover something? Wow!