I'm thinking seriously of buying this car and wanted to see what current owners have to say. I've been driving a beloved Honda for many years and have tested the Cooper among others on my short list (Honda Fit Sport slow, CR-Z auto only was slow, Kia Soul 2.0 eh, VW Golf GTI mmm, Volvo C30 untested, Lotus Elise will remain untested). I like it.

It's black with a white top and they'd add an offset racing stripe. I kayak and ride bikes so I looked at rack options - the OEM rack seems to give the best value (price/weight compared with Thule system).

Coming from the uber-reliable and fun-to-drive Honda del Sol, I'm really concerned about reliability and see a bunch of issues being posted here. So let me know what you think and what I should watch out for/ask at closing - don't hold back!

Thanks in advance.

 

Make a list of the issues and note which ones are turbocharger related.

 

If you go to forums for those other cars, you'll hear about every issue those owners have too. You'll also hear about how much people love their cars.

We've had 3 Coopers - a BRG/W 2006 (hers), an O2-Blue/W 2010 (also hers), and an all-black 2010 6-speed (mine). We've had no issues except on the '06, that had a tiny coolant leak (fixed under warranty).

Ask about the recent changes to the free maintenance plan. My Cooper will get it's first free oil change in mid-december (1 year after purchase) because it's low miles (< 4000, currently). The better-half's MINI (purchased a week before mine) won't get hers until mid-2011 because she has over 10K on it now. The computer calculates her first oil change at 18K miles, and that's when MINI will do it. Confusing, huh? I'm not letting her go that long before an oil change. I'll do it myself this week. It's literally a 10-minute job.

 

I will work on that, but is there such a list already?

Thanks for the info...the oil change schedule seems super nutty, no? Or is this some awesome lubricant they put in at the factory? Or a computer glitch? I can see Mini taking issue,* especially if it only takes 10 minutes - that's less than @ Jiffy Lube!

* http://www.miniusa.com/#/privacyPoli...ServiceLegal-m

 

I bought the exact same car precisely because I wanted to stay away from reliability issues. No mechanical problems yet at almost 4,000 miles. Had some noises remedied by the dealer but they were minor, certainly things most people would probably consider normal or acceptable. My only concern is the clutch.

 

I 've had an "S" for 2 years now and its been as good or better than any car I've owned. No issues so far at 19K (or turbo issues ???). Major comments:

- Paint is not very chip resistant (especially in the hood and bumper).
- Maintainence coverage doesn't cover much. (Oil/filter, brake fluid, wipers, cabin filter). This was all they recommended needing changed. Seems wimpy.
- Run flats are wicked rough (just my opinion).
- Mileage is great (~32mpg all the time).
- Super fast, super awesome handling and fun to drive.

 

"I will work on that, but is there such a list already?"

Not that I know of. Everything I have seen that would concern me was 1st gen or turbo cars. Hence, no list other than the maintenance I have to do because the MINI has three-year free maintenance that consists of too little, too late.

 

You are talking a base Cooper right? There are no real problems, just buy it and enjoy.

 

There could be problems with a sunroof on the Cooper.

 

You're on the right track, but buy a S.

 

Have you driven a 6MT base Cooper? They are fun in their own way.

There are two reasons that I didn't order a 2011 MCS and went with the base:

HPFP
Spare tire

I take longer "road trips" and don't want to have to worry about either one of those debilitating me in the middle of nowhere.