OK, if you're a hardcore keep-my-MINI-come-hell-or-high-water person, please skip this thread. My Chili 02 S is far and away the best and favorite car I've ever owned (had a 1972 SuperBeetle for 13 years as my only car, so I'm not the fickle, unfaithful type...), but I've got 96,000 miles, and so far this year I've replaced the supercharger, water pump, various front-end suspension items, windshield wiper motor, and a few more miscellaneous items. Now the word is that it may be clutch time, there's a funny sound coming from the steering column, and suspension-sounding stuff from the rear. I don't have a lot of discretionary income.

Here's my question: is my MINI going to become even more of a classic in 2012, the 10th anniversary of the new MINI? If I sell now, am I going to be wishing I had held on?

Thanks for any advice.

Redster2002

 

If you like the MINI, not yours but the experience, sell it and get a newer one. I do all my own work on my car but no matter I get annoyed when I am repairing it all the time. I sold two cars because of this. The clutch is not a cheap job. The suspension noises in the back would probably be pretty cheap if you do it yourself. I have no clue on the steering; tie-rods possibly.

As for the 'classic' of a decade old Cooper: no. I do not see any value for many many many years of a first year release car. Reverse the roles, would you pay a premium for a 2002 when you can get the facelifted 05 for under 15k?

I myself have been contemplating upgrading or changing brands completely. The massive low-end torque of the newer turbocharged S' is soooo tempting.

My opinion is to trade that car towards a newer one if you get your services done at the dealer. You will spend more than you would lose on a trade in value or spend essentially a sizeable down payment. If you do all your own work then the margin is much lower and is more about your patience level.

 

No, you might regret it later, but hey, we all regret getting rid of some car at one point or another. If money is tight, then this car might not be worth hanging onto. The cost of upkeep can be high. I have 66k+ on my '05 right now and I'm going to need a new clutch, I have leaking oil pan gasket, my low speed fan setting is out, and I just replace my thermostat and housing recently. After this next MOTD, mines gone. Not trying to talk you out of it, but it sounds like this car might not be for you.no understand your connection with your cars. I still have my Suzuki Sidekick I bought brand new in 1996. But that truck has given me 15 years of trouble free driving. Just weigh your options and follow your heart.

 

The car you already own is always going to be the lowest cost option, BUT it just depends on your ability to withstand the pain of breakdowns.

It sounds like you have invested a lot in you car that likely will not earn much if you sell it and also need to invest more. At a certain point you will have renewed most if not all of the problem areas of your car. BUT that does not mean it will not breakdown again.

If you are looking for lowest costs probably keeping your car is best, if you are looking for reliability and ease of use you probably need to move on.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Thanks very much to all three of you for very thoughtful advice.

 

It depends if you're planning to buy a brand new car versus another car of any brand used.

If you go with a brand new car, then you're not looking at possible repairs for a good 3 years plus, assuming you drive 15K a year on average. But that does not sound like you're going down that path since you say discretionary income is not plentiful for now. New car payments are just going to be a burden but your overall repair cost is minimal.

However, fixing your current car with a new clutch and maybe a few other items will be worth in the longer term and maybe you can borrow the repair funds from your bank or credit union, that's better than a larger new car loan balance-payment for 4-5 years.

Going to another used car, well, you're likely to incur more repairs than thought, unless you know the complete history and have some good service records to prove it that the costly stuff was done recently and can pass with your mechanic's blessing, meaning that he's done the engine compression test, radiator pressure testing, transmission run thru the mill, etc. You might want to run an oil analysis of your used car purchase before pulling the trigger for about $25.

One way to help cut some of the clutch cost is to buy the best clutch you can afford and find a good independent Mini shop versus a stealership.

At nearly 100K, you've already replaced the bulk of most of any wear and tear parts and should still be good for several more years. If the clutch is just now going bad and it's still the original, you're ahead of the game, no clutch is going to last forever.

With regards to the steering and rear suspension, it's probably the same issue as the clutch of wear and tear but may not be as expensive to fix until you have it checked out.

Plus once you've repaired them (assuming it's not going to bust your budget or you can't get a short term loan), you're golden as it's cheaper to insure versus a new car and probably all paid for.

If you're opting to go for a 2nd gen Mini, they are having some serious things with timing chains breaking and fuel pumps causing some costly repairs once you're out of warranty and bad carbon build-ups, check out their stock problems and issues.