Now having a new '04 MINI in the first week I am a qualified expert - not. The wealth of information you may digest through six months of waiting is the #1 concern for new buyers.

Read Carefully: Do not over research negative comments on this and other sites to make an "informed" purchase. It adds doubt and needless indecision. Makes us question and over think the scary reported issues.

Semi-Qualified review: The car quality and build expectation is top notch. The car shipped as expected no stumble, no excessive rattles and no quirky electrical discoveries. I have read far too much and wish I had been less informed during the brutal wait. No buyer regrets at all. Best advice I can offer is buy it, read the manual and enjoy.

Steven Wright: 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

 

Second would be to make sure you have zero deductible on windshield glass

 

I'll have you know it's 47.03% that are made up on the spot. The rest are made up prior to entering the room to giving a speech.

Earl

 

The windshield problem might have some variance from region to region.
In the midwest it seems to be common but in Hawaii we don't have many that have replaced windshields.
Maybe you can ask your service dept at the dealership in your area about replaced windshields.

It might have to do with:
what speeds are allowed on the highways
what road debris are found
what stuff are being dropped by big trucks.

In my area the speeds are usually 55 to 65 mph on the highways and not that many miles to drive-it's an island.
Not that many big trucks with rocks
Not that bad on the road debris- bit of luck

 

Amen, White_Knuckles!

Even though I have not recieved my baby yet, I was beginning to get worried about all the 'yoyo's' 'stumbles' 'squeaks' 'leaks' and other complaints I have seen. Nothing like too much information to get a guy worried about a $25K investment!

Luckily, I got the urge to go to the dealer on Sunday when they were closed and walked around the MINIs waiting for thier parents to arrive, and the real reason I bought the car came back to me. This is going to be a kick in the *** to drive and have fun in!!!!

I'm going to keep the faith and do the same thing I do with my wife, accept each bump, bruise, and rattle as a part of the family!!!

Let's Motor!

 

Mine runs and idles perfectly. I am very happy with it. Not a sweak or rattle either. I think it is "the ultimate driving machine" but that slogan is all ready taken by a line of cars that are not near as much fun to drive. I have now owned both and the Mini is much more car IMO.

 

During the four months I had to wait for my MCS I, too, was getting apprehensive from reading the many negative comments. I've now had my car about six weeks and have driven it almost 2,000 miles. I am VERY happy to report not a single rattle, not a single squeek, no stumbles, no yo-yo's, nothing at all except for a passenger footwell courtesy light bulb that unaccountably quit about the third day I had the car. Since my dealer was a hundred miles away, I took the bulb out myself and went to the local BMW dealer who had the exact replacement I needed.

I couldn't be happier -- actually, I'm EXCSTATIC !!!!!!

 

Ordered mine Monday, and have been scouring this site to pass the time. I have to admit for a very brief moment I was getting a little skeptical about my decision. Thanks for the reassurance White_knuckles.
Hopefully the '04 model has the benefit of a few years of experience under it's boot!
-SF

 

On the bright side of the Yo-Yo's and stumbles and broken windshields, very few people have posted that they regret buying the MINI. Some that have had the worst of problems have ended up getting a different MINI to replace the problematic one.

No regrets here!

 

one week is not going to tell much of a story about your mini. :smile:

wait until you have 10k miles and let the creeking and rattles
and other flaws catch up to you.

 

I see the windshield problems as the biggest concern. I know that if I drive over the Oregon mountain passes, especially during the winter, the front of my soon to be MCS will be blasted with pumice they apply to roads for traction. It is hell on windshields of all vehicles I have ever driven. And some of those windshields were much higher up and less vunerable that on the MINI.

Other than that I don't see any problem that I can not fix. I am not too worried,
Well except for all the other vehicles on the road who will be out to get me. God, I love to get off the main path and away from the zombies in their SUVs, pickups and Minivans. Thankfully there are lots of roads less travelled in the Northwest.

 

I've had my MCS for 21 months, 27k miles. No sqeaks, rattles, stumble, yo yo, and it has the original windshield. Only 2 small problems. Coolant tank replaced and cold start problem solved, one visit to the dealer each. Getting an average of 26 mpg. I change the oil every 3k miles. Couldn't be happier about the car.
Motor On
MB

 

I agreed with you till a couple weeks ago when my tranmission went kaput. But no broken windshield and car still runs and drives great after 31,000 miles. After warranty expires THAT's my worry. I think I'll just build me a ramp to park on each night so I can check for leaking gear oil. Yesterday the roads were finally dry here and the temp reached a whopping 25f so I was able to enjoy what a great driving machine MINI is. It is almost worth some of the hassles. Buddy has a Focus and he is going nuts because heater fan squeals till it warms up. Brand new car...he afraid to let Ford rip the dash apart so he living with it. I rode in new Mazda 3 series. Nice car for $$, but the fit and finish of the interior not as nice as BMW product. MINI is a pleasure for the eyes.

 

37k, 18 months... I LOVE THIS CAR!

I didn't discover NAM, (then: MCO) until after
I bought my MCS. Advantages, perhaps, but
really my loss. You "Anticipates" develop your
community mind set even before ownership.

If you love really driving... you will love this car.

God speed.

 

>>one week is not going to tell much of a story about your mini. :smile:
>>
>>wait until you have 10k miles and let the creeking and rattles
>>and other flaws catch up to you.

 

If you view the MINI from a $17k to $20k econo-box perspective, you'll be hugely impressed everytime you open the garage and get behind the wheel. For that price, you can't expect Lexus-silent interior, or Ferrari levels of Service booty-kissing. I think the MINI-handling and fabulous online-community alone are worth the entry-fee!

Motor-On,
Ryan

 

>>>>wait until you have 10k miles and let the creeking and rattles
>>and other flaws catch up to you.

If you really love your MINI, you'll miss the familiar squeaks when they fade away.......

 

In the six month wait from ordering to picking mine up I read this site alot. Being four plus hours from the closest dealer I was wondering if I had made a huge mistake in getting the MCS. I have now had it for 13 months and over 32,000 miles with basically no problems. Its been in for service twice, both the scheduled oil changes, and thats it. The first time there was a recal on a rear suspension bolt, and the second (last monday) they replaced the coolant tank. The only rattle or sqeek I have ever had has been related to the sunroof. But they were both fixed by the velcro trick, or some grease on the tracks. This car has been more reliable than any Honda, Toyota, or Ford (not a big suprise on the Ford) that I have owned. Would I buy again? In a second, no questions.

Nik

 

This is a good point. I found NAM/MCO infinitely useful in terms of advice about what options to select, pics of different color combos, etc. before I placed my order.

I also had a nice support group in the "Can't Wait for November" club while I was waiting.

But I agree, it's easy to get freaked out by the various "MINI issue" related threads. I had my fingers seriously crossed to avoid the yo-yo.

Now that I have the car, everything's great. Only 2800 miles, but zero initial quality problems. And I'm in the really-far-away-from-the-dealer category, so that's a big relief.

So I guess my advice is to take all of the negatives on NAM with a grain of salt. Once you get your car, chances are you'll be very happy with it.

 

I to was skeptical about Mini quality and it was the main reason I waited for a 2004 model so BMW could work the bugs out. I am happy to report zero problems with 7,986 miles on the odometer. Not a squeek, rattle, buzz, stumble, or yo-yo to be found. The dealer did upgrade my engine software to v.36 for no charge soon after car was delivered.

I looked at it this way. I will have the car paid for in 4 years and will cost me zero dollars out of my pocket for repairs because of the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty. If I have had good luck with it, I will hang on to my MCS. If it goes south, I plan on selling it and never purchase a British made car again!!!

 

I could not have written it better myself.
I am awiting my MCS witin 2-3 weeks and have spend many hours trying to digest all the various forums and the pros & cons of the Mini. Read long enough and you will become totally confused.
I am happy with the S I ordered along with the equipment and expect the car will be fine. Any problems and the dea,er will have to deal with it and ME. :smile:

 

Thanks so much for the post! As that I am not even ordering my MCS until August, and I discovered the MINI boards in early January - I am already overwhelmed at the amount of info and sometime underwhelmed at the lack of info! I have never doubted my choice, especially after my test drive! I have in the past owned one of the first Honda CVCC's, a Fiat 124, an AMC Gremlin, a BMW 2002, a Renault LeCar, a couple of other Hondas, a VW Passat, and currently drive an old Volvo 240 wagon (which goes to the kids in October!). I have had more than a fair share of auto mechanical issues, and non of the MINI ones that I have read about scare me! Of all those cars the Honda's were probably the most reliable, they were also the MOST boring! I can not even begin to think of choosing my car based just on reliability alone! Driving was not driving, just moving from point A to point B - and we all do too much of that in our daily lives anyway! I do have to learn to do some of the basic maintanence stuff myself tho, because I too am an hour away from the dealer. (Any suggestions of How To sites or books?) I definitely enjoy the cyber community that I am finding with the MINI, and the vast wealth of experiences that are out there!

 

This is all so true - for every person posting a problems there are 100 who aren't posting because they are not having any issues with their MINI! Do not let the negative posts make you think this is all the car is about. These are people who are having a problem and need help or advise, etc... it's not a guarentee you'll have the same problem or issue.

I did 2 things different with my MINI, based on what I'd read here. I changed my insurance windshield deductable to $100.00 so I'm ready to replace my windshield 10 times a year if I have to!! I also added rental car to my insurance, just in case my baby has to spend a few nights at the dealer, which is 100 miles away.

Knowledge is power! Just knowing what issues other owners are having has empowered me to "not freak out" if or when I might see one in my MINI.