55 y/o grandmother here in nashville who has been left with 7 and 8 y/o grnddtrs after mom left with the family sedan and who knows if she will return...i am looking for reliable and dont know anything about mini coops.. .saw one available for $13,000 with 82,000 miles (clubman S model), but i am worried about maintenance costs as opposed to other small cars such as honda etc...oil changes, etc...i have always loved the look of the mini coop and the fact that it is a BMW...a person recently told me that any German car would be expensive to maintain as parts are very expensive and oil changes cost a lot...any advice would really be appreciated...i have to make a decision pretty quickly as i have been renting from enterprise for 2 wks now and it's getting expensive...i currently drive a 1999 beat up mazda miata and obviously can't fit the kids in it...thanks so much...shawn

 

Clubmans are nice

However - they are more expensive to maintain than a Honda or a Chevy

That is a pretty good rice - check the car fax before you move forward with a purchase

Oil changes require full synthetic - probably about $75 but they are only needed every 10K miles vs. 3K miles with regular oil

 

thank u very much masternut for your reply...i appreciate it!

 

Check the carfax to see if the car has been properly maintained and is accident free. If the owner purchased the 100k mile maintenance contract, the car might be ok. However, 82k miles is a lot. Maybe you should seek the opinion of an experienced MINI mechanic. I did that before purchasing my 2009 Clubman. I consulted with Steve on JustAsk.com. His advice steered me away from a lemon. It was worth the time and $29. I did a lot of research before buying my MINI. It might serve you well to do the same.

 

Shawn,
As much as I love my newly bought '09 MINI, in the situation you just described, I'd probably look elsewhere than the Clubman S. $13k can buy you a really nice low mileage Civic or moderate mileage Accord. It could also buy you a brand spanking new Mazda 2, with a long warranty, etc...