Hi everyone. I am new to this forum. I am thinking about buying a Countryman--it would be my first MINI. My problem is that I live 115 miles from the nearest MINI dealership. I am very concerned about the unreliability of MINI products, as reported by JD Power and Associates, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, and other sources, including this forum. There seem to be an unusually large number of serious problems with the Countryman, including leaking oil seals, transmissions that won't shift out of park, clutches that fail after a few thousand miles of normal driving, cup holders (!) that cut into styrofoam cups and spill liquid into areas with sensitive electronics, and so on. I cannot have my car towed 115 miles, and 3-day to 3-week stays at the dealership would be extremely inconvenient. I know I would enjoy driving the car (I own a 2001 Miata that has had exactly zero problems in 12 years), despite its numerous odd to just-plain-dumb design aspects. I already have my fair share of headaches. My question to you: do I live too far from a dealership to drive a Countryman?

 

You should definitely buy one.

 

Ever car manufacturer has issues with there cars. Look at all the problems with the Ford Explorer & Toyota's in the past and these are just the ones that were put in the media. Each car is it's own animal and if you feel by reading comments from people that have had issues with the Countrymans', and that you might buy one with issues, then don't buy one. I have had mine for 11 months and I haven't had any issues to complain about. It's totally up to you whether or not you purchase one but if your scared that you might get one with problems, you might want to steer clear then.

 

It isn't so much that the car may have issues--any car, no matter how expensive, may have issues. It's that the Countryman seems to have more than its share of serious issues and I live so far from a dealership that would be best qualified to take care of those issues. I would like to hear from those who live far from a dealership and have managed to make it work.

 

FWIW, I live close to a dealership and it still sucks. You're going to hear a lot of feedback from people who say the Countryman is a reliable car. After all, this is a Mini enthusiast site. But given the fact that any breakdown is likely to cause a major inconvenience for you, it would seem wise to purchase a car with a statistically better chance of not being an inconvenience.

And statistics have shown that the Countryman is less reliable than many/most of its competitors. My experience certainly fits with that data. While a joy to drive, my Countryman has been the least reliable car I have ever owned. It is the only car I have ever owned that has left me stranded while still under warranty.

But ultimately the decision is yours. Yes, every car can and does have problems. But the facts are the facts, and both anecdotal and statistical data points to the Countryman having more problems than most.

Now cue all the CM owners with less than 10k miles who claim the car is reliable.

 

i had been thinking of getting a bmw 3 series xdrive but started checking out the CM because i wanted something different. I had begun constructing my car on miniusa and looking for mods on this site. Checking out this and other sites has made me nervous though. Yes, every car has its issues, but for the price of a new CM, I don't want to feel like i am sacrificing reliability. Peace of mind is most important to me. I dont want to feel like i am just waiting for the next big problem to surprise me from a poorly contsructed vehicle. Having said that, I will still go test drive one. If it blows me away, then I will have to think carefully. For now, I am sadly leaning against the CM.

 

MARob - I was looking for a compact car for a long commute to work (130miles/day). I have looked into every cars out there w good mpg, reasonable price and reliable in the internet. Guess what? Every car had problems.....I took a chance and ordered a CM 2 yrs ago. It already ran 50,000 miles and had 0 problems other than routine oil change(I changed every 7000 and then the dealer when obc alerts) and updates....I love it and my family loves it. My eldest (13) daughter already wants it when she gets her license... Bottom line is, its luck of the draw....hope your purchase will last and dependable as you miata....you will love CM for drivability and practicality. ..

 

yes buy one. the end.

 

My dealer gives me a loaner if I drive the car there for an issue and have to leave it, or, if towed under Mini Roadside they rent me a car in my hometown to drive until they return it.

 

Don't buy one!!! I am already seeing too many on the road and prefer to not have people drive the same car as me!!

 

If you had to ask the answer is no.

 

+1

 

I say yes. but with some caveats. Manual transmission has it's issues. Steptronic is awesome. Also make a list of your wants and needs while building one.
We have 27k on ours and not a problem albeit a Base CM.

 

Even though this is a MINI enthusiast site, bear in mind that it's human nature to complain more than to praise. I just traded my 2011 Countryman S with 24,250 miles for a 2013 Paceman S. I had ZERO problems with the Countryman, even took her on a 5,000 + mile road trip from Atlanta to Montana and back. Why did I trade, well, I loved the look of the Paceman and it had a few things (comfort access, xenons, lounge leather) that the Countryman didn't have.

 

I would not buy a Countryman for any reason.

 

To the original poster:
Your sources are good ones, and Historically the mini brand overall has had a significantly worse than average frequency of repair record. If you really take the time to dig into all the posts on this forum, I think you will see that the first year of the countryman was the worst, and each succeeding model year has been better. It's similar to what happened when BMW brought out the original hard top model 10 years ago.
That being said I would have to want a car very badly to buy one when the closest dealer is 115 miles away. If the closest dealer to us was 115 miles away, we definitely would never have owned any minis.

 

hahahaha we were on the fence between W/B and B/W and had we gone with the former, it would have been pretty close to yours in appearance.. different state, but still...

 

Reliability can also factor into whether or not you buy vs lease...

 

Oh this is so true. I've had my MINI for a year and a half now and it's already been in the shop three times. Out of warranty can suck the life out of your wallet. I just had to replace my timing chain and it cost me $1200. I'm actually considering trading it in for a Countryman under warranty because I want the space.

If you purchase one under warranty, I think you'll be ok. However, I think you really need to list the pros and cons since you live so far from the dealership. I only live maybe 30 mins tops with traffic from mine. Yes there are other cars that are more reliable, but I love my MINI and since I love it so much I'd prefer to trade my current for something covered under warranty.

I think you have to ask yourself if you love MINI enough to justify the repair costs, if need be. Including getting to and from the dealer.

 

My family's calculus on MINIs has always been: keep it until the warranty and maintenance are gone, then evaluate based on the track record of THAT vehicle specifically, not trending. My R53 that I traded in 09 (regretted immediately) had extended maintenance for 3 more years JUST PURCHASED, and new socks and shoes JUST PURCHASED, and had had two of the most common issues for 1st gen S models in SF: clutch replacement (hills hills hills) under warranty, and leaky motor mounts (known design flaw). Other than that, and my taco'd rims thanks again to SF's potholes, that car was treating us just fine. We planned originally on keeping it to the 6 year mark, then evaluating. It was never a Honda-style 10+ year solution necessarily.

With the Countryman, part of the reason we went leased was that we are a single-car family, shuttling small children a fairly long distance on a daily basis. We wanted to minimize the time in which the car would be in the shop, sure, so maybe a Honda wins that argument, but more importantly, we knew we'd rather just cycle into a new model in 3 years. Pay $2K for extended maintenance, or pay $2K down on a lease, whatever it turns out being on a case by case basis, we'd remain in a new car with maintenance and warranty intact. No hassles, minimum out of pocket expense, both with out of warranty future costs, and with monthly payment anyway.

Your mileage will most certainly vary. We are 5 miles from our dealer. We are trying to stay 1 car as long as possible, and I do most of my commuting by bike.

 

Sorry for the delay. Here are a few pics of the redesigned cup holders. Pardon the finger - I was trying to show the tabs are flexible. It also now comes with an insert to accommodate smaller cans/bottles/cups. I use it to hold the change holder. All in all, a MUCH better design than the teeth-type.

 

I guess I'm not clear on the teeth people reported eating their beverages. That looks very similar to what I have in the 2011 Clubman.

 

The ones in my 2011 Countryman were almost like plastic daggers. Lots of folks have reported that they've punctured styrofoam cups and then the liquid leaks down into the transmission causing huge problems, which MINI won't cover as a warranty repair.

 

That's madness. I'm no styrofoam cup drink wielder, in so much as my cups tend to be cardboard or hardshell, but man, that's a serious design flaw. Or a minor flaw that GETS serious in a hurry.

 

It reminds me, back in my R53 days, when we had these massive cup holders glommed onto the central console risers, because the basic cupholders were so small. I removed mine, but still, another example of how a design issue for a large market for that company was totally missed until the car GOT here...