Howdy,

First post and all.

Friend is looking for a car for her 16 year old daughter, the Mini is a good fit for coolness factor vs. a boring 2001-2005 Civic Coupe.

It would be an automatic.

I know the Honda is bulletproof, but after reading all the horror stories on Edmunds about the Mini Cooper...I have concerns about the mechanicals.

The Minis that are in the budget have 88K to 95K on the clock.

I talked to a service manager and it sounded like getting an Inspection II done after purchase would be a good idea.

Looking for any advice on what to look for, what years to stay away from, any transmission issues (found some for sale with bum trannies), and any other issues.

I don't want to recommend and find a Mini for her if it's going to be in the shop and cost them $$ all the time.

Thanks in advance!

 

No no no no no. Instead of inspection 2 after purchase you need to have a pre purchase inspection (PPI) done by an independent MINI repair shop enforce you commit to buy. Their and on those 2 pedal cooper (non S) is a weak spot.

Edit:
Sorry, should have started with Welcome. Please get the PPI...

 

Never ever get a CVT.
Get an R53 auto instead. It's got a Toyota Aisin tranny. More reliable.

 

R55, R56, R57, R58, R59, R60, and R61 you mean?

 

Of course, it depends on how well the car was maintained, but if reliability is your top concern, honestly I cannot recommend a MINI with 88K-95K miles. It's an age where parts are wearing out and there is some risk that it may be costly to maintain.

Only the R50 and non-S R52 had the CVT. All of the other models including the R53 have an Ainsin automatic.

 

Thanks for your honest input.

Just to clarify, of course we'll be getting a PPI at a MINI dealership. I was just saying after the purchase, we'd do an Inspection II to get a baseline on all the fluids, plugs, serpentine belt. I'd probably even replace the coolant overflow bottle as a precaution. See? I did my research!

After reading this buying guide:

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

I'm definitely going to be looking at 2005, 2006 MINI Coopers. Is that the R53 designation? Or is that for the S?

The 2006 I'm looking at has 94K miles. I was told the motor is chain driven, so there are no timing belt issues. What goes wrong with these as they close in on 100K? Coil packs? Radiator? Window regulators?

Now after reading that buyer's guide, was the CVT an option or were all autos CVT?

Thanks again for everyone's help, I think the MINI would be a great fit for her daughter, she loves all this British.

I just don't want to recommend a lemon.

 

Is there a MINI smart mechanic or dealer near by ... problem I've encountered with a used MINI for the kids was when they took it to college and there was no MINI mechanic for hundreds of miles.

It is a LOT easier to get a Honda or a Toyota fixed in many places . . .

 

I would say...after 3 MINI's, 4 including our sons.....definitely NOT. As someone already said with that mileage things are started to need replacement/repair and a young person doesn't want to have to deal with that.......there's plenty of alternative, reliable cars out there that would be more suitable.

 

I have 200K miles on my mini. very reliable. However stay away from an automatic. There was a study done last year that showed new drivers who are driving manuals have less crash rate due to the fact that they have to drive and think about shifting. Not only is the manual bullet proof, it might keep her from texting and driving which could save her life. and will give her a skill on how to drive a manual for life. Sure the first few weeks will be rocky learning the stick. but they were for all of us.

http://jalopnik.com/genius-parents-c...manu-496309265

 

Can you give us a link to that study?

 

I'm sure that you've taken good care of your MINI. The topic here is, how would you feel about buying used MINI with 95K miles for a 16 year old daughter, in terms of reliability? I have a 2006 R52 with 80K miles, and in the past year I've had to put in several thousand dollars of maintenance and repair, and there's about another thousand that should be done but can be put off for awhile. Another factor to consider is that repairs on a MINI cost much more than most other brands.

 

Buy the Honda, I have a 02 Accord 197 k+ talk about bulletproof, why put her in something that you have to be afraid of .

 

Dang it, the forum ate my other reply.

We'd get a PPI, then an Inspection II to set a baseline for the car, fluids, plugs, etc.

After reading this buyer's guide:

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

I'd be looking at a 2005-2006.

So were all the automatic non-S MINI's CVT's?

They only put a real torque converter in the 2006 Cooper S?

Am I getting that right?

Thanks for everyone's advice on this, I don't want to recommend a MINI and then it turning into a huge lemon hassle.

 

I would stick with a Honda. We had a CR-V for 11 years and put no money into it except oil changes, brakes, tires and shocks. The normal stuff that every car needs for regular maintenance. We'd still be driving it if someone didn't back into us.

 

I had a 95 Miata that at 12 years old and 130,000 miles was still on the original brake pads!!!

fun, sporty, and ROCK SOLID

I know the kid I sold it to and his maint' to date is still WAY SMALL given the age of the car . . .

 

As a first car for any teenager you want one that doesn't fuss and breakdown.

Best bet is a late model Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 or Honda Civic.

However I would suggest that you also consider safety ratings as the early model year Civics were not as good as the 2006 Civic and beyond.

Chances are there will be no big accidents but teens often are in them so a safer car would go a long way. I know, since one year after buying a new Honda Fit my high school aged son was hit by a drunk driver and the Fit was totaled. My son and his passenger were OK but the car took the hit.

The only way I would consider a used MINI is-
2005 or later
Manual getrag transmission, both CVT and automatics have been used in the MINI.
As low miles as possible.

But if you have ever owned an older used car you have to worry about wear and failure of many of the various car systems-
A/C
Power windows
Xenon headlights
Power sunroof
Fuel Pump
Brake pads, tires
Timing chain or belt
Clutch wear or transmission

 

I bought my 04 mini cooper S with 46k on it. Within the first year it needed:
front control arm bushings
headliner came down
harmonic balancer failed
belt tensioner failed
2 ball joints failed
front strut tower bearing failed
one strut died
Just did a 90k maintenance/repair after the tensioner failed
-pulled supercharger and changed oil in both ends
-replaced thermostat (way harder than other cars I've had)
-replaced water pump
-replaced hoses (they were not too bad, but I was there-and you can't get to them later!)
Every time I've had something fail, I've rebuilt the whole system, so now have new Koni FSD shocks, camber plates, all new ball joints, poly suspension bushings, fat sway bars, smaller supercharger pulley, aftermarket harmonic damper, second/better set of spark plugs...you get the idea.
The car has only left me stranded once, for the belt tensioner.
If you get your kid one, it should have a stick shift, a non-s/non supercharged is simpler and stresses the systems less, and has a simpler belt tensioner, and you need to make sure that preventive maintenance is done and that there is an aftermarket shop nearby (something like WayMotorWorks would be ideal!) or that you have time, tools, patience, and talent. It is my favorite car despite all these issues. Drove it on five major (600+ mile) trips over the summer, longest was 1800. Before buying, check the front suspension bushings-procedure is easy and is on the forum someplace-and get an inspection. If I had a MINI dealer do all these service/repair I've done, I would have probably spent thousands more. If you're shopping on any kind of budget, shop the available service as well! Personally? I would not buy one for a 16 year old unless they have serious "motorhead/tinkerer" aspirations.

 

I would not buy a Honda Civic because I understand that the insurance is through the roof for those (because kids tend to drive them). I would suggest an older bigger sedan like the Accord that someone mentioned earlier or a Sonata.

 

1971 VW bug. It teaches you how to fix cars on the side of the road and become independant. easy to learn on, and will always let you down just like other people. Plus it only comes in manual so you can't text. there is no AC. Man how did people grow up in the 20th century?

 

I guess not..................

 

Buy the Mini... let it be a lesson to the parents and a good scare to the kid!!!

 

Man, I've replied twice to this thread and the forum said they needed mod approval, looks like I'm out of the cage.

Hey, so were all the automatic MINI Coopers CVT?

Until the 2005+ Cooper S with the Japanese gearbox? But that box was only on the S, correct?

Am I getting that right?

Thanks everyone for their advice and honesty.

 

Hell no. But I wouldn't recommend ANY European car for a new teenage driver, especially a non-car savvy 16 year old girl (assuming here). My wife is the oldest of ten (8 girls total) so I've dealt with a lot of teenage girl drivers, and as the family car guy I get all of the questions about their cars. The average teenage girl hears a funny sound and turns up the radio. I've encountered cars with no oil on the dipstick, power steering pumps that were empty on fluid and screaming, totally bald tires, brakes worn to the metal backing plates, etc. Teenage girls need the most reliable, bulletproof, and hassle free cars available, because they will do their best to destroy them. I love European cars, my current garage is my Mini and an Audi S8. But there's no way in hell I'm getting my daughter anything but a boring Japanese car when she turns 16.

On that note, btw, I highly recommend a Mazda3 for a 16 year old. Sportier and nicer inside than the Civic and Corolla, cheaper, and similarly bulletproof. Two of the aforementioned teenage sister-in-laws have them, both have been fantastic.

 

In the 1st Gen, CVT was paired with the regular Cooper and Aisin with the Cooper S. CVT was dropped from the 2nd Gen.

Aisin is known to make reliable auto transmissions. However, the ones slotted for Mini and VW are spotty. Maybe VW and Mini requested lower than average specifications.

 

R50 is non-S first generation. I bought an '06 with about 100k miles and it needed a lot of maintenance work (but it had a cheap price). If you have the belt replaced, would suggest doing the tensioner as well. Check for oil leak from front of engine (crank sensor tends to leaks) and then the condition of the cooling system.