Hi all. I am a new member and looking to buy a mini for a fun car. Actually I am buyingTODAY and have 3 choices which I have narrowed down to the below. All cars are 1 owner and maintenance is shown below with details. What car do you recommend?

2006 R53 Base S - Checkmate with 85k miles. Has DSC and Limited slip. Manual
2008 R56 Base S - N14 engine. 49k miles, new timing chain / tensioner / water pump / High Flow Fuel Pump. Flawless condition. Auto. fully loaded, every option available. No LSD
2011 R56 Base S - N18 engine. 40k miles, no major parts replacement, all basic maintenance. Coolant temp sensor replaced. Flawless condition. Manual. fully loaded minus HK stereo

I am not looking for a manual / auto debate for driving as a preference, I am indifferent on those. Feel free to post questions on the cars.
But what is the most reliable and best car to own? What motor is the best for owning? Please help!!!

 

Id suggest you post on the R56 specific board to get into the weeds on the N14/N18 specifics and if the updates with the N18 make for increased reliability.

Id also coach in the 'best'. This is subjective and only you can gauge what is 'best' with the cash, the available selection in your price, and the key requirements and must haves for you.

On paper lists are one thing, comfort increase/decrease from test drives, maintenancy records, owner vibes all count. 40K highway, **** owner is different to 40K stop start, sloppy owner.

 

R53- My Choice
N14 engines are TIME BOMBS!!!
Don't know enuff about the N18 engines.

 

The '06 by all means. W11 engine and Getrag gear box are both near bullet proof. Top of the list for maintenance are change oil and rotate tires every 5K and stay on top of other natural wear item maintenance. The only thing wrong with the R53 that I can see is that the top won't disappear if you so desire.

 

Knowing how my 05 JCW runs with the traction control "off", I'd vote for the R53...mostly because of the Limited slip differential.

OR...the other two cars and immediately go out and buy a limited slip differential and put/have it put in.

By the way, the only way to drive these cars...is with the traction control..."OFF". Or the newer cars, with the sport mode..."ON". MUCH more fun to drive, and a side benefit, the brakes last longer too.

Mike

 

I can't speak to the reliability of the R56, but my 2005 R53 has been great with just catching up on maintenance since I bought it in May of this year. It has so far been super easy to do all the maintenance myself at home and has been cheap to own. In my opinion the R53 is possibly one of the most fun, reliable, and cheap cars you can buy as long as you are willing to do the work on them yourself. I have heard that the R56 is more maintenance than the R53 but I have never owned one myself.

My R53 was my daily driver over the Summer for an internship, and I now use it to commute back and forth to school every week. My vote is the R53!