Just purchased a solid gold 2003 Cooper with Premium and Sports package. 64K miles and new set of Firehawks. After reading some of the threads I am wondering if I did the right thing. Seems to be a lot of trouble with these cars. Ratings seem high from owners on varous websites but poor quality mentioned on consumer review reports.

Car is in excellent condition. I am in Ohio. The car is from California and was brought here by someone who was transferred. Anyway I am hoping for the best.

Well with any vehicle that is 5 years old there will be a certain amount of things that will come up or be said if you read enough postings about them....you can drive a new car off the lot and have problems as well. You have a fairly low mileage MINI and I am sure it will serve your purposes and enjoyment well! Happy Motoring!

Agreed. All have issues. I plan on just driving it and not worrying about it. Thanks for the reply.

It's German, not Japanese. I would say there are many items on the MINI that make me want to question the engineer, but the fun nature of the car hopefully outshines the questionable reliability.

Well, the 02's and 03's probably had the most problems out of all the MINI's. The 04's were less prone but still had some. In 05 they redesigned a few things and that seems to have ironed out *most* of the issues.

I have an 06 and it's been relatively problem free (I've done a lot to it though, so the problems I have had are mostly related to my tinkering).

Is your Cooper a CVT or a 5-Sp? The CVT's were known to fail if the fluid wasn't changed often (Every 20-25k miles). The 5-speed Midland gearbox was also pretty problematic, but most people that didn't abuse them have remained problem free.

Welcome, and Enjoy! There is a plethora of knowledge here.

Your welcome! Motor on!

5-speed

One other question. I have fog lights but no switch next to the right window switch. What am I missing?

Keep in mind that what you read on forums like this one are posts from the few (or many in the case of the CVT) who are having a problem they want help with. So you see a lot of "issues" but you don't see a post from the thousands who do not have an issue with the window, or the stereo, or the AC, or . . . you get the point.
This is going to be true of any auto forum you go to.

In other words, NAM is a great tool for help or ideas . . . but it should not give you reason to panic about your purchase.

mine's a 03 MCS. other than the a/c leaking /c somewhere everything's
working great! (dealer made 4 attemps, could not locate the leak).

i dont normally use a/c so doesn't really bother me.

I can understand what you are going through.
I know Minis aren't really known for reliability (esp. early years like others have mentioned) but really, if you take care of the car and treat it with respect, it won't bite your head off.

What worries me though, is the transmission. CVT and midlands on early cars are fragile. I heard something like midland doesn't last past 40K miles. I know that's a bit extreme and i'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but you can't deny the fact that those are a lot more problematic and the cost of repair is high.

Transmission alone is the reason why I paid a bit more and got myself an 06
MCS with automatic transmission. (Aisin, toyota owned trans company)

Don't let the downside ruin your new car experience.
Treat it well and happy motoring!

Don't be scared. All cars, including the MINI, have their issues. NAM just happens to be a HUGE gathering of MINI peeps in one place, so you will get all kinds of issues - good and bad - voiced. Just take care of it and you should be fine.

Donna

I have an '02 MCS with the 6-speed, and very low miles (<32,000), and have not had any of the problems associated with the early models. It could be due to the build-date (08/02), or it may be that the car gods are smiling on me! Emily is treated very well, without being pampered. The fluids are changed regularly, and I don't beat on her. That's not to say that I don't drive with a lot of, uhm, spirit, but there's a time and a place for everything.
Maybe I shouldn't sell her, and pass on that Mercedes I've been thinking about.

Well put.

I couldn't have said it any better.

Rear fog light.

Be happy! You have a very cool, rare color!

In my lifetime, that's bass-ackwards.

Thanks. The color is great. Not the rear fogs. There are two small lights in the front under the bumper that look like fogs but no switch next to the right window toggle as shown in the manual.

For German cars I have purchased new: one 1st, and one 3rd Generation VW GTi's incl one 16v, a new 81' diesel Rabbit.

I have also purchased new: Two Toyota's incl a 2002 Celica GTS, and one Arden ( German ) Jaguar X-Type 3.0.

German Engineering far surpassed that of the Japanese, not just mechanically, but in all aspects of interior craftsmanship, driving, maneuverability and handling pleasure on the road.

As far as reliability goes, unfortunately the Celica was not up to the "reputation" standards as purported in earlier years, and 38 months into it, a master cylinder and two front calipers were replaced to the tune of $890.00US.........But my father's Subaru with 125,000 miles has had no problems at all, but Subaru also has costly maintenance intervals which run from $400.00US to $650.00US. ( like every 30,000 miles ) Then there was my Jaguar which have zero expenses including free oil changes for first 50,000 miles.

I am in no way suggesting Toyota's are not reliable, but when they do break down, they are like any other import these days, they all have expensive parts, and costly shop/book rates when in need of repairs.

That said, I will always prefer the handling of fine German automobiles over the Japanese cars.

It's cause it's gold. hahahaha. Just kidding. It seems a little hit or miss with problems.

My 04 MCS with 63K miles hasn't had any problems.

congrats on your new purchase..dont really worry about all the problems..there are so many people on here to help you with any you may have...all cars have problems of some sort or other. im sure if you bought a civic and went to a civic forum you would find just as many problems..welcome to nam!

Hmmm.... so do you have TWO blank toggle locations?

Welcome, from Cuyahoga Falls, OH. What part of Ohio do you live?

While Minis can have problems, as most have stated, if yours was taken care of, you should be good to go.

Drive and enjoy.

I have never seen a dealership with out a large building outback called a repair garage. They all break.

I remember feeling the same way when I first came here, but remember, for every complaint, there are most likely a hundred happy customers. Those with problems are looking for a little empathy or a solution.

It seems there are a few Ohioans here, I am from the Portage Lakes and heading to Home Depot in the Falls this morning.

There are quite a few Ohioans here, most from around Columbus.
There's a gathering of MINI's in Rocky River next Sunday.