well lets see.... bought my 02 r53 with 60k on it and heres what ive done:
-harmonic balancer separated
-bad flywheel (new clutch while in there)
-belt tensioner
-motor mounts shot
-rear camber all ****ed up (alta trailing arms)
-both window motors
-battery
-etc. etc everything that plauges early model mins has happened to mine but i replaced all these parts with performance parts and it gave me an excuse to do the mods i wanted. bad luck=faster car....wierd

 

Wow, i must be a lone wolf here,i've had my 03's since Aprl 2004 and i've replaced the battery and the runflats because they either wore out or failed.Everything else i've done to the car was mods,which if it caused and problems such as a ''check engine'' light or weird noises or whatever i brought it on myself because i didn't know what i was doing or i put something together wrong.I like most every other ''s'' owner put on a pulley,cai and catback and guess what, i lost some mpg,was it the cars fault,no self induced,but i never gave it a second thought.I love the increased whine and power.So,as far as the ''old R53's''go, i love mine and would buy another in a heart beat.I've only driven 2 R56's so i'm no expert by no means but they feel more cushy more modern aimed at a family car than my little bulldog thats rough and rugged.But,thats just my opinion and we all know about opinions don't we?

 

I love mine. 04-06 had less paint quality and reliability issues than the 02-03 Minis had. Less about the electric P/S fans starting random fires and other bad things

 

I wouldn't recommend having an R56 and an R53 at the same time. We tried it, but the controls have such different feels I couldn't get used to swapping between the 2. I can understand why R53 owners don't like the R56, but personally, I prefer the R56 so we swapped Quentin for Shawn.

The differences that bugged me, included the pedals are in different places, the steering feel is totally different. The R53 steering is much to heavy at parking speed and too light at freeway speeds, the R56 is a little light at parking speed, but just right at freeway speeds (that's thanks to speed sensitive power steering).

 

Naaaa, all cars have problems. My last car was a 2000 Audi S4 and OMG that thing was expensive to maintain. 200-300 a month was normal with 155k miles and suspension components wearing out. $6,000 to repair the turbos when they failed, that kind of thing makes me nervous. I did my first oil change on my 04 MCS this weekend and it was a breeze relatively speaking. When I reset my service indicator, it says next service 15k, I don't think so!

 

The R53 compared to the R56 and R55 (Clubman) is a brutally harsh and raw car. The feedback and demeanor of the car is similar to that of a Go-Kart. You feel everything and the car lets you know its every move.

The R53 is a hardcore car for the "Mainstream" car driver. The reasoning behind the "refinements" of the R56 was to addressed complaints originated by the harsh nature and persona of the previous model. I am sure the bulk of those complaints came from the fat butt American market, used to land barges that ride like air matresses in total isolation from the road.

I have a Clubman S and a 2005 R53 hardtop manual and I love both. But they are vastly different cars. Go and drive it. The R53 in my opinion drives and feels like a MINI should drive. The new MINIs drive like FWD BMWs.

 

Sorry but I think you are crazy.

 

2005 and up have the improved gear ratios. 2002-2004 are essentially the same.

 

The R53 also has speed-sensitive power steering.

 

What in particular makes you think that?

 

True. I had a 2006 Jeep Commander 5.7L with the HEMI.

It regularly had rattles and squeaks. I would hunt them down and fix them, and then there would be others.

Miscellaneous random quality control problems. Nothing major or expensive, but constantly something. From a design perspective, it had blind spots and a 18.5 gallon gas tank with the HEMI was a bad match. So glad I sold it. Worst car I ever owned and glad to be rid of it.

 

My 02 r53 feels like it overdosed on five hour energy and i love it. no problems at 77k miles other than the windshield cracking and the power steering pump failing.

 

R50 (02/02, bought it new) and I share the stage with wa mini girl. Drive the bejeebers outta that little bugger every day and it just keeps going. Went thru the power steering problem and tranny replacement early in ownership (all taken care of under warranty). Wife owns a Camry that never, ever, ever has a problem, but I would rather drive a couch. Can't stay awake when I'm behind the wheel. But it never lets her down, and that's all good.

 

agreed, camrys have to be the most boring car on the face of the earth.
Did you know there is a drivable street legal couch in england?

 

There's one here too, it's called "any Buick"

 

Yeah, think I saw it on Top Gear or Fifth Gear or somesuch.
(although a Buick does fall into that category, I'm thinkin')

 

Do I also hear Lincoln town car? That is the primary vehicle of choice in williamsburg va where I live, makes slow going for me and my mini.

 

I have an '06 MCS with 47,556 miles on it. This has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, it is the first NEW car I have owned. But with that said, I owned a 1970 Datsun B110 (bought in 1981) and put 250,000 miles on it, and it still was getting 40 mpg when I sold it in 1991.

My R53 is rock solid. I have driven it to Dallas/Ft Worth and back twice, Homestead FL, Goldsboro NC, Newport News VA, Savannah GA, Atlanta more times than I can count, and Charleston SC 4 times. The handling is superb and is what sold me on the MINI.

I Change my oil every 7500 miles and I use AmsOil. Regular maintenance (more than just oil changes) is crucial in keeping a R53 in top performance; I assume that would be true with any car, but I have owned a few vehicles that even with regular maintenance, they were just pigs.

I have driven the R56, and I immediately noticed how different the ride and handling was; not that it was bad- it was more "refined". For me (and I speak only for me) the softened ride and handling detracted from the "MINI feeling" I get with my R53. To me the R53 handling characteristics is what makes the R53 so much fun. I also prefer the supercharged Tritec to the newer turbocharged Citroen engine, but in talking to those in Middle Georgia MINIs who own R56s, they have been issue free and they like the performance.

If I had to replace my R53, I would replace it with another R53. Again, this is my preference and I am in no way making disparaging remarks towards the R56, it is a reliable MINI in its own right.

I hope this helps, good luck.

Cheers-

 

Mu 2002 MCS has 34K miles. Under warranty I had the coolant bottle replaced, the windshield - due to a stress crack - and the steering linkage. I have not had to change brakes yet but I have put on a new set of run-flats.

Other than that, it is solid! I tell people it's the best car I have ever owned!