I bought my Austin Healey new in 1967 and still have it so keeping this Mini 'forever' shouldn't be too hard. And it probably won't have to last nearly so long- unfortunately!

 

This thread has more commitment followed by divorce than an episode of "divorce court"!!
Glad to see some folks still have older, gen1 mini's....
Forever seems to be 3 years for many...
I'm coming up on 10 years....

 

Would'a, Could'a, Should'a kept it!(Black '05 S)

 

I haven't posted on here in some time but I still have my 2002MCS with no plans on selling. Actually, my wife has taken the MINI over as her play car so at only 60K miles and an annual mileage of 2-3K it should last for a good long time yet. My new track toy is a 2013 Camaro with the 1LE track package. It's the first big car I've ever owned.

 

My '04 MCS has 63,000 miles...still runs great......wife wants to get something new......NOT A CHANCE...KEEPING THAMINI until the paint peels off.

 

I have replaced the following items on my 2006 MCS, which is approaching 100K miles:

15% pulley.
CAI.
Beefed up rear sway bar.
All rubber mounting parts (engine + transmission), plus all suspension mounts.
Water pump.
Thermostat.
Radiator.
Condenser.
Carbon air filter.
Coolant Expansion Tank.
Water hoses.
Radiator Coolant Fan.
Spark plugs.
Spark plug wires.

I checked new Mini, and was disappointed at some of the styles, such as:
The missing rotating **** for temperature control.
The awful looking side markers.
The weird looking headlights.
The out of proportion body style.

Thus I’m going to stick with my current one for a while.

 

I'm at 98,847 miles on my 2004 S. Just went in for an estimate on a new clutch yesterday (will be my first clutch replacement, the guy was shocked... said many of the six-speeds were shot after 30,000 miles?? That surprised me.) Not in love with putting $3k into it right now but it's been essentially bulletproof for a decade. I owe it to the little champ.

My oldest will be at driving age in 3 years, and I plan to teach her to drive with this car, if not make it her car altogether. All depends on if I can really give it up as my daily driver by then. At this point, I see no end in sight. I'm going to keep it rolling.

 

Hi to All,
I too love my 05 convertible and usually keep all my cars forever as long as they look and drive well. But despite being pretty meticulous in my car care, my Mini needed:

at 66,000 miles a new clutch $1000
at 70,000 miles the convertible top stopped opening (still stuck)
at 90,000 miles new power steering $1,250 (Mini reimbursed)
at 100,000 miles transmission linkage problem $800
at 125,000 miles new transaxle $3300 (rebuilt unit)
at 127,000 miles a new alternator $400 (not OEM)

Far more problems than with other cars I have owned, Volvo, Nissan, Jaguar.

Any out there with similar service issues? Any that have had none?
Since the only major component left is the engine, what is the consensus out there concerning the longevity of the engine? Would hate to have to rebuild the engine.
Thanks

 

Got 2006 GP0203 in early 2012 and will plan on keeping it!!

 

My 05 MCS is 10 in January with 134K miles and she is here to stay. I wish I had kept my 1964 MCS when I was stationed in England in the 60's

 

My 2002 MCS has 160,671 miles and is a little worse for the wear, but it's a keeper.

 

I'll keep my mini as long as possible (2010 s). I think they have ruined the mini by making it larger in 2014.

 

I have a 2003 with 70K and quite a bit of mods on it. I'm planning to get a new harmonic balancer/crank pulley at the Dragon this year to replace my aluminum one. I might need some new brakes by next year. I'm on the Powerslot rotors and Hawk pads from about 9 years ago. Might get a bigger kit this time. Hmmm, do I intend to replace this car? Nope. If something happens to it, I may get a new MCS with the manual, sports suspension and minimal options. I can't see replacing it unless it just gets too expensive to keep or gets in a bad wreck.

 

Glad to hear that playon lives.

My 2004 MCS is still going, 70,000 miles on. The most notable repairs over the preceding years were the replacement of all four hubs, the first under warranty, the last one in fall of 2012, windshield, brake pipes, shocks, brake pad wear sensor that was shorting causing limp mode!, belt tensioner, door lock actuator, and key case.

 

My 05 JCW Vert is my pride and joy, with 57k miles on her. I'm curious though, as to what type of repairs and at what mileage should I expect. I rarely race her.

 

We just traded in our 2006 MCS with 176,000 miles, all on the original clutch, with no signs of failure when we turned it in. (Unfortunately the same could not be said for several other electrical items - airbag module, wheel speed sensor, etc.) We traded it in for a new Countryman ALL4. Wife wanted something with all-wheel-drive, which has been a huge advantage on our other car (an Audi TT). But the MCS was a fantastic car for as long as we owned it, which is why we decided stick with the brand.

 

right there with you Larry...(at least as far as the new MINI)

'05 R50 with 131k

fantastic machine


Ready for More! by jimmy_racoon, on Flickr

 

i too was planning on keeping mine forever until some moron t-boned me

 

Add me to list of "keeping it forever." After making it through the repairs of the last few years (including a CVT to 6-speed transmission!), I'm committed to keeping it to say the least!

 

I have a 2005 MCS with 112k miles now and it is still running strong. I hope to keep it for quite a while still. Eventually may get a 3rd gen MINI for the daily commute but will still keep my R53 for track duties or when I want to have more fun.

 

I bought my 2009 Clubman MCS in 2001 with 26,000 miles on the clock. I turned 88,000 this week, and have no plans to part with it. It is still as fun to drive as it was on day one and there's nothing else in the class that interests me. It's been trouble free except for the thermostat housing, and I replaced that myself. The timing chain was done before I bought the car. Other than that it's been oil changes and brake pads.

I've had a new Gen 3 loaner, and it's great to drive, but I think the styling has become adulterated.

I will probably tinker with performance mods on my Clubman in the future...I'd like to build a performance engine on the side and drop it in one day but for now I will focus on keeping the car in top condition and enjoy not having having a car payment.

 

I bought my 07 convertible in January 2007, I loaded it up, with about every option including as much JCW parts as I could for an automatic.....I have black painted ghost stripes and red sparkle together....and marbleized red and black dash colors on the dash, roll bars etc....I've had to replace the battery, brake pads and front rotors and alternator. I've had aftermarket alignment put on the front end and changed to high performance tires and aftermarket black wheels. It is garage kept......

I have been looking at the latest models to see if there was something I might would trade it in on but nothing I have tested drives like this mini!....So for now I am keeping it....Maybe just maybe the new JCW sedan or convertible coming out next year may be the one!?!?!.....

 

10 years old next month, 77k on the clock, will never be sold. Don't use it much now, as due to space it's on my folks' drive instead of mine (we're a 4-car household).

But when I do drive it, maybe once a month, it still makes me smile. An absolutely brilliant little car.

 

110k on the odometer of my '02 MCS JCW with a Lucky Dog pulley and tune. Didn't think I'd ever give it up until I fell in love love with the F-Type coupe. Even then, my allegiance to SPUD was not in peril since they only offered the F-Type with a slush box. Well....for the '16MY, the F comes with a ZF 6speed, I've got an order in on a new Jag and trying to determine how to keep SPUD.

Just marveling over the fact that it took close to 6 figures to lure me away from the Gen 1 (Waaaay better than the subsequent gens, but that's another much earlier thread)

 

I just converted mine from Midlands to 6-speed a few months ago.
Got Swedish Motors in Marietta to do it - it was the first 5 speed to 6 speed
they had done, and they did a good job. It looks like you had Way do yours.
When I talked to him this past summer, he said he had done about ten CVT to
6-speed conversions to date. "Way" to go! Keep them R50's motoring!