My '06 MCS JCW has over 63,350 miles and I plan to keep him foreverrrrrrr.

He is my trusty love,...I built him just for me and he is just like an old dog that is by my side and will never let me down.

Besides, when he breaks, I won't let him down... I'll just fix him!

 

One of my cars ( not the Mini ) Has been around for 31 years ! 85 K miles

Sometimes its best to stick with the one you know best and love.

Take car of it, and enjoy it, you will be happy you kept it .....................

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-hard-way.html

 

Paid mine off in the first year & it only has 14K miles on it 4 years later.
I don't plan on getting rid of it for a long time...

 

hmm.. lemme calculate

14k miles / 5 years

< 3k/year?

sheeeeit son, DRIVE that thing! that ain't no coffee table!!!

I've put more mileage on motorcycles up in New England where there's this thing called "winter"

how do you do it? that's like a marriage with a beautiful women while aspiring to chastity...

but - vive la difference, and more power to you. truly.

 

39 months, 65,000 miles, and STILL plan to keep it (and drive it) forever. FAST.

 

113,000+ and she's never going away... I just broke it in!

 

My car's only 4 years old Paul but I know what you mean.

I put more miles on my motorcycles durring the summers than I do in my car all year.

My job is only 3.5 miles away & we drive the wife's car on the weekends.

 

My '04 has about 42K on it but I only drive it on weekends, spring and fall; everyday in the summer. Drive it as much as you can while taking care of it.
How does your car make you feel? If it feels good, drive that thing, if not, that Mini should go to someone who enjoys the coolness.

 

03 Chili Red MCS 90k miles. Paid for in 3 Years... Staying alive for ever.

 

Wow! 85k in 31 years. So I take it you walk your cars?

 

My 03 MCS was ordered exactly how I wanted it, paid off in 4 years and currently has 62k miles on it. I'm planning on teaching my currently 14 month-old twin daughters to drive on it.

 

Yep, plan on keeping it forever........... Im aiming for a million miles... (ok not really)

Nik

 

Don't ask me how much it costs but Mini USA now offers a "Heavenly Package" where you can take your Mini with you to Heaven. No worries out extended service or powertrain warranties. Nothing breaks in Heaven unless you demand that God loves only your Mini.... you know how it goes.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ng-club-3.html

a delightful concept, which seems to leave this thread in some risk of long term reliability!

 

2/2003 build MC built to my exact order, paid off in 2 years, currently only
50K and due for Inspection II next week (will also get the midland's gear
oil changed to redline MTL then). No kids, but when our cats are old enough
to drive, ... well, on second thought - remember Toonces?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonces_the_Driving_Cat

Not sure if it'll last 21 years like my last car did ('82 VW Rabbit S), but I'm
gonna try.

 

Well......I'm on my second Gen 1.....does that count?

 

I am a Mini wannabe. Haven't ever been in or around them except one ride in neighbor's car, and oogling over them a lot on the road.

Now comes an '05 S with small pulley and couple other mods for oomph, very fun in test drive. But on other forums I read horror stories about Mini's falling apart at the 30,000 or 60,000 point. This one has 64K. I keep cars 'til the wheels fall off and would love the Mini experience but some of the reliability reports scare me. I don't like being broken down alongside the road, and I don't like paying other than routine maintenance costs. For example, my Ford Ranger pickup has 160K on it and I've never had one mechanical problem until just recently, and that was minor.

And while I"m at it, the '05 seems like a good year: last cast iron block, right? And still in Gen 1.

Experiences and tips much appreciated!

 

P.S. - But of course driving a Ford Ranger is not the same as driving a Mini!

 

64,000 on an 02 is about what I have. Actually, I have 64,500. Only things I would look hard at would be the clutch/flywheel, suspension and power steering, air condition condenser. Those are the only problems I've had, but then I don't baby my car. I also have an extended warranty. Instead of zooming, just drive, feel and listen. I'm not mechanically inclined, but I know my car and how she sounds.

 

No, it's not...my Ford Ranger caught fire and burned to a blackened shell a few years ago. Cause was not determined but it was likely the faulty cruise control unit that ultimately resulted in a recall.

Funny, I keep going to the MINI.USA configurator and designing the new MINI of my dreams, only to realize that the fruit of that labor would probably sit as-is in my garage and I would be very reluctant to start making mods to it. Maybe that would change over time, but much of the fun I have with my '05 is the fact that I feel like I can constantly tinker with it. A new MINI would seem like less of a hobby and more of just a fun mode of transportation.

So I'm saving funds off the side to cover the inevitable repairs that come with age (still cheaper than payments on a new one) and plan to hang onto this one until it becomes even more of a classic** than it already is.

**apologies to the classic Mini faithful

 

Well, I configured my '05 MCS to be just the way I wanted for a very long-term keeper. And then MINI has to up and make a "last hurrah" GP! We love pretty much all the MINI's out there, and yes we plan to keep the GP for a long time.

Every once in a while, oh how I wish I had kept my new '84 Honda Civic S hatchback. Nimble, fun to drive, good gas mileage, well built, oh wait, that sounds like a MINI of today!

 

My 2008 with < 30,000 miles is in the shop for a brake indicator light. Unpleasant but not so surprising recommendations from MINI service: bushings, strut mounts, tires, alignment totaling over $2,000. We'll see how it goes, but it probably won't happen at the dealership. The dream of lifelong ownership is also made complicated by the upcoming addition to our lives, although I have mentioned to my wife that babies love convertibles.

 

First - yes the 05 is a Gen 1 - and one of the best built out of the bunch. For the record my 03 had 221,000 + miles on it currently and has not had that much in repair beyond routine maintenance. I am still on the original clutch , the largest repair was at 190,000 miles and that was the supercharger that is raited to only last 100,000, and I spent a total (parts and labor) of ~$550 to replace.

I have some threads on the history of my car - 15000 miles, and 200,000 miles.

You'll always find more horror stories - people like to complain more than they like to say everything is alright.

Good luck,

Nik

 

Thanks all. Yours is especially encouraging, Nik -- wow, 221K!