I currently have a 2006 Mini which I'm quite happy with. I have 45K miles on it and haven't had any troubles except a leak on a thermostat which was fixed under warranty (I extended it from 36 to 50K miles). This is my "work" car, being subsidized by the company, but I get to pick the car. In the next year I'll have to have something newer per the program rules. The other day I had an '09 Mini while my oil was being changed and I had mixed feelings about it.

Things I liked in the newer car:
- the newer powertrain- it (an automatic) got much better mileage than mine (stick). I suppose having 6 speeds helps (mine has 5 speed).
- better/more info on the display on the tach
- incrementing cruise speed does go up by 1 mph (the older design doesn't do it right)
- seat heaters seem to work much better
- traction control was awesome

Things I like better in the older design:
- the dash center stack- one the new one I don't mind the larger speedo, but the air controls look like they are stuck on a piece of plastic. It also tilts downwards a bit where the old one was tilted toward the driver. The older ones has those bars on the sides where you can reach around at the base- I just like that.
- the feel/shape of the steering wheel
- the stereo- I have the Harman/Kardon upgrade and it sounds better than the upgraded stereo in the new car. The new one was rattling the speakers and the bass cuts off to high (I happened to bring my test disc with me!)
- the (sport) seats. I think maybe the new I had just had regular seats so maybe it's not a fair comparison.
- the shape of the side mirrors.
- the toggle switches
- I like the way the older one looks from the outside, especially the front. I know about pedestrian safety, but the new one is too puffy.

So I'm not thrilled about the prospect of getting a new Mini and I'm going to try to hang onto mine as long as I can. Who knows, in this economy I could end up changing jobs and have more freedom on what I drive.

Have others switched to the new model, and what were your feelings about it?

 

I take it yours is an MC if it has 5 speeds (not an S). We upgraded from an 04 MC to an 07 MC basically just because of the six speed, which I would have liked to get in the first place (but was never an option).

I was surprised to find I like the new one even better than the old one, which was neat trick because the old was great (except for the lack of the gear). The differences are relatively subtle handling is improved. I don't find that the new MC is any more economical than the old one, but that may be because I drive the new one more, where my wife drove the old one more (and I'm a less economical driver).

A lot of the differences are cosmetic as you point out, which I'm not that concerned about. I like the dynamics of the new one.

 

I switched to an R56 a couple months ago. To me it really feels a lot more solid, but my first MINI was a 2003 (I hear the 2005-2006 models were built a bit better). The user interface isn't quite as straight forward, but, personally, I liked that. I like discovering new things about the car. The performance is also a lot better.

The R56 is pretty awesome. I'm really REALLY more than satisfied the switch.

 

I have both (see my sig) and I agree 100% with your observations. Each car has its pluses and minuses but overall, I think the 1st gen MINIs are very special cars and "uncompromised" in relation to the new models.

I personally prefer the linear/smoother power deivery of my supercharged 2005 MCS over the "peaky" power delivery of the turbocharger in my Clubman S.

Being a 3 time 1st gen MINI owner, I personally would not trade a R53 for a R56. But adding a new R56 to my existing 1st gen MINI? No problem!

 

It has more torque down low, but the stock R56 S turbo runs out of steam at 5.5K RPM In comparison to the R53 S Supercharged, that TRITEC motor pulls like a freight train all the way to redline Not only I like the supercharger whine better, but the engine seems to have an infinite powerband in comparison to the turbo models.

 

Yes, I made the switch to R56, too, and have come to really like what they have done w/ the car. I drive Coopers only, and the R56 version has lots of great improvements.

The center stack works great (I've had mine almost two years) and offers more legroom. Two banks of toggles....we almost begged for that. Fewer interior rattles, telescoping steering wheel, 6 gears in a Cooper, way more torque, my OBC sits at 44 mpg city....the list goes on.

A lot of the design features of the first gen car that we think of as so iconic I have come to feel are really perhaps not so much. I think the 2nd gen car makes just as much sense. In some areas more (although none of my MINIs have had scoops).

I maintain that in many cases one's view of the car is determined by what's going on between one's ears. There is lots to like, so I'd recommend going in w/ optimism and have fun.

 

I've done a lot of careful measurements with the cruise control on my '06, and I've found that hitting the "+" button once increments the set speed by exactly one kilometer per hour (even though all of my gauges are in MPH). So, five presses raises the set speed by 3 MPH, ten presses raises it by 6 MPH, etcetera.

 

I like the interior dash of the first generation better. I like the exterior front of the original better and I like the supercharger over the turbo as well. I also think that 6spd MCS is the way to go. But that's why I bought an 02 MCS as well. I like some aspects of the new generation, but not enough to want one over the older version except maybe due to being new with full warranty or if leasing!!!

In the end it's do what you WANT and will be HAPPY with. No one I know had remorse over a NEW car, but did on the old one departing!!!

If you've had your's since NEW especially. Hard to get THAT same feeling BACK once it's GONE!!!!

Guess for the money ensure your SUPER happy with the NEW version before letting the old one GO!!!!

Good Luck and which ever way you decide it's still a MINI so it's still a WIN WIN!!!!

Regards

Scott.

 

This is what I would like to do! My wife would like one too, as the kids get older she wants to unload the minivan. One thing I'm considering if I keep the 06 MC, and I'd like to hear what people think about this, is extending my warranty from 50 to 100K miles. I think it would cost me about $1600.

I guess the thing is that I have this feeling about the 06 vintage being somewhat of a classic and I fear someday regretting letting go of it. I know who had a '70 Dodge Challenger- a classic year for that car and worth a ton of money now (Dodge didn't get the new one right but that's another forum).

 

That is exactly what I did. I got the MINI Extended service contract (Not to be confused with an aftermarket extended warranty) up to 6 years or 100K miles on my 2005 MCS. The R53 is my daily driver and the Clubman S is my wife's. We are both happy and the arrangement has worked out great.

I plan to keep my R53 for a very long time. In my opinion, MINI has not yet issued a worthy successor to this car. Until then, I will keep enjoying and piling up the miles on this one. I also think this car has tremendous potential to be a sought after model in years to come.

 

I'm not a big fan of extended warranties in general, because the warranty companies have lots of actuaries and statisticians whose sole job is making sure that on average, the money that they collect in premiums is more than the money they spend paying out on claims. Sure, you might be one of the "lucky" ones that gets thousands and thousands of dollars of work covered by the warranty, but if your only problem up to this point has been a leaking thermostat cover, it doesn't sound like you got one of the troublesome MINIs.

And I know what you mean about having a "classic year" of a particular car. I have a 1972 Dodge Charger (*not* the classic year for that model, by a long shot). But when the 1971-1974 body style first came out, it sold TONS more than the 68-70 Charger it was replacing. But over the last 35+ years, the 68-70 Charger has become the "classic" Charger, and the 71-74 models have almost been forgotten.

 

I am also no fan of aftermarket extended warranties. Your best insurance is maintenance, oil/filter changes at required intervals and tending to any little thing the car may need as quickly as possible (Not letting small problems turn into big/expensive problems because of negligence).

Setup an interest bearing savings bank account and set aside some money for the remote likely hood of an expensive repair or catastrophic part failure. If your car does not experience major problems, the money is yours to keep plus interest after the car is gone.

On the other hand, I recommend the MINI Extended service contract as it covers all basic maintenance requirements plus brake pads, brake rotors, clutch assembly for $1,400. To me it was a bargain. However, get it only if:

- You plan to keep your MINI until at least 100K miles
- You drive at least 15K miles per year
- You don't have the time/tools/place/skills/desire to service your own car and you much rather let the dealer deal with it

 

I'm not a fan of the extended service agreement either, but there *are* cases where it makes sense, at least more so than the warranty. But unless you're the type that would rather go to the dealer than an independent BMW shop, you really won't make your money back on the service agreement *unless* you need a new clutch before 100k miles. If that happens, then it's easily paid for itself, but if the clutch in either of our MINIs needs replacing before 100k, it'll be the first time that's happened to us in a long history of driving stickshifts.

Also, if you drive on the interstate a lot, you may not get very many scheduled maintenance visits between 50k miles and 100k miles. My OBC service intervals have been averaging about 22-23k miles, and I'll be due for an oil change soon, at around 54k miles. That means that I'll probably come due for "Inspection II" around 76k miles, and then I *might* be able to squeeze in one more oil change right before 100k.

 

I hear that...I felt the same way about my '03 Cooper. It even had bumper strips...looked like a MINI from TIJ...and had those wonderful holeys!! However...as good (and classic) as that was, driving a 40+ mpg Cooper with lots more grunt is not a bad deal, especially when some of the styling is just as Mini that the first gen. I will agree that actual improvements on the MCS may be harder to spot...but they're pretty obvious on the Cooper, I think.

That said....if I could keep any MINI, I would. Parting w/ a trusty MINI is nothing but agony.

 

I have already gotten under the extended service plan:

New clutch and flywheel = $2,500
Rear brakes and pads = $500
45K mile service = $450-$500

Coming up: 61K mile pit stop. Engine belts, oil/filter and front brake pad/rotors will need to be replaced. All covered by the plan.

So I have been juicing it

PS: I already have an excellent independent MINI mechanic to take care of issues not covered by the MINI extended service plan. He replaced my suspension bushings with Powerflex Urethane bushings back in January.

 

I agree that the improvements from R50 to R56 MC are much more profound than going from R53 S to R56 S.

 

Yup.....I still get a bit verkempt whenever I see the pic of John Cooper leaning on that IB/W Cooper. That was my MINI!!!......*sniff*

 

In your case, the clutch/flywheel job definitely pushed you into the "it was worth it" category. But if you hadn't gotten the extended MINI plan, would your independent mechanic have charged you anywhere near $1000 for the rear brakes and the 45k checkup?

I don't know if the 45k checkup is anything like "Inspection I" in the first-gen cars, but if it is, it's basically an oil change, engine air filter, cabin A/C filter, some wipers and a whole bunch of "check this/check that" - it's almost all labor rather than parts.

 

I think 45K isn't it inspection II? At any rate I think I have gotten my money's worth. But once the plan expires my independent MINI friend will have the task to ensure that my car will last well into the 200K-250K mile range.

 

I don't know what they call the different services on the second-gen cars. On the first-gen, the visits go "Oil Service", "Inspection I", "Oil Service", "Inspection II", and then they repeat.

I came due for the first "Oil Service" at 12,500 miles, then "Inspection I" at 33,200 miles. I'll be due for another "Oil Service" at about 54k, so I'm probably not looking at "Inspection II" until about 75k miles. I can't imagine hitting "Inspection II" anywhere near 45k miles - your OBC service intervals would have to average something like 11k miles.

I got a free service extension to 4 years/50k miles when I bought my car new, and I'm glad it was free, because the *only* thing I got out of it was a brake fluid flush. I didn't have a single OBC-recommended service come due between 36k when the factory service agreement ended and 50k when the extended agreement ended.

 

Yep my intervals are in the 15K mile ballpark because I do mostly city driving.

 

I've an oil change, inspection (about 22K miles I think), and then an oil change just now at 45K miles. It shows an inspection due at about 60K miles. When I bought the car the guy thought extending from 36 to 50K would surely cover the first brake job, but that hasn't been needed yet. Maybe I just don't use my brakes enough- why should I- it's a Mini!