Hi guys! im currently looking to buy my first mini. so far ive only looked at 2. i have been in the mercedes community all my life so im clueless what to look out for in mini's. with the mercedes there are specific years and engine types that you should look out for, those are the defective ones. like the 2003 c230k sedan is a very defective MB it has the most Recalls.

ok here is were you guys come in. im sick of MB! im getting rid of all them. i need your opnions. is there a certain year i should look out for? theres only 2 bodies right just the hatchback and the cabrio? and 2 engine types? manual or automatic? and what accessories? and what are the good prices and mileage.

ill start by saying, i prefer getting a cabrio. the engine i have no idea which is most reliable. manual or automatic, i prefer manual, which is easier to maintain? Clutch, tranny flush intervals, which one breaks down faster or alot? accessories dont really matter so much i guess coz those are optional stuff.

thanks for reading. and thanks for your replies. im going to look at more minis today ill let you know more also.

 

I have an 05 S conv. with the 6 speed auto. I'd have preferred a manual but knee problems say otherwise unfortunately. I bought it with 2k on it and am now almost to 92k. No problems. Avoid the cvt tranny on the base model.

My only 2 complaints on the conv I have is the design of the rain lip (or lack of it) on the top and the spacecloth interior (light gray). I'm in GA and we get decent amounts of rain. The water drips vertically down about 8" from the front of the window. That's fine when the door is closed but getting in and out of the car lets the water run right in and sometimes onto the driver's seat. AVOID the gray spacecloth interior! Even water stains it. Those are the only two complaints I have. It's fun to drive, been reliable, gets 27-28mpg and is overall a blast. I've driven 1000 miles to NY and had fun all the way. Next to the 944 I owned for 7 years this is the best car I've had.

Can't speak to reliability of the base engine but the S had been great. my wife has an 02 with Works package and 23k. Every time I drive it I never want to bring it back. The coupe does feel much stronger than the conv driving them back to back. Not that the conv has gobs of flex, but it's definitely not a solid feeling as the coupe. I had an 05 S coupe that I traded in for the conv. and my wife's is obviously a coupe as well.

 

there are actually 3 body styles, hatchback, cabrio, and clubman. the body style changed slightly between 06 and 07. 2002-2006 is the first gen, 2007+ is the 2nd gen. if you prefer manual i'd get the manual. i love my manual. i cant speak for reliability because i dont know really. as for the engine there is the cooper engine and cooper S engine. the 1st gen S is supercharged and the 2nd gen S is turbo. i'd definitely go with the S... its a lot of fun. you can also upgrade to JCW which i believe is the S with a few extra bells and whistles. Then theres the GP, most of us dont get that pleasure haha. as for packages, miniusa's site has a lot of good info on them. of course they're for the newest year, so i'd check out whatever year you decide on.

 

good read to start...
http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

in general - newer is better; watch the early automatics and/or clutch squeal or clutch wear, as replacement is expensive;

 

welcome.... get 05 and beyond as that the year they improve and make changes

 

ok. yeah i read some threads about the tranny noises and repairs. how can you be so sure that the 05+ dont have the same problem? maybe the problem hasnt showed up yet since it is New. also ive read things about the car catching fire. what the heck?

 

Well, here's my 2 cents, fwiw. The cabrio is awesome. The '09 carbrio finally has a new engine this year and they've upped visibility significantly so I think that's a winner. Also....the Cooper engine seems to have none of the reported issues that scares some people regarding the MCS engine. Just sayin'. That and it gets great mpg. And the Cooper looks better. Lastly...go manual all the way...great fun.

Or...if you want to spend alot of money and get lots of tickets, theres always the JCW. They look fun....I commute side by side w/ them all the time on my commute.....in my Cooper.

 

thanks gokartride!

ok so from what ive read and learned from all of you guys, 2005++ only, No engine problems, stick shift all the way, and preferably a cooper S. old cabrio has a bad rear view that im not really worried about. ill probably have the top down all the time since i drive with my dog most of the time.

what ive seen in the market so far are regular cooper cabrio's. cant find a single cooper S cabriolet.

Also somebody mentioned a COOPER GP. ??? sounds sporty like AMG. where can i see one. the miniusa.com doesnt have a cooper gp in it.

 

It was produced as a limited-production run of 2000 cars in 2006.

The GP features more bolstered front seats but has no rear seats, which along with reduced sound-deadening, deleting the rear wash-wipe, offering optional air-conditioning and making other steps to reduce the overall weight, resulted in a weight saving of around 40 kg (88 lb) over a Cooper S. Additionally, the car has enhanced braking, suspension, a smooth under-body and 218 horsepower (163 kW) from the John Cooper Works engine modification package. In place of the rear seats there is additional body stiffening and below-floor storage areas. There are many unique styling points such as the red door mirrors, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, unique body kit, bespoke (2 kg lighter) 4-spoke alloy wheels and specialized badging. Available in just one color scheme, Thunder Blue with a Pure Silver roof, each car is individually numbered and features a decal on the roof along with a plaque on the dashboard.


Wikipedia FTW.

 

There are some in the marketplace... https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...cat.php/cat/12

As for the matter of you definitely wanting a Manual, then yes an 05-06 Supercharged is the way to go IMO. The transmission gearing is different and better suited for the car. This doesnt mean that the 02-04 aren't contendors... just depends on what you want to do with the car

Lot of interesting things going on, take some time before you buy and read up on here about each model (advantages, disadvantages, common issues, options) and you'll be better suited to buy. Hey, you found this place already so you're on the right track

 

thanks AZblackOUT!

as for what i will do with the car when i get it, its gonna be an everyday car.
i dont plan on customizing anything under the hood or suspension ETC.
all m going to do is dress up the exterior and interior abit. some HID's, rims, angel eyes, not really planning on changing the body kits or anything maybe just adding and thats it. like a CF lip or CF spoiler or something like that. All this modding will happen maybe after a year i buy the car when i decide to keep or not. so all im really worried about is, is this car going to last. like i said im eyeing a 2002 cooper with 103,000 miles on it. should i take the risk or not?

 

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