+1 here, except mine's '04 MCS with 46k miles.

I usually don't even consider getting rid of vehicles prior to the 150k mark...and that's Alaskan miles (arguably more 'severe service' than other areas).

 

We're talking about reliability in this thread, not resale value.

- Mark

 

Has it occurred to you that perhaps the only car a mechanic sees is one which is having problems?

I doubt many master mechanics spend their time doing oil changes.

Could it also be that the "mechanic' was preparing you for his future charges in anticipation of having found a person he could scare into lotsa of costly stuff?

My Mini looks to be a well made little car, minimal weight and minimal stress. It appears to me that if its well maintained and driven sanely it will last till the owner gets tired of it whether that is 48K or 480K.

FWIW, I've had the largest repair bills (over $4K, twice) in my 50 year automotive history servicing my Honda Pilot. Its first transmission failed at 38K miles.

 

Exactly right.

Also correct. Shops like Minicorsa have their own (lower) rates for common repairs and installs, but there are very few Mini specialty shops around to do that. The rest of us are stuck with the flat book rates. I just paid for around 9 hours of labor for heater core and oil pan gasket replacements, for example.

Over the 3.5 years since my free service expired, I've paid $2400 for repairs (wheel-speed sensor, engine mount, A/C, heater core, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket) and $2500 for service (oil changes, fluids, inspections). I think I've had rental cars for a total 10 days during repairs or services over the past 5.5 years total.

That's $1,400 per year, which is much less than car payments. I drive about 16,000 miles per year, so around $.09 in service and repairs per mile. At 89,000 miles I've yet to deal with a clutch or supercharger, so the costs will likely increase over the next couple years.

I don't know how those costs compare to other cars, but I doubt the GTI or Mazda 3 I was considering back in 2004 would have been less expensive to maintain, and my Mini has been incredibly fun to drive all the while.

 

I plan on keeping my '05 MCS for the long haul too, I love this car! I've had it for about a year and a half, and so far have only had to have the rotors replaced, which my husband and brother were able to do in an afternoon. I'm told that I need a new valve gasket and cooler plugs now that I've installed a reduction pulley, but none of it seems to be a huge deal. I'm knocking on wood that things continue in this fashion, I've got about 56,000 miles on her right now.

 

Go for the cooler plugs now. They aren't expensive, and the expert who installed my pulley said he noticed a difference when he switched to the cooler plugs. I'd say the job isn't complete without the plugs. Give Way Motor Works a call and get 'em.

The valve cover gasket isn't as big a deal as the oil pan gasket. I think it was around $250 (compared to around $600).

 

The local "club" mechanic told me they were very reliable when I did my research into buying one. To this day they don't see many. Maybe because he is a good mechanic, does his work correctly and keeps us out of his garage. (the nearest Mini dealer is over two hours away). I own a 2008 with 37,000 miles on it. Great car - different engine than yours. Take care!

 

Guess I'll chime in. I bought an 02 R50 back in early Sept, so that's 4 months of motoring now. I know, gutsy right? An 02 R50, the most problem prone of all the MINIs. I've put on about 4k miles so I'm sitting at 81k. I can't really speak from experience being that I haven't owned it that long but so far I've had to replace the cooling fan and PS fan. $506 for parts+labor. It too looks like I have the thermostat housing leak because my coolant seemingly evaporates over time... I do believe it is worth it though. I'll gladly pay a couple hundred bucks here and there to keep this fun lil runt rolling. Never driven or seen anything like it.
I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, how much do you LIKE driving? Are you an "a to b" person or are you a "between a and b" person. In other words, do you only care to get where you need to go or do you care about how you get there?

By the way, I took my MINI to be serviced at a BMW/Mercedes specialty shop in town. They seem like a fair and legit business, as well as knowledgeable, which does make all the difference in maintaining your car. The mechanic told me he couldn't believe it was in 02 for how good of condition it was in. Said the transmission looked new, which it probably is - the former midlands most likely crapped out before I got it, but other than that, it looked good under the hood. Sure, it has it's interior rattles but ohwell. I love it. I definitely intend on buying another one after this one is gone. Probably upgrade to an 06 S within the year. So, I'm sold out on MINIs, problems, performance and all. It's just the package you get. And yeah, some are lemons, some are not. Maybe you got a good one and for as little as you drive, why even worry about it? Sorry for the lengthy reply, did not see that coming...

 

for the OP, here's a thread that might be worth rummaging around in

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...h-mileage.html

by the way, www.google.com takes a search argument called "site", as in "site:www.northamericanmotoring.com" which I find to be the best approach to searching on these forums

 

all cars have their problems, and most of the time its the same story, if the car is properly maintained, cared for and not beaten on too hard it will still have its quirks, but nothing life shattering. That said all cars have their problems, major and minor, its part of the deal when owning a car with some miles on it.

Just rolled over 115k on mine, bought it with 60k on it a year and a half ago, i rag on it quite a bit, but i also tear it down and replace seals, gaskets and misc parts quite often as preventative maintenance.

and... the prev owner didnt take the best care of it i dont think so i have been battling with all of those issues as well, just had the steering rack, inner ball joint, tie-rod, steering knuckle, and a couple other misc things replaced at the dealer ($2.5k)

bills happen, issues happen, if you enjoy the car, the people and more impotently the driving experience, isnt it worth it in the long run? to have a car that puts a smile on your face and a hole in your wallet?

 

I've been a VW owner for years, and am finally making the change and purchasing an 06 MCS from a friend of mine with 25k. I've had people swear up and down about VWs not being reliable, but a lot of times it is out of ignorance. Many repairs are quite simple, while may costly ones come from ignoring a CEL. I would check out http://bentleypublishing.com/. They make manuals for the Minis, VWs, Porche and have an excellent repair forum. At the very least, knowing your minis components will at least make you sound like you know a bit about your car and may save you from being overcharged at a repair shop. Looking forward to my new mini and many more miles!!

 

If you like the car and maintenance is a concern, an option is to get an extended warranty for 'peace of mind'. (I'm surprised you needed a clutch already.) But personally, since you drive low miles and expect to maybe be out of the car at ~100k, I'd save the money. You should be OK.

As an aside, my bmw's I generally sell by around 90-100k. I little because I don't want to deal with repairs, but mostly because I drive low miles and by then, the car is dated, and my eyes are wondering.

 

Will I be keeping my MINI for the long haul? You bet !

It's been paid for since the moment I picked it up and repairs (if there are any) will certainly be cheaper than car payments.

33K miles and so far the power steering pump and the thermostat housing have been replaced under warranty. Otherwise, all is good.

 

My experience has been much the same. I'm at 79k, and since my warranty ended I've had to do nothing significant other than tires and a supercharger belt, both normal wear items (and I'll need new front brakes in the spring). I think the MINI is pretty reliable, and I'll keep mine well past 100k.

 

I was originally planning to replace my second MCS with yet another new one just to get a fresh warranty. But I didn't like the R53 -> R56 changes so I decided to just keep it for the long haul but recent component failures at a very low mileage (< 65K) have me rethinking this. My faith in probability theory is being tested...

I should add that my faith in BMW's vaunted engineering prowess is also being tested!

 

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I definitely plan on keeping mine for a very, very long time!

 

They'll have 2 pry Scoopie from my cold, dead fingers and lead foot.

 

I just asked myself the same question. Should I go all in, or should I sell my '06 MCSa before it's out of warranty? This is my favorite cars of all that I've owned. I decided to keep it, so to assuage my fears of a huge repair bill I bought an extended warranty from American Mercury. It cost $1475 and covers the car for most things for the next 4 years or 85K on the speedo, whichever comes first. I couldn't see making car payments again and drive something I enjoy less. There's nothing like the MINI.

 

I agree. 100K in my book falls under the "disposable cheap built cars" category.
The only aspect that makes me somewhat uneasy and unsure about long term reliability is the supercharger. Also, take note German manufacturers, there is no such thing as "lifetime" fluids. Well, that is, the term "lifetime" is used loosely.

 

Speaking of German manufacturers and their 'lifetime' fluids, or 'sealed' units (some transmissions)... I've often wondered what sort of life expectancy Europeans expect out of their vehicles.

For me, if a car can't hit 200k miles without major issues (assuming normal maintenance) - it's a pile of crap.

 

Most German cars will last till 200k... but with a stack of $100 bills set aside for those special occasions. Most of German car owners I know eventually decide to lease instead of buying and save themselves the headache and $$$. Except for one aunt who recently shelled out $55k cash for a MB E350. We'll see how that goes.

Me, I dare to own German cars because I can turn a wrench.

 

+1. I was an auto, heavy equipment, and ground support equipment mechanic in a previous career. Some would say I'm crazy- I have a German car ('81 Mercedes 300D), the MINI, a Land Rover, and a Jeep. For the most part, you can say that I prefer European vehicles.

 

$1475 is a good price. Would you mind give details of what it covers and how many miles your Mini has at the time of purchase?

 

I'm willing to bet the Land Rover is the most expensive by far out of those 3.