It goes like this. I decided early last month to put away my mcs for the winter to keep miles off, keep it clean, and avoid buying snow tires. Well my winter rig, a 89 toyota 4x4 pickup with 192k miles is getting a bit long in the tooth, and only getting 17mpg. It also has trouble breaking 65mph with a good headwind. Always being a toyota truck fan (i've already owned 13 of them) I thought I might trade my mini for a brand new tacoma. So saturday I fired it up and headed for the toyota dealer I typically deal with. Well it's about an hour and a half ride there, and most of it is twisty backroads through the mountains. I had a blast. After getting there I hardly wanted to testdrive the new truck. I did anyway, and it was nice but rather boring. So this morning I called them back and said no deal. Even though they offered me almost what I paid for my car as a trade in.And I've put 10k miles on it. So then , fired up about my rediscovered love for my mini, I come onto this board, and start reading about everyones problems again.Considering the amount of warranty work I've had done, and the fact I have only 11k left on my warranty.... Hmmm maybe I should've taken that truck. I just wish it wasn't so damn fun to drive.

 

So maybe you should sell the car on the used market privately, and buy a Brand New '04 cooper with new warranty and likely better quality control at this point.

its a hassle, but maybe worth it to you?

This way, you can always make changes based on what you've found you liked and didnt about the equipment on the first one. If they dealer is giving you that good of a trade in value for your area, you can get at LEAST that on a private sale.

Patrick

 

I have thought about getting a new mini.But I would have to get one with far fewer options to stay at the same payment. And this is essential until my house is done. I'm going to keep my car, and hopefully pay it off early(can you say home equity loan) so I can get a new truck before the old one hits 300k or rots out.Whichever comes first.

 

There's some similarity with my situation, although I am not considering sellin my Mini. Mine's also been garaged for the winter, although I try to take her for a short drive at least once a week so she doesn't sit over a long period of time (my mechanic tells me that's a no no). My Winter car is an appropriate very Lutheran old Saab. It got so nice here last weekend I took the MC for an extended spin. Now the Saab feels like a tank.

But I am fortunate that I've had no problems at all with my Mini. Mine is a regular 2003 MC and my fingers are crossed. My bias is that you should keep the MCS but it really is my bias talking.

 

>>. My Winter car is an appropriate very Lutheran old Saab.

That's funny, my winter car is a appropriate very Jewish old Cadillac. I put my white shoes on and cruise up and down Miami Beach.

 

If I were you, I would keep the old Toyota and maintain it until it finally gives up. Chances are that you only use it now for necessary hauling and bad winter weather and you are always going to want to drive the MINI over a new truck unless you specifically need the truck for hauling or going off-road. My poor Land Rover sits in the driveway unless I need its 4x4 and hauling abilities.

Most parts of the country with lots of snowy weather have dry roads most of the time and I would only drive the truck when needed and continue to enjoy the MINI when the roads are expected to be clear and snow tires are unneeded. I took this approach for years in Colorado.

Perhaps you would be a good candidate for an extended warranty so you can enjoy your MINI without worry about the end of warranty? If I do not end up trading mine in for a 2005 shortly after the warranty expires, I will likely be considering that option in a year or so.

 

You know its going to hit 300K before it quits. (it is a yota)

I wouldn't weigh the MINI's "growing pains" you read against itself to heavily. There seems to be a concentration of "bads" because we don't always hear the "goods" within the forums. I expect many MINI owners will see (and have seen) years and miles worth of trouble free motoring.

If next winter you still wish you had a new truck, I think you should revist the Yota dealership. You've obviously had many good experiences with Toyota to own 13.

 

The MINI, like any other vehicle, is going to have problems (especially in the early years of its production). For me its not been so much the fact that there has been problems with the car as how the dealer resolved those problems. In my case I see a lot of the gripes through the site about what has gone wrong. Its a lot easier to use a keyboard to write up a problem than to write your praises. That said I have heard of lots of members that haven't had problems and love the car. I've also heard of many members that have had problems but their dealer has resolved the problems quickly and kept them happy. Unfortunately there have been some members which their dealership has not helped and now are very unhappy with their MINI. I've had my share of problems with my MCS...leaking coolant tanks(2), scuffed seatbacks, rattling hatch, rattling sunroof, door lock electrical gremlin, leaking headlight washers, stumble, etc., etc. but my dealership has dealt with those quickly and effectively so I'm happy with the MINI. Use the information on the site and your personal experience to develop your own opinion. Remember your mileage may vary :smile:

Mark

 

Clo/Wanda

 

The vast majority of problems with the MINI's tend to be annoyances rather than severe mechanical problems (although, of course, some have had some doozies). My MINI feels great at over 18k miles and my few problems have been fixed easily by the dealer or solved with a helpful suggestion from someone on this site.

I knew that getting a MINI less than a year after they first came out meant that I was subjecting myself to being a guinea pig for a new model, but I was not about to miss out on the fun.

I remember reading about the coolant tank problem early on and knew to keep an eye on it. When it began to slowly leak, I made an appointment to have it replaced at my earliest convenience.

Now my MINI has a very very very slow oil leak that needs attention, but it is also not a show stopper and serves as a good reminder to check my oil a little more frequently. Since I have had other British cars, I think it is charming that my MINI marks its territory with a couple tiny drops of oil wherever it goes. I'll have it fixed the next time it is convenient for me to travel to a dealer.

 

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>>Clo/Wanda
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Clo, you are right.My car is way too much fun. If I hadn't had to drive the mini to the dealership, I would have a 04 tacoma trd sitting in the parking lot outside instead of my now salty cooper s. Extended warranties are out of the question. I hate bringing my cars anywhere for service. I prefer to do everything myself. I actually work on cars for fun, and sell parts for a living. Right now I'm 2 bolts away from taking the body off my 79 landcruiser. I have been absolutely disgusted with how much warranty work has been done on my cooper, but it is an early 02 production car. All issues seem to have now been worked out. I don't doubt my old pickuop will live. I just put in a timing chain, all new brakes,new (used) trans and rearend, new clutch, new exhaust. She runs pretty good.It's just an underpowered 4cyl truck when I'm used to a cooper s.

 

I've got to chime in on this subject also....
We've had our '03 MC since late May and only had one issue ( computer) which was resolved in a timely manner. My wife just took a trip from Minneapolis, MN to Florida in the Mini and experienced no problems...just a wonderful cruise.
I stated this a long time ago, but we purchased a first year ('99) Victory motorcycle and had lots of issues and growing pains with the bike and company. But it's a great bike, the company did all the updates to correct the found flaws and I do not let all the negative comments about this particular product sway my opinion.
I think it's the same with the Mini. This is a great forum to get immediate help, opinions, solutions, and sympathy ( where needed).
I would continue to enjoy the MC...after all, you had second thoughts once at the dealership.....that usually is an indication :smile:

Take care and Happy Holidays

Jimbob