I want a MINI, but I have one major reservation: the dealer is 2+ hours away. This will be my only (available) 4 wheeled vehicle and I put an average of 35,000 miles a yr on a car. I travel frequently for work- trips up to 7 hrs drive time, one way.
Hubby and I both want the MINI, but I will be the one responsible for getting it to the dealer for service, as he travels constantly for his job.

He wants to know the following: anyone doing there own maintainence/service? (Not the "fancy" add-ons.) Is there a Clymer / Haynes-type manual available for the MINI? He is above average in the mechanical arena and ENJOYS doing it.

If it were you, would you buy a MINI under these circumstances?

 

In a heartbeat!

Earl

 

Hells yes you need to get a Mini. I live 4.5 hrs from my dealer, although I have a back-up clunker.

If absolute reliability is your number one consideration, buy a Toyota. That would not be much fun or have any personal rebelious style. Most of all buy the car that makes you grin ear to ear, and I know what that answer is.

 

>>I want a MINI, but I have one major reservation: the dealer is 2+ hours away. This will be my only (available) 4 wheeled vehicle and I put an average of 35,000 miles a yr on a car. I travel frequently for work- trips up to 7 hrs drive time, one way.
>>Hubby and I both want the MINI, but I will be the one responsible for getting it to the dealer for service, as he travels constantly for his job.
>>
>>He wants to know the following: anyone doing there own maintainence/service? (Not the "fancy" add-ons.) Is there a Clymer / Haynes-type manual available for the MINI? He is above average in the mechanical arena and ENJOYS doing it.
>>
>>If it were you, would you buy a MINI under these circumstances?
>>
>>

Haven't been back to the dealership since delivery
Just change your own oil and you should be AOK Hek...I've changed enough parts on mine to bump it up to 215hp and still haven't blown anything up (yet)

_________________

 

:smile: :smile: Yes - yes - yes - get the MINI!! You won't be sorry.... :smile: And besides, once you own one, you won't mind driving a couple of hours to the dealership...

 

All scheduled maintance is free for 4 years so why do it yourself. First service is not due till 10,000 miles so you might need to see a dealer 2xyear, not a big deal if you ask me.

 

>>All scheduled maintance is free for 4 years so why do it yourself. First service is not due till 10,000 miles so you might need to see a dealer 2xyear, not a big deal if you ask me.

Depends on your dealership. Haven't heard of Christian's nightmare experience with his brake job?? Makes me shudder what they'd do with a simple oil change.

 

I'm about 2 hours away as well. No way to sugarcoat the inconvenience. You'll need time off from work anytime you want or need service. Even if MINI provided a car when doing dealership service (which they currently don't), you'll still have quite a bit to deal with when things need doing, which they will. Hopefully, none of the visits will be because you simply can't drive your car until it's serviced. The later models (2003 and beyond) hold out much more hope of this, but if you don't have a driveable option when the MINI has to go to the doctor, then you might not be a happy camper. Would I rethink being a MINI owner? Translation: you've got to be kidding!!

 

I am almost two hours away too. But my dealer picks up and delivers (and drops a loaner) so I have no worries. (MINI of the Hamptons)

As much as I love my MINI, it has seen the dealer 4 times in 5,000 miles for minor problems. You may not share my experiance, but a Ford or a Honda may be more reliable.

But not nearly as fun to drive! :smile:

Feeling lucky?

Regards,
Red

 

As a commuter car the MINI is great. My MCS is rock solid reliable.
Figure out if you want automatic or manual transmission and MC or MCS (much more power). Both are good.
Get the non runflat tires and smaller wheels if you can. The 16" runflats for the MC and 17" runflats for the MCS are rough riding. Cruise control might be good, Multifunction steering wheel is good. Harmon Kardon audio is worth a look. Test drive each model before you choose. Talk to other MINI owners in your area if you can.
Good luck. The MINI is a very fun car.

 

Before buying, we all knew there were not a lot of MINI dealers around, and it is something that we all considered, and pondered over. In the end, we all bought anyway. As you can see from all the posts, we all would do it again, since we all love this little car. The closest dealer to me is 30 miles, which actually is fairly close. Definitely buy a MINI, as it probably the best handling car you will ever drive with turn on a dime steering, and so much fun. And it is a good road car! You can carry 4 people with groceries. How many sports cars will give you that? (answer: 2 that I know of: Porsche and Mazda RX8 -- but the MINI has great visibility and they don't) Plus, you will have this website to talk to, and MINI clubs to join and MINI events to attend. The benefits go on and on. The car is so cute. The interior is so retro. It is all so unique. Overall -- a wonderful experience.

 

>>If absolute reliability is your number one consideration, buy a Toyota. That would not be much fun or have any personal rebelious style. Most of all buy the car that makes you grin ear to ear, and I know what that answer is.

^^^Perfect advice^^^

 

>>>>If absolute reliability is your number one consideration, buy a Toyota. That would not be much fun or have any personal rebelious style. Most of all buy the car that makes you grin ear to ear, and I know what that answer is.
>>
>>^^^Perfect advice^^^
>>

I couldn't have put it more succinctly
How's about Dittos

 

>>I am almost two hours away too. But my dealer picks up and delivers (and drops a loaner) so I have no worries. (MINI of the Hamptons)
>>
Wow- this is unheard of!!! Way cool service dept. here. Any other dealerships go to this length??

 

>>>>I am almost two hours away too. But my dealer picks up and delivers (and drops a loaner) so I have no worries. (MINI of the Hamptons)
>>>>
>>Wow- this is unheard of!!! Way cool service dept. here. Any other dealerships go to this length??

There were two dealers closer, one 5 miles away, one twenty. But MOH was the only one that provides a loaner and pick up and delivery. They are in a very exclusive area and sell Mercedes and BMW, so I guess their clientele expect this sort of service.

And they were much nicer when I was shopping the car.

Regards,
Red

 

Stated yet again....:smile:
You want reliable ..buy a Honda/Toyota
You want a fun.. quirky car... that will make you smile...get a MINI :smile:

Peace,
D

 

I have an early build car and it has had it's share of issues. About a month ago it spent a week at the dealer, which for me is an hour and a half away. dropping it off was inconvenient, but I also have 3 other cars (ironically all toyotas) so it wasn't a huge deal. Simply put, mini's will have their issues, but these issues will not put you in danger or keep you off the road. Hopefully a good service manual will come out soon, but nothing yet. I enjoy doing my own maintanance too, and the mini is almost out of warranty so soon I will be doing all the work on the car.

 

if you have to ask, you shouldent do it. :smile:

 

>>Stated yet again....:smile:
>>You want reliable ..buy a Honda/Toyota
>>You want a fun.. quirky car... that will make you smile...get a MINI :smile:
>>
>>Peace,
>>D


As everyone here already knows...
MINI Cooper = FUN
MINI Cooper S = MORE FUN

 

I have decided it is going to be a MINI! I think I will test my luck and go for the smiles! When I bought my current car 4 years ago, it wasn't what I wanted (my fromer employer was footing part of the bill and they had certain criteria) and I haven't been happy since.
I have found you tolerate a lot more when you are happy! Can't wait to start "motoring" with yall!

 

With that kind of yearly mileage, you should also check out the TDI VWs (close to 50 mpg) and the Toyota/Honda hybrids.

 

If your long commutes involve foul weather, you may want to consider an AWD car from Audi or Subaru. The Forester Turbo which will out accelerate a modified MCS, just slow down before sharp turns. :smile: They are reliable, easy to drive, safe, functional and quirky looking.

The TDI is very good suggestion for a commuter car. The new diesel for 2004 brings more power. There is also a Passat TDI coming this spring. If you want a small cute diesel they offer it in the Beetle. The diesels will easily run 200k+ miles with proper maintenance.

After 2 weeks of ownership I have these "comments" from my daily commuting:
- the MCS suspension is stiff on rough roads and it is darty on the road (finds all the cracks and follows them)
- my runflats are lumpy when cold
- mirrors are a bit small for quick glances in beltway traffic
- the Yo-Yo effect can be very, very irritating!
- the sunvisors are a waste of space for any sun blockage other than directly infront and just above the front windshield. Test drive the car when the sun is going down, get the sun coming in the driver's side window and try to block it!
- heated seats need to be hotter.

I highly recommend you take a long test drive at sunset on a variety of roads before making the final decision to make it your only car. If you live/commute/park in the city, then it may be a very good choice, with 16" wheels. But if you are in the country with four seasons, and roads that show it, then I'd say no go with another car.

 

Currently there is no Service Manual (that I've heard of), however there are bootleg copies of the BMW ETK/TIS digital service guides floating around, which are better than any Haynes manual.

It seems 2 hour distances from the dealership are not uncommon. Thankfully, you shouldn't have to visit there but twice a year according to your mileage for oil service.

I've found the MINI extremely comfortable for long-distance driving. Yes the suspension is appropriately jarring for the levels of handling it provides, however on the interstate you'll never notice the hard ride because the roads are typically quite smooth. The reason I've found long-distance trips so comfy is the seats; they fit my body perfectly. Turn the heated seats on low, and you've got heat-message and good physical support. My longest non-stop trip in the MINI was down to Deals Gap, about 10 hours from me. When I got there I was still fresh and ready-to-go. :smile:

Hope that helps!
Ryan

 

If its going to be your only ways of transportation i would recommend
a different car. It's just physically too small to carry your friends or too
many items comfortably. If you have family of four, no way will you be able to carry
your family and groceries at the same time. People will say otherwise,
but it will get old after a while..look at all those used under 10k mile
mini's out there. People say they convinced themselves that it would
work out for them, but after daily use it got real old real quick.

If you have another car and buy the mini as just your commuter and
some fun driving, its a perfect car for you. :smile: maintenance only comes
around once every 10k-15k miles, so no need to go back and forth
to your dealer all the time. I enjoy my MCS a lot (!), but would not
have bought this car if I didn't have my other cars.

btw, the dealership is literally 2min away from my office.


_________________
03MCS IB/Blk: 123, Aerokit, R90 17x7, TK5 16x7, 6CDMP3, and a few more.

 

get the MINI and modded it out with some M7 performance parts! m7 kicks butt