I'm having a hard time believing that anyone is going to make the R53 coopers last for 10+ years unless the owner is really committed to dumping tons of money into the car.

I am doing my powersteering pump and fan this weekend (assuming the parts arrive). I have been reading about the potential for other problems, such as death rattles, supercharger failures, clutch failures and replacement transmissions. It scares the heck out of me that our 2003 Cooper S w/ 100K is going to be a money pit.

If my car has all the problems mentioned above, it is probably $6000 or more if I do most of the work myself! Unfortunately what usually happens to me is that I'll fix one thing, go for a few months and then the next big thing will go.

At what point does a car you love just become not worth it?

 

It is different for each person when enough is enough.

My threshold has to do more with reliability and if I lose confidence in the car since I take a lot of long trips in cars.

Btw, I would think from your amount of trouble, I would have enough.

 

Aren't you actually trying to sell your coop?

 

When the monthly expenses exceed the payments on a new car.

At some point you will have replaced the major components and the car will again be a reliable and trouble free vehicle for more motoring fun.

 

I've been fighting this same thought with my R50. I outright own my car and have put 22,000 miles on it since i bought it june of last year. but i've also put 2-3000 dollars worth of repairs and labor into it to keep it running. I'm on the fence whether i would try to sell it or not if i had some catastrophic failure such as an engine or transmission since it wouldn't be worth anything at that point but it would cost between 2.5-6K to have either or fixed.

good luck with your decision, I'm stuck with mine until i can outright buy another car.

 

Just got dumping in a bunch myself for clutch, super charger service, new fan etc...

I love the car and just can't see getting rid of it anytime soon.

 

Yep. In a sense I'm still on the fence about actually selling it though. I absolutely love the car and don't want to get rid of it. I am actually torn between selling it and having car payments on the reliability of a new car versus trying, for once in my life, to hang onto a vehicle until it gets old.

I figure if it doesn't sell that I'll have to start setting aside money for the inevitable repairs. I'd suggest that anyone who buys one of these cars used should expect to have to do some of that service if it hasn't already been done.

 

First your car is OLD..it's a 9 year old car...it's going to have problems.

As for what's going to go...I have found that things don't just fail without warning..for the most part. Keeping extra vigilant with preventative maintenance is the key to any car lasting a long time. Oil changes every 15k? Terrible idea...I know it's what the manual says but that really is dependent upon a lot of things: quality of oil, the way you drive, type of driving etc...I don't trust it and the sheer cost of doubling or tripling the frequency is very minimal.

Power steering pump and fan is a know flaw..one I researched extensively before buying my car. A clutch is meant to go 100-120k miles with a fairly competent driver..if someone learned to drive on the car this will dramatically increase wear and tear on the unit. During my test drive I asked the previous owner to drive so I could see their skill level.

Supercharger..well it's a high heat unit which takes a lot of strain...find ways to increase cooling efficiency of the car and that will help a lot, making sure your car's cooling system is tip top is just a good practice anyhow. I believe people have said the unit is designed for roughly 100-150k of service before needing to be either rebuilt or replaced. A replacement unit is about 1,000 from a few sites out there or the sprintex unit is about 3000.

The block on these cars is known to be pretty good..leading back to my oil change comment as it pertains to bearings.

The death rattle is an r56 issue with ours being more of a minor concern and easily fixed with a new timing chain tensioner.

Good luck either way. I am in the same boat as you (my PS pump failed the other week and I just got mine from Way Motorworks) but only have 73k my hope is to drive it for another 30k until I move out of NYC and want a nice car / cars that go along with living in the suburbs :-(

 

Is this the first major problem you have encountered in close to 10 years of ownership? If so...I would consider myself pretty lucky...all cars need to be repaired from time to time. Everyone will go on and on about the reliability of Honda's and Toyotas and I am a HUGE proponent of both cars for their bullet proof nature -- but last I checked those dealers still have parts and repair departments....:-)

 

Laugh if you want, but my previous car was a 2000 Toyota Echo loaded with power nothing, not even power windows or door locks. I bought it in 2005 as a gas saving commuter car when it had 74k on it. I have done all the scheduled maintenance on it including 5,000 mile oil changes with non-synthetic oil and it had 165k on it when I gave it to my grandson who just got his learners permit. Other than tires, battery, brake pads and scheduled maintenance, I never had to do another thing to it.

I've had my 2013 S Roadster for two months now and absolutely love it, but had I joined this forum prior to making my purchase decision, I probably would not have pulled the trigger. All of the horror stories I see here are scaring me about the reliability of my car. I will maintain it properly and I don't drive it hard, but I am still concerned.

 

If you read all the issues on ONE MAKE/MODEL on most any car, and then worry...you would say the same thing!!
some mini's ARE MONEY PITS, especially some early 2002 (when mini was learning how to build cars with new emplyess, suppliers, and a new desgin)....other times cars have been used hard...raced, abused, or neglected...and folks fall in love, and overlook the signs.....
At some point everybody has had enough.....but what are the chances you have fixed 90% the stuff...and somebody else is getting s grear deal....
but your car is ALREADY 10 years old....which is nearing the end of the line for many...look at yhe number of cars getting parted out in the sales area....
I look at it this way...newerer car, monthly paymeny, highr ins cost, AND MONTHLY LOSSES ON Depreciation , or a repair bill every couple months....till i cannot rely on a car...i fix it. That having been said, my has been great!!
And yes...they are no Honda/Toyota ....but they also have more personality than a toaster oven!!
With an out of warrenty car, finding s good, competant repair shop that understands minis is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING...even for an avid diy'er....heck 30% of the "FIXES" FOLKS DO HERE often make a second isdue or is the wrong fix....another issue....folks thinking a online diy makes them a mechanic!!

 

Oh I am not laughing -- its a great story to tell.. I had a 1989 Honda Accord as my first car - it had 100,000 miles on it when I got it and it drove like a champ and never really needed anything until the transmission started to get messed up.

I also had a 1989 Honda CRX that I bought for $100 dollars -- put a new clutch and headgasket in it and then drove for 2 years. $500 investment, sold it for $550.

However, on your Echo -- you admitted it was a gas saver barely able to be pushed econo-box. These are MINI coopers, designed to be driven hard and pushed hard by most of their owners...they basically beg to be tossed around, accelerated, stomped on, etc.

I bet if I you took a MINI from new and shifted at exactly 3,500 RPMs, never took a spirited drive in it, never tossed it through corners etc.. you would have a TOYOTA ECHO situation. However, this car was built to be driven and probably under-engineered for the level of abuse it just teases its owners with. We are a small community here mind you and probably represent <5% of total owners...who happily drive their MINIs day in and day out without issue.

Its the old survivors bias - to get to some statistics...back in WWI/WWII the aircraft engineers were trying to figure out how to make their bombers be better at surviving battle. They looked at all the planes that came in and found bullet holes in specific areas (engine, under belly etc..) -- so they bolstered the metal at those points, however they found that the number of planes that were coming back didn't improve -- here in comes the problem...those planes made it back. They should have been looking at the planes that were in the side of the mountains to see what should have been improved.

How that pertains here is we are a self selecting group of those who have problems, so the impression of problems with MINIs is amplified...there are some enthusiasts here but I bet (moderators if there is an algorithm to do this, please do) the highest percentage of posts here are "my car is making this noise or -- my PS failed etc.."

No intent in any of my posts to offend...to anyone btw.

 

Everyone has their threshold,
My opinion is well taken care of with scheduled replacement of wear items and scheduled maintenance items and any vehicle that is not abused will have good lifespan.

I have a 2005 Dodge Ram with 300K on it, My MCS has 88K on it my Kawasaki ZRX has 100K on it. My toys are used as intended played hard with but taken care of. I expect to replace wear items it is a machine and parts do wear.

I usually keep a toy until I am bored with it and ready to move to the next one.

 

I've had my '03 MCS for 2 years, previously owed for 5 years by my sister.
She did frequent oil changes, period!

I recently had all fluids flushed and a complete detailed inspection. Car reported to be in A1 condition. While I've spent heavily on mods ( 8K in parts/labour) in reality my mini has only required oil changes, gasoline and a coolant overflow tank.

I'll admit that she's treated like a "Princess", I'm keeping her long term!

 

I've exceeded $7000 for my engine rebuild.
Now that I know everything about the damn thing, and am confident that I can repair it all - I don't want to give it up. The R53 is so much more fun to drive than the newer ones. I know I will have to get rid of it some day.

I like that people want to keep their Minis for a long time, and with my rebuilt engine I hope I'm one of them. But one thing I don't see many people talking about is that the Airbags expire.

Exactly how are we going to deal with that one?

 

There is the 'potential' for everything to fail. Reading the threads here only tell you about ones that have failed. There is a "my car runs wonderfully thread', but only one. It's scary, but clutches and trannys seem to be pretty rare failure points. The SC is the most likely to go, but it could last ages. YMMV.

 

I still have most of the cars I have purchased over the years. Other than cars that I have totaled or traded, when they wear out, I rebuild them, drivetrain, body and interior.

I still have my very first car, a 1952 MG TD. It was the first car that I did a frame up restoration on.

The same will happen to my MINI when it wears out. Though it has been trouble free since I bought it new. For me, there is no point at which I cut my losses and sell.

Dave

 

Keep it if you enjoy it. I had to spend £2k on a new engine day after buying it, plus new clutch and manifold and mines newer than yours, a facelift.

But, if you want reliability then surely you should be looking at the reliability index. For example a nissan micra or some sort of honda is more likely to be reliable, but if you doesnt like them, then whats the point.

Alternatively I would say dont worry about potential issues too much, all cars have problems, just try and enjoy it. Things could be worse, my car cost £2k more than it should and I have lost financially whatever I decided, but I kept the car. No doubt it will have more problems...

 

I have actually pondered the same question... but I think I could drop a third of the money I would spend on a new car to have my R53 refreshed and I would be just as happy. SC rebuilt and ported just under 1,000.00 Do it yourself labor. Clutch, say what 1,800.00 installed for an OEM. I have 2 R53's one had a PS pump issue that was fixed but it happened before I bought it so I don't have the price. New suspension.... about 2000.00 for QUALITY coilovers (I have MEGANS and they were under 1000.00 and I really like them) again you could probably install it. The automatic transmissions in the non S was the problem child. If you have a 03 s then you should be fine…
Really what else do you need? 6000.00 to 7000.00 and what 25,000 for a NEW car + finance charges and interest... Just because something CAN go wrong doesn't mean it WILL go wrong. I’m not making fun of your dilemma just telling you how I justified my decision. I had to be comfortable enough with my decision before I went out and bought the second R53 for my son. BTW my wife has an 07 S as well.
BUT do what makes you happy. I absolutely LOVE\HATE mine but I’ll drive it till the wheels fall off then I’ll put them back on and do it all over again.

 

I've been reading this thread with interest. For me, it has almost always come down to reliability:

Any repair is going to be cheaper than a new car. You can't ever justify a new car on a cost basis.

But as a car ages (which can be pretty quick for an economy car, usually less so for a nicer one), and things start breaking, the real pain (for me) is that I can't predict when it's going to happen. Late for work once is bad luck. Late for work every month? No longer bad luck, but something which needs to be addressed.

At some point, either you do so much work you think you have got all the issues -- or you don't have faith in the things you haven't yet replaced.

It's that latter point when I start looking for a replacement.

and it's what brought me back into the MINI fold this year. The old beater I'd been driving and keeping in repair finally got to be too much trouble. I could not keep having unexpected problems that interfered with my job and my family's ability to rely on *me*!

Your mileage may vary.

 

I agree that how you drive and maintain it is the key. I change oil every 5K, speed match every shift, don't sit at a red light with my foot on the clutch and don't use my clutch as a downshift brake. You too could enjoy 278,000 miles on the original clutch, original P/S pump and only second set of pads/rotors. If your P/S pump just stopped working, it is likely the carbon brushes. Clean them and the commutator and you're good to go. Use these forums and do the work yourself, its not rocket science. I do 3K+ a month and will soon see the 300K mark. Looking forward to hitting 500K. The only issues my '05 S has given me; harmonic dampener fail, shox, one valve spring broke (over-reved), thermostat, slave cylinder, LCA bushings, front rotors, P/S fan, P/S pump (electrical-cleaned it twice now), injector o-rings, battery, glove box latch and most recently the alternator. After several sets of tires and 3 windshields, the clutch is still strong and the rotors were worn before the OEM pads were! This is my 19th car and by far one of the best.

 

Any idea where your compression numbers are at these days? Any work on the supercharger after 300k miles? What about wheel bearings and the like? Very impressive that you have made it almost 300k miles.

I myself am thinking the car will be retired from daily driven service around 100k miles. I bought the car 2 months ago at 67k miles and am at 74k already...that did include a drive from Los Angeles to New York where I live though. Fun way to do a road trip....one way.

Typically I only do 800 miles a month so I am thinking I have about 3 years before I hit 100k.

I've already replaced:

Supercharger pulley - 15% reduction
All the brakes and rotors
Power steering pump
A-arm bushings
Oil changes I do around 6,000 miles...I'll probably do closer to 5,000 going forward

Planning to replace:
Upper strut mounts (sitting on my shelf)
Springs and struts (no rush)

Need some tires or sure..waiting till the spring

 

I believe my last compression check about 10K ago showed around 120 with a about a 10% deviation. I forgot to mention one front wheel bearing. Picked it up at AutoZone and had it replaced inside an hour. I cranked the camber to straight up and down for long highway miles with even tire wear with no real appreciable cornering loss. If I get back into Autocrossing, it is easy enough to change camber in a matter of minutes. I did change a fuel regulator on the fuel rail trying to get it to start up faster while cranking. May just change out the fuel pump/filter to avoid getting stranded. somewhere. I did have the intercooler off this afternoon to check the fuel rail pressure and noticed oil pooled in the manifold side bellows; not sure what that is all about yet. This car is my office on wheels and makes my sales job an absolute joy.

 

FWIW, I have a 2003 CVT with 110K miles on it now. I've been changing the CVT fluid every 18-24 months since the car was 3 years old, post warranty. Cost, around $350 each time. Note that when I bought the car new, there was no fluid change scheduled - ever. MINI changed that song and dance after a bunch failed. If the CVT goes bad, there will be a bunch of 2003 parts for sale here :( At 59K miles I had to have the front training arm bushings replaced, cost $650 labor, $131 parts; all brake pads and rear rotors also at 9 K cost $357 with fluid flush. Inspection II done at 87 K cost me $677 with belts and CVT service. On other repairs, I've had to have the alternator replaced and the engine wire harness, cost around $1,200. At 101K miles, front and rear strut mounts $511. Cracked windshield $200 after insurance, and a dent with deep scratches some MF@#%@r gave me, $200 after insurance. All the above in addition to DIY oil and filter changes @ 5k miles. I've considered a new car, but there is just nothing out there I prefer over what I have. So I will keep putting in the repair $ and hope for the best.

 

These gen-one cars are a risky acquisition. I think if you're asking the question, it's a real indication that the time has come for you to jump ship.

I also think that after 10 years of ownership, you're not only past warranty, you're past the point of legitimized complaint.

I have a 2003 R50 (production date 11/02). I bought it 2.3 years ago from Miami with 45k miles and am now nearing 100k. In that time, I've spent a little over $9k just keeping it on the road (stock/unmodified). (All work done at Greasys' or Zblyut's)

So I've come to accept the inverse; as much as I would love to sell it and buy a Gen 1 JCW or Dinan, I've got $19k into this car and it doesn't have a resale value of much over half that. So I'm committed to the car for the long haul.

This means accepting the inevitable wheel bearings for all 4 corners, a possible PS pump maybe, ball joints, steering rack, water pump, brakes (haven't had to do those yet). I could easily spend another $4k next year just keeping it going. Good thing it's a southern car or the rust from New England would really make all this unreasonable.