Hey all, I'm new here and I've been searching the internet all day to find answers to my question, and this seems to be the best lace to ask it. I'm going to look at 2005 Cooper S tomorrow with 122,000 miles on it (manual tranny). Will I have reliability issues? I would like to get about 200k out of this car, and most of my driving is highway commuting to work. My other option right now is a Miata, which are known for reliability, but I would rather have a Mini. Thanks in advance!!!

Dustin

 

A lot depends on how it was cared for in its first 122,000 miles. Yes you can drive one to 200,000. There is a fellow on this site who has over 300,000 on his MINI.

I own a Miata too & love it. If it was my daily driver I might not love it as much.

 

From what I can tell it was cared for very well. I just want to make sure I'm not going to regret buying a Mini over a Miata (from a reliability standpoint). How would you compare the reliability between the two?

 

My 2005 has been very good....
Not trouble free....but have caught everything before I got stuck...
One warning/tip....if you do at least some stuff diy you can save $$$. Some items on a mini are kinda $$$ to have done...but challenging to diy... Clutches are 1500-2000 depending on parts...a full day for a pro...so just keep that in mind...parts are $$, and space to work is limited... Resulting in bigger bills.
If you find an unmodded...well driven mini...well matained...it might be a good car....but there could be an easy $1500 in parts due/overdue for repair...suspension bits....struts...even the SC...so ask what has been done.
Watch out for a pax airbag light on post jan 2005 production cars...the weight sensor in the seat bottom can fail...a $1000+ fix...production date is located on a sticker in the drivers side door jamb.

 

Best thing I could tell you is that it is generally accepted that the 05-06 S w/ man. trany were the best of the 1st gen cars. (supercharged)

 

It sounds like reliability is a big deal for you.

If I was thinking like you I wouldn't buy a 122k Mini without 1st taking it to a qualified mechanic experienced with Minis to have it thoroughly checked out. Depending on what you pay and how it's been maintained you could get a gem or a money pit. There are numerous gaskets, seals, bushings and what-have-you that typically need to be replaced over time with the gen 1 minis. I do my own wrenching so keeping up with that stuff is a hobby that I enjoy but if I had to use the Mini dealer for all that's been replaced on my 05 the cost would have been brutal

 

Chances are if the car was cared for well and records are available plus you have it inspected - your ownership will be enjoyable. Many items you can attend to yourself if even slightly mechanically inclined. It's a solid car and pretty straightforward. Let us know what you decide.

Mark/Pelican Parts

 

"Will I have reliability issues?" On a car with 122,000 miles? How should we know? I'm 73 years old. Will I have "reliability issues"? How long before I die? Who knows? We take our chances and, like ol' Satchel Paige said, "Don't look back...They may be gainin' on ya!"

 

You should search the stock problems forum for supercharger and water pump issues. For the S model I think Mini and BMW did an unsatisfactory job of designing these two components for service and reliability. If you do your own maintenance then if you should buy
this 122K MCS with its original supercharger you can re-lubricate the drive coupling to the water pump from the supercharger.( Just a few hours of work to get to know the the Mini S)

 

^^. +1

I had similar concerns when I got my 2005 MCS a couple months ago, and it's hard for anyone who's never seen my car to advise me about it.

We also have a 2008 Subaru Impreza, which is my wife's daily driver. It was my turn to get a car, and family life at this stage permits something that would have been impractical years ago. I did however decide to keep my '95 Accord "just in case" the MINI should ever need work.

If I couldn't turn the wrenches myself, I probably couldn't afford to properly maintain the MINI. Also having the Honda as a backup -just takes a phone call to turn on it's insurance and I can put the MINI up on blocks in the shop for extended periods of time. I'm capable of nearly any job that would need to be done, but as a hobbiest DIY mechanic, if the first owner wasn't too kind to the clutch for example, a job that may take some people a day would take me a weekend at least; and I wouldn't want to feel rushed to finish on a Sunday and accidentally overlook something or cut a corner.

All in all, get yours checked out. I hope your mechanic will tell you it passes -cause man, these are the funnest cars in the world!

Good luck.

 

Get the Miata. You'll be a lot less frustrated with it.