Been lurking here for years. Don't own one yet but thinking about it. Local dealer has a 2009 JCW clubman for $20K. Looking at the R53 also. I have been reading for weeks now about all of these. In your opinions, what is the biggest advantage (besides price) of the earlier minis? Looking for my son also. He is 16 and wants a Mini with an Auto. I only drive stick. I usually do all my own maintenance and repairs. Been maintaining my sons '98 Escort that his mom bought him. He is ready to move on!

Thanks,
Bill

 

the R53 makes a bettwer sound IMO, plus you have the supercharger which makes its own music. The auto trannys are useless in the first gens tho, and are more reliable than the "S" in second gens, although they do get better fuel mileage. 2nd gens have issues with timing chain tensioners, burn oil, and have carbon build up on the valves. Not saying the 2nd gen cars are bad, two of those issues can be solved if you are DIYer and the latter models i believe have no issues with the timing chain.

my r53 also feels better than my GF's r56 08' interior wise.

i would drive both, and see what you like, word of caution, the clubman will not feel anything like an r53, better to compare it with a r56

JCW clubmans are nice =)

 

The 05 and 06 cars are much improved over the earlier ones. The S auto tranny has valve body issues that costs about $1500 to fix, but is otherwise reliable and works rather well. If you test a auto tranny car look for harsh shifts from 1-2 and 2-3. Changing the fluid often should help extend the life.
I like the supercharged motor. The turbo motor in 2nd gen has too many expensive issues for me. It gets much better mileage, but there is no savings if you need costly repairs and de-carbonizing treatments.
That Clubman price seems high to me. I was looking at a 2010 with lots of options and low mileage for $20k CDN last summer. I do like the Clubman, the extra room would come in handy and it doesn't comprimise handling much.

 

I think I have him thinking of a manual now. Going to test drive a few tomorrow. It is surprising that full coverage for him on my policy in a mini is about the same as he is paying now for his Escort with just liablility. He is currently insured on his mom's policy. That is for a 2011 certified car. Will take a look at some r53's now also.

Thanks,
Bill

 

So he came to see the light. R53S would have been a dream come true for me at his age. My first car was a rusted out 1981 Ford Fiesta. Lots of scary memories with that car.

 

Get your son a stick. He will learn a skill for life and won't be able to text. My r53 has over 200k miles. Been very reliable.

 

i completly agree with this, not to mention he will have to much fun hammering through gears to even think about his phone

 

He already knows not to text and drive. Long talks plus the drivers ed training in Texas (required) goes over this. Now just need to get the soon to be ex to go along with the plan!!

Bill

 

When I was looking for a MINI I was fixed on getting an earlier model, that was until I tested an R53 then the rawness of this car is intoxicating, the SC whine, etc. get an 05-06 stick and he will be super happy. 20k for the 09 is a lot me thinks :-)

 

Found a few S's with less than 80K miles on them. Checked insurance for him and its only around $95/mo for full coverage! Thats less than I paid for a buick skyhawk back in '84! I wonder if its because of the safety rating for the Mini's?


Bill

 

I recently became a 1st time mini owner, now 5+ months. Bought a 2006 R53 with 33,000 miles for $13,900. I test drove it once with a current Mini owner and we both agreed it felt great. I've had NO problems with it so far, have taken it to mini delaership for service and it's clean as a whistle. The ride/drive are exactly what I wanted. Quick, peppy, responsive engine (in the mid/upper ranges). The handling is exceptional, driving in the northeast traffic makes owning this car loads of fun as i can change lanes/pass anything/anyone at anytime and feel completely comfortable/confident. LOVE the burble exhaust tone as well. Never drove/owned a stick and I bought and drove it home. I won't go back to automatic, unless i'm driving a minivan one day. Hopefully never. Hopefully this helps, i know it's annecdotal, but it's the truth. Happy shopping. don't forget the carfax.

 

I too was pleasantly surprised with the low full coverage insurance rates. I had thought that the S model would have high rates.

I think it may have low rates because it's hard to steal. I really like the 'captive' mode of the door locks. If I understand right, one would not be able to slim-Jim the door lock. Heck, you can't even open it by pulling the door open handle from inside the car (if the car had been locked from the outside with the key-fob) Then there's the micro-chip in the key too.

 

We love our R53 6MT. Relatives have the next gen (turbo and automatic) and it is no where near as interesting to drive.

Get your son a car with a clutch pedal. He can master it quickly enough and will experience a huge, immediate boost in street cred among his peers. Cute girls will line up to go out with him.

Also, when he goes off to college nobody will ask to borrow his car since his generation can't drive stick. (I'm not making this up, actually happened to our son.)