My daughter has always wanted a Mini Cooper and just purchased a 2006 R50 with 95K miles on it. It was inspected by a mechanic specializing in Mini's and found to be in very good condition with only a couple of minor issues. He did indicate that the CVT transmissions were very prone to expensive failures which I have seen as I read countless threads and messages on this forum both pre and post purchase.

My local credit union has an extended warranty that is fairly extensive, covers the CVT and runs about $2K for 36K miles and 3 years (or 4 year/50K and $2400). I have never been a fan of extended warranties but given she is heading off to college I am considering this for peace of mind. It is always an odds game.

Suggestions? I welcome any thoughts.

TKGregory

With a CVT it's always a risk. So I would verify you won't need any extra paperwork to get the trans covered if it fails.

We've found USAA to offer the best aftermarket warranty if you can get them.

Either way make sure you read all the fine print I've seen some that have a max payout and not cover a $7k trans, so they don't pay unless you fix, but you may be out thousands to get them to pay part.

For peace of mind on the CVT and if you can afford it, it may be a good move. I've dealt with so many insurance companies where customers thought items would be covered when really they weren't. Definitely read over the contract and ask questions. Be sure to have them show you where exactly it states a, b, and c are covered in the package. That way you don't get surprised when it comes time to replace something you thought was covered and they say it isn't.