Hello - Newbie here - please be gentle -

I am in the market for a Mini - my GF and I have an RV and we like to travel all over and we know the Mini is an EXCELLENT car to tow "4-down" - So I'm looking at "older" models as I'm still a working stiff and will be using the car as my daily driver as well..

My question - should I purchase an S model, or stay with a base model that has the options I'm looking for ?

My main concern is maintenance and cost of ownership - to be honest, I'm worried about the supercharger adding extra stress to the engine and the extra cost for those parts.. I'm not looking to have the fastest car in the world, those days are long gone.. but I am looking for a reasonable cost of ownership and I was wondering if going with the non-S over the S would make a difference ?

Thanks for the time !!

 

I have a "justa" convertible, I thought I would miss the extra kick that the supercharger brings, but really its still a blast to drive. Not super fast, and if you want to come out of a corner going fast you had better be going in fast. I dont have to worry too much about picking up speeding tickets as it just doesnt have the acceleration to get me in trouble, but I enjoy the challenge of driving it in such a way that I keep up in the twisties, and I too hope that it will be less likely to land me a large repair bill in the long run.

I believe there is less to go wrong, but also there is less potential to tinker with it and get more performance out of it too. As long as you are reconciled to that going in its OK.
On the other hand if you want to be able to overtake the slowpokes on the short straights between bends, a supercharger would be a big help!

Reasonable cost of ownership is one of those sliding scales. If you are taking it to the dealership or other shop to get basic maintenance and simple fixes done it soon becomes less reasonable, but if you enjoy working on things yourself then there is little advantage to be had driving a Civic, although one downside to a "justa" is that even though it doesnt have forced induction you are still on the hook to feed the beast premium 93 octane fuel, which sucks when its 50c a gallon more than regular, but I guess thats just the price you pay to play.

 

go for the S. To me buying an R50 is like someone interested in a mustang and not going for the V8. supercharger maintenance isn't that bad if your handy with tools, and I wouldn't worry about a factory installed supercharger stressing the engine out.

 

R50, non-S MINIs or “Justa” are fun cars too! Used R50 can be much cheaper and most haven’t been driven aggressively their whole lives. Best years are 2005 & 2006 with Getrag 5 speed manuals. CVT autos and Midlands manuals can be less durable and expensive to repair. If you require an auto, go with an S, their transmissions are the traditional type and pretty durable.

 

If you can get the S. Get the S.

Trust me I was a senior in high school when I first signed up for this forum.

Saved up wanting to buy an S, but the only model I could get in my price range was a Non-S.

Loved the car to death, but always lusted after the S.

After I sold it, the 2nd gen was out and it just didnt have the feel of the older gen.

Wanting something different I moved on.

When I started advancing in my career, I went through sports car after sports car. M3's ect.

Last year I bought an R53.

Love the car its leaps and bounds more fun than my R50 ever was.

So try and get the cleanest well kept R53 possible that fits your budget.

 

It’s a fact that the S is faster. It probably also carries a higher repair risk by a slight margin. The question is whether that increase in speed is worth it to you to accept the increased risk. Now, with those two facts being stipulated, no one but you can answer the question for you.

Test drive both. See what that speed feels like. If you’ve never owned a fast car, you might simply love it. If you have, and if you’ve gotten the love of straight line acceleration out of your system, you could perfectly happy with the justa.

And honestly, if you’ve never had a fast car, and love that feeling of acceleration, there’s no reason to stop at the S Try a JCW. Hell, try the v8 Mustang. If speed is what you really crave, there are many ways to satisfy. In fact, there’s always something faster. And if speed isn’t the be-all to you, then really wring that justa out, because it is a blast to drive, and you’ll smile every time you hit an apex.

 

My opinion here....get the S, dump the RV, travel all over in the Mini.....the smiles on your faces will never go away

Bryan

 

I don't know if it matters to you but I believe the resale of the S will always be much better.

 

I just want to set realistic expectations. The 1st generation MINI is not a durable car and isn't known for low cost of ownership (both the S and non-S).

 

As stated above...I would test out BOTH

I have a 2006 R 50 auto and love it !!!!!

Plenty fast for me. My sister has a 2006 S 6 speed


BOTH are great cars.

Also...I would stick with the years 2005 or 2006

According to the MINI techs...these are the BEST years for the MINI, with the least amount of issues.

They ALL have some issues.....but you will not find a car that puts a smile on your face ..as these MINIs do

 

I love my Justa. It's been very reliable and is a blast to drive. 110,000 miles...

 

Id beg to differ.

As long as the common issues are addressed and its properly maintained the R53 is a very reliable car.

Parts aren't by any means cheap, but I wouldnt call them expensive either.

If you feel that way about the mini never own a Land Rover or Jaguar.

 

The biggest impact on cost of ownership is likely the need to provide premium fuel to any 1st gen mini (and maybe the later ones for all I know). My other car is a VW with a 1.8 direct injection turbo engine, and that takes regular so go figure, all i know is my justa is much much happier when fed 93 octane.

On the other hand, compared to the Passat, the R52 is miles more fun to drive, assuming no more than 2 people want to go somewhere at the same time.

 

My first Mini was the Non-S. I currently have an 2006 R53. It's basically the same car minus the Super Charger, maintenance will be about the same. Just as the Super Charger could go, the R50 has many transmission woes. People spend more money on their R53's because they want to get the most performance the can get. You can't do much to the Non-S. Both cars have the same leaks, same suspension issues. I know you're not looking to make mods, but in my opinion, the R53 is a much better car