I am very close to deciding to purchase a Mini. I would like input from Mini owners who have put a lot of miles on their Mini. I average 30-35,000 mile a year on my cars. Short trips average 25 miles and longer trips may see over 1,000 in a week. Does anyone have a lot of miles racked up yet? How comfortable is the car if you drive all day? What kind of reliability is the car giving over the long haul? I am about 3 hours from any Mini dealer, so I need a car that isn't fond of the service department. I am also slightly concerned about the vibes I am picking up on about MINIUSA. Comments please.

 

Awesome car on the road. I drive from Atlanta to Tampa on a regular basis and I love the car & the drive. Very comfortable and very stable.

You will have a few teething problems but the car is very reliable and very good on the road. I had to drive to Chantanooga today for a funeral and it was a snap !

Buy One !!!

13500 Miles so far. It's better than my brothers Q45t, faster and way more stable. I've raced him a few times and I kick his a$$ everytime.

 

My Mini is my primary commuting transportation from Toledo to Dearborn, Michigan everyday (110 miles round-trip). It's great on the highway and the high speed helps to smooth out the "responsiveness" of the 16" run-flats and sport suspension.

It's easy to be excited with a car that is used just for fun, but the true test is when you continue to enjoy it day after day on a mundane commute!

 

Thanks for the input. It is what I needed, info from people who utilize their Mini as a hard-working tool. For over 4 years I had a 112 mile round-trip commute. Now it is closer to 50, but many days I am on the road and not at the office.

 

xntric1: welcome to MCO!

I now have nearly 18,000 miles on my MINI Cooper S. Of the problems I have had so far, most were a by product of it being such an early build car. There have been inline changes to the production to fix these (cold start was fixed with software and there is now a new coolant tank reservior). So, I wouldn't hesitate to get the MINI again as my daily driver. It's too much fun.

Dave

 

this is all VERY good news to me as well, especially since I drive no less than 110 miles everyday!

 

>>xntric1: welcome to MCO!
>>
>>I now have nearly 18,000 miles on my MINI Cooper S. Of the problems I have had so far, most were a by product of it being such an early build car. There have been inline changes to the production to fix these (cold start was fixed with software and there is now a new coolant tank reservior). So, I wouldn't hesitate to get the MINI again as my daily driver. It's too much fun.
>>
>>Dave
DID,
I hadn't heard this...did they design a new coolant
tank and has there been a recall?
2

 

Well so far I haven't seen anything about a coolant tank recall. That said, the "new" tanks (i.e. the replacement tanks) don't appear to be leaking with nearly the frequency of the originals. Next time I see my MINI service tech friend I'll talk to him a little more about this for you 2minis.

 

Thanks DID. I recently met someone on his 3rd.
Mine is leaking...not badly but I don't want to
have to replace it twice. I emailed MINIUSA about
this about 2 weeks ago and no reply. Now some
people may think I email them all the time.....
No. Only the 3rd time...once about the Cooper and
twice re. the S.

 

xntric 1 - I drive my MCS 98 miles a day on my commute. No complaints at all. The car just does what you want it to ... quick on the back roads and fast on the freeway. Only downtime I've had so far is mis-scheduling the 10k service and they had to keep it for an extra day.

 

for 2minis: my 2nd tank is leaking. It's not leaking enough to drip onto the heat shield yet, but it is leaking.

 

I hate to say don't buy a MINI, but if you drive that much you should really look into a Hybrid car. If you don't believe that is an option then buy a MINI. Also do you mind commuting with a stick shift, or are you looking at a regular cooper with a CVT?

 

i have 16000 miles on mine and ive been driving it since sep 20th i picked it up with 4 miles on it and i have not had a problem at all just the regular maintenance its been the best car ive ever owned and the people at motor city mini have been a great help to me, putting 16 thousand miles on a car in just three monthes is a great test to see if it can handle the abuse especialy on detroit roads and havent had a kink.

the mcs is a great choice and you will be as happy driving it as the day you pull yours of the lot.. :smile:

 

>>I hate to say don't buy a MINI, but if you drive that much you should really look into a Hybrid car. If you don't believe that is an option then buy a MINI. Also do you mind commuting with a stick shift, or are you looking at a regular cooper with a CVT?


I do not mind a stick. I had them for years until my current car, which the tab was being covered by my former employer, mandated a automatic. In fact, my car is the only automatic of the 4 cars/truck we own (and 3 motorcycles - 2 BMW's). I considered a hybrid, but have decided to wait a few years to venture down that trail.
My daily round trip is only 50 miles. We live 'in the sticks' and any jaunt into town is a 50+ miler also. I am in sales and frequently out of town. Since I opt to drive over flying for anything within 8 hours, I rack up the miles.

 

Thanks for input. That is more miles than even I typically put on a car. My car will be a tool and it needs to be able to work hard! I am also looking for something FUN - and it sounds like the MINI is my best option. I have made up my mind to order one.
Now to decide on a dealer, since none are very close. I have 4 about 3 hours away and 1 more about 4 hours away. I have visited 2 of them and been watching the the dealer ratings. I want a late May or early June delivery. From what the dealers have said, and I have gathered from MCO, on the east coast, it is about 8 weeks from order to delivery. I plan to order in early March, so I should be okay.


>>i have 16000 miles on mine and ive been driving it since sep 20th i picked it up with 4 miles on it and i have not had a problem at all just the regular maintenance its been the best car ive ever owned and the people at motor city mini have been a great help to me, putting 16 thousand miles on a car in just three monthes is a great test to see if it can handle the abuse especialy on detroit roads and havent had a kink.
>>
>>the mcs is a great choice and you will be as happy driving it as the day you pull yours of the lot.. :smile: