You know, after being on this website for a few months, and after ordering my 2005 MCS a month ago, I've decided a few things:

1) I will have to replace my windshield at least once due to the complete lack of quality of the glass that comes with the car.

2) I will not get treated well by my dealership when I try to argue that the crack in my windshield was NOT caused by a rock.

3) I will not get treated well by my dealership when I try to get ANY warranty service done on my Mini.

4) There's a chance my car will ignite into flames while it's parked in front of my condo. (sorry Mike/Donna)

5) While I'm driving down the highway, my moonroof will explode because...well, just because, and my dealership will refuse to fix it under warranty.

6) One night, when I'm arriving home after a long day, I will take the key out of the ignition, but the car will keep running.

7) One hot afternoon, I will turn on the airconditioning, but for some inexplicable reason, the heater will go on.

8) My heated seats will stop working after a week.

9) My clutch will need to be replaced after only 12,000 miles.

10) And finally, someone will steal my aftermarket wheels & tires because the four-bolt pattern on Minis is the same as some older Honda Civics.

These are all things that I've read about on this forum just in the last few months, and I just can't help thinking, "Why in the hell am I buying a Mini Cooper when all these people are having all these issues with the damn thing?" I'm a Honda guy. I've owned three Hondas and one Acura. I've never, ever had a single problem with any of those cars. NOT ONE! So, somebody, ANYBODY, please explain to me why I shouldn't go up to Baron Mini (my dealership here in KC) tomorrow and cancel my order? I love driving the Cooper, but is it really worth all the stress and frustration that I've been reading about on this site?

 

You will always have those instances when something bad has happened with someone's car. All the things you listed didn't happens to thousands of people. I've had our Mini for just barely 3 months now and all is great! I've owned 1 Civic and 2 Integras and had no problems with those either. My current Acura MDX had a recall on it once and I had the dealer check/fix it.

 

To answer a few of our points based on my experiance so fo5r with my '05 MCS:
1.I have never had any issues with my windshield, (11K miles of hiway driving)

2.My dealership has been great with any and all work they have done to the car, (10K inspection and 2 warranty issues: 1 cut sunvisor and the "dash rattle).

3. See above post. I always have been treated very well. Even given a loaner Mini when I was in for the dash. My car has been cleaned every time I go to the dealership and new wiper blades are installed, (all at no cost or with out me asking for this treatment).

4. How many Minis have caught on fire? I know of 1. Any vehicle can have a short/fuel injector leak anything.

5.Same thing for the sunroof, how many has this happened to? Corvettes have this problem much more often than Minis. the removeable roof panels on the 'Vettes used to fly off while driving down the road.

6.Again, this is an isolated incident. Ignition switches fail. Even on new cars.

7.I can't address this because my AC/climate Control works flawlessly.

8.Again, I don't have heated seats, (I live in GA) so I can't comment.

9.How long a clutch will last is up to the driver. I have a 1987 Toyota truck and it needs it's second clutch, (215,000 miles). I have put 1 clutch in a car that I have worn out, (trhe truck). My mother in law goes through a clutch plate every year in her Jetta.

10.I have locking lugnuts, (thanks to my dealership). If someone wants the wheels, they will have to cut them off.

All in all, if you want a Mini, buy a Mini. If you want a Honda, buy a Honda. It's your choice.
The examples you have sited here are, (in my opionion) isolated and unrelated in any way. Many of the problems you have pointed out are on the "older" Minis, not the '05 and up.
Remember, the new Mini is a new car. It has been in the US for 3 production years. The Hondas have been around, (and mostly unchanged) for many years. They have made many incremental changes over theyears and have had their share of "issues" as well.

 

well...you could and no one would stop you. but you gotta realize those on this forum are pretty much kinda nutty about our cars. for those who've had any kind of bad experience, they'll make sure we hear about it. and this is the place to vent and get the word out. or at least, to get some help and advice.

i believe alotta things heard over here are for the most part fewer than more common. and of course, bad experiences always are reported more often than the good ones.

as for the dealership problems...has your specific dealership had some unpleasant incidents posted on here? just like the problems some have had with their minis, the bad stuff always gets heard and amplified. and the good stuff rarely gets heard. if your local dealership has had problems, again, it's not every customer who has had problems; it's just that they are heard. and last resort would be to go to another dealership for servicing. if it's a few hundred miles away, at least you do have a choice.

 

True...everything is a risk...but, I've had my 04 MC for 1 1/2 yrs and the ONLY problem is they needed to replace my windshield moulding after one year....have never had such a trouble free car since my 86 Corolla, which was an exceedingly boring car

 

Also, if you go to just about *any* car forum out there devoted to a particular brand/model, you will hear a bunch of horror stories about those cars there. And remember, like others said above, you will always hear about the 'bad' rather than the 'good' on forums like these. Imagine someone posting "Well, another day in my MINI today, and no problems to report! I'll talk to all of you again tomorrow!". Doesn't make for interesting reading.

And folks on this and other car forums tend to be a bit more, erm, **** about their cars. If we find even the slightest, smallest thing wrong with our car, we will run over to the dealership to get it fixed, and then report every little minute detail of what happened on this forum, right down to the fact that the service adviser had bad breath!!

But, it's your choice. I know I certainly would never trade my MINI in for a 'safe', *coughboringcough* Honda. And for what it's worth, my brother currently owns a Acura, and I certainly wouldn't call it 'trouble free'. And I had a 'reliable' 2000 Nissan Maxima before my MINI, and the thing cost me $1500 in repairs before I finally got rid of it!

-Paul!

 

Have to say we have had our 03 MC since March of 03 and now have 53,000 miles on it. We have not had any of the problems with ours that you mentioned. We do have a small crack in the corner of the windshield. The local dealer said it was a rock (or something) that caused it. I was not wanting to believe that and had an independant auto glass company look at it. Their findings........a rock had hit it! We have not had to replace it as the crack is confined to a corner and has not spread in over 1 year.

If you consider how many MINIs are out there VS. the problems/complaints you read about, I think you will find it is overall very reliable. Just my $.02.

 

Besides the occasional horror story there is also tons of positive stories. Like the families with multiple MINIs. (Like MINE) We love the darn things and every car or product you buy will have some issue during the course of its lifetime. But remember this its a MINI, backed by BMW with a BMW style warranty. Its all taken care of.

 

Hyper Blue,


I had similar thoughts a few years ago when I was first introduced to auto forums. Know why I sought one out? I had a problem and wanted to know how to fix it. That's the main reason why so many people get started on these things.

Even Hondas have their problems. Much less than most others but they still do. You just haven't heard about it.

Best of luck to ya.

 

LOL!

I'll add my two pennies about my g/f's '03 MCS w/ ~25k miles...

1. original windshield - only needs replacing now because of a recent rock-chip which can happen to any car.
2. The purchasing dealer isn't great, but wasn't really that bad... however, service has been done at another dealer which has been very good.
3. See above...
4. As posted above, I've heard of ONE instance of this happening...
5. What? Exploding sun-roofs? That's a new one for me...
6. Keep on running? That's another new one...
7. The A/C has worked fine for two seasons and worked fine the other day...
8. ...as do the heated seats...
9. still original clutch, which grabs fine. Short clutch-life is user-error 99.9% of the time - not the car's fault.
10. the 4x100 pattern is also used on Miatas...

You'll always hear complaints on websites... I swear that's what they're here for...

 

AND ALSO A PINK ELEPHANT IN A G STRING WILL FALL ON YOUR ROOF....PLEASE, YOU'RE JUST A TROLL ............I HAVE A '04 JCW AND NEVER HEAR THIS, NEVER ITS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR ANY I REPEAT ANY REPAIR.....TROLL....GO AWAY.....

 

Think I will find a Porsche website and tell the fine folks there why I'm not buying a Porsche.




Or maybe a Honda website...

 

Sounds like you need to buy another one then.

Messageboards are always full of complaints. If you're going to be overdramatic about it, and judging by your list of "complaints" you are... then I hope noone here will try to change your mind.

Bye.

 

I drove in the mountains yesterday and thought to myself how much I really enjoy this car. I can't imagine this kind of satisfaction out of any Honda (IMO). I have owned 2 Acuras. I would never take them for drives tha way I take my Mini. My Mini has replaced my Harley as my "motoring" vehicle of choice. I'll let the others talk logic to you, I just really enjoy driving this car.

(I have had 911s, XKEs etc)

 

honestly, that entire list was full of isolated incidents, or stuff that could happen to any car (even the invincible Honda Civic). i've had my car for just over a year with no reliability problems at all. i do have a big old crack on my windshield due to a friendly old rock, but thats it. again, that could happen on any vehicle. IMO tho, if your gonna let all these little things sway you from buying a car, it's your loss, because your turning down a great car

 

I say, cancel your order. That's no meant to be a slam or flame against you.

But I'd recommend that you do the same kind of due diligence in researching your replacement car as you are with the MINI.

Spend quite a long time checking out the owners groups for the brand you're looking for. Make sure you're not in a mod or racing geared forum while you're at it. While NAM has sections devoted to such things, those areas aren't really where you've found these troubling reports.

When you find all kinds of troubling stories in those forums what are you going to do? Every car on the market has it's horror stories, and when you go to a forum similar to NAM, you're going to see lots of them. There are several reasons for this, first as pointed out above it's really boring to write (and read) "wow I just drove to work and nothing happened!" Next people have a problem and are looking for help resolving it, and finally people just want to complain.

There are what 70, 80 thousand MINIs now in the US, and just 20,000 members of NAM. Active membership is probably closer to 9,000....

I've had warranty issues with my car, never had a problem getting a dealer to repair them....

Hurry up now, you've got Honda, Subaru, and PT Cruiser boards to go read up on...

 

geepers....some of these responses are kinda harsh don't ya think??...the guy is simply looking for some encouragement

 

harsh? yes, they are. but a car is like anything else, you need to way the costs of having the car against the benefits. he finds that there are too many costs for the MINI to be a wise investment. it's like buying stock in ford, plenty of costs with very few benefits

 

don't buy it
buy honda so they can hear you cry and whine

 

No he isn't - he's looking to convince him self to order another Honda and just wants an excuse. I say c'ya! Please cancel so a REAL Mini owner can have the slot! You obviously don't 'get' the whole car experience, and that's fine - they aren't for everyone (thank goodness).

I haven't had any of those problems, my dealer is awesome and the car couldn't make me happier! Have fun with your Honda, it sounds right for you.

 

Hyper Blue, I agree with many of the comments above. Remember that when people have issues, they will come here for support, suggestions, fixes. That is a big part of NAM's success: we share info and help one another get out of jams, which happen to every car...not just MINIs.

If you truly are a Honda person, maybe it's best for you to stick with your preferred marque. Best wishes to you as you purchase your next car.


Clover

 

Reminded me of this from Nemo:


Marlin: I promised I'd never let anything happen to him.
Dory: Hmm. That's a funny thing to promise.
Marlin: What?
Dory: Well you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.

 

I hope you are not serious!!!

I have had NO major problems with my MINI... I was having some clacking noise coming out of my rear brakes.. took the car in, they heard it but didn't know what to do...they had to order a part (thank you wife, please do something about your nails) and when they got the car a second time they disassembled the brakes and rebuilt them... Wow, no clacking! I get treated very well... but I drive 45 miles to my dealer when there is one close by, why? B/C when I was shopping for a BMW for my wife they treated me poorly... even tho I was dressed for work (suit, tie, well groomed...just not too handsome).

Another reason.. they are fun cars... ask my wife. She let me buy the car to humor me. I was finishing up my Executive MBA (21 months of pain and tourture) so this was a graduation gift to myself.... now I can't pry her out of it... she even wants to go to Sears for Craftsman tools as long as she can drive....

Buying a car is a personal decision, it took me several years to finally put the $$ down on the car, but it was worth the wait...

In conclusion.. No stress only fun for me. I had more problems with my wife's Honda when it was new (1993) then I have had with my MCS-JCW

 

Any car manufacturer will have isolated problems. That is why all cars must be sold with a warranty. Even the almighty Honda and Toyota have their share of problems. Have you heard about the oil gelling problems that Toyota is having, and the number of engine failures that it has caused? There will be a fair number of bad dealers selling any car manufacturer's product, and the number of good, honest, competent technicians, for any brand is not as high as it should be. The bottom line is - if you are happy with a Honda, you are probably not a good candidate to own a MINI. Hondas are fine, reliable cars, but I find them to have about as much "soul" as a washing machine. My 2004 MINI just turned over 30K miles, and I have not had any of the problems that you relate, but any car is a risk. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

Is it worth the stress? ABSOLUTELY.

I was a Honda girl. '97 Honda Civic with 90K miles on it. I wrecked it, and it kept going. I treated it bad, and it kept going. I probably could have driven that thing into the ground and never once had an issue with it. (HOWEVER, the windshield on it DID crack in cold weather when I snapped the wiper to get the snow off! So Honda windshields crack, too). BUT, that being said, I was tired of bouncing lightly on a trampoline - I wanted to sky dive.

Is a MINI going to be AS reliable as a Honda? Probably not. If you are hurt skydiving, would it be a worse injury than bouncing lightly on a trampoline? Absolutely. Sometimes parachutes don't open. And you'll hear about it. But you don't hear about the number of times parachutes opens successfully.

If you're happy bouncing safely four inches off of a trampoline, then great. Then stick with your Hondas, and it's probably the perfect vehicle for you - if you're wanting to get from point A to point B. If you want to skydive, then get the MINI. The MINI MAY not always get you from point A to point B unscathed, but you'll have a hell of a fun time doing it. Hondas and MINIs simply cannot be compared. Not to say that one is better than the other, but they are simply completely different.

I've had a trouble free 9K miles on my MINI in a year's time. Yes, not much, BUT, if my moonroof explodes, I'll get it fixed. If my windshield cracks, I'll get it replaced. I'm not too concerned about my car self-igniting (sorry Donna and Mike), 'cause I feel it is an isolated incident, and as said before me, that could happen with ANY car. BUT, even if things do go wrong with the car, I will get it fixed or get another MINI. I've never had so much fun with a car in my life........