get a cooper and be unique. not many people are buying MC's and moddign them out. i cant even thing of 10 off the top of my head....



besides this sweet freakin car!!!

 

You make a lot of good points!

I think the Cooper is peppy enough for me. I'm not used to driving a road rocket; my current car is a Scion xB

I'm still leaning towards the Cooper right now. I've broken it down into pros and cons and, for me, the Cooper seems like it would be the better choice.

rednwhitecooper: Sounds like a plan. I can think of a few things I'd like to do to my MC.

 

I hear of more problems from MCS owners than MC owners. That supercharger may make them go faster, but more things to go wrong.

Not to be taken as a slight you MCS owners, I love driving a S, loads more GO. But I notice more issues with them.

Maybe the MC owners are not as vocal.

But besides some tranny seal issues, my 03 MC runs like a top. Always starts,even at -45F. No yo-yo or stumble. Software upgrades have only helped get better MPG.

Remember that those of us on-line in any MINI forum will demand more from our MINIs than those who buy one cause they are cute.

 

Overall a happy thread.

I thought my car was too new to post anything about, but I have already had it for 3 months! No troubles except my own stupidity (and one thing I missed by taking delivery cross country which was the dealer orientation)--such as not knowing how to "unlock" the gas cap (thanks NAM members for chiming in when the owners manual says nothing), not knowing I needed to shut the luggage compartment lid with more pressure (thanks TonyB--go Bears), and trying to figure out how to install the front license plate without drilling holes in my car (still looking up options). This weekend I got the odometer up to 638 miles so it's nearly broken in. What a solid and fun car. Out of 20 cars in the portion of the residential garage I park in there are 4 MINIs (including mine--3 MCSs and 1 MC).

PS: For those who have the magnetic stone guards mine came off in a Mario Andretti car wash. Those heavy drapey things are strong. They move my side mirrors. I thought I lost the stone guards in the airport parking garage, but realize they were wiped off during one of my weekly visits to the nearby Mario Andretti gas station. I found out the hard way by losing one side of my second set this past weekend. Touchless? Ouch.

 

If you're dealing with heavy, drapey things smacking your paint, that aint "touchless"!!! Quit it right now, and seek help. Those kind of washes make my stomach flip-flop not in a good way.

Seriously don't go thru there anymore, or before you know it, you'll be asking Detailing 101 folks how to remove scratches and put your baby's paintwork back in order.

.02 because I got micro-scratches and the accompanying aggravation and learning-curve without ever going thru one of those "Torture Chambers for MINI Paint" - it was my own over-enthusiasm that caused mine,

Tatt

 

Hate to tell ya this, but the Midland Gears 5-speed transmission in the '02-'04 MC is far from reliable and unfortunately is a gearbox of dubious long term durability. This is one reason why MINI went with an all new and tougher Getrag unit for the '05 MC.

Also some early MC CVTs were pretty problematic cars.

I have owned 2 MCS ('04 and '05) and both have been absolutely troublefree cars. What's more, the tougher mechanicals of the MCS should make it a car made to stand the test of time. Just ask user DPilgrim with his 3 year old, 135K mile '02 MCS

 

no problems here - almost 4k miles - all good!

cheers - drew

 

'05 MCS w/ 12K miles. No problems except buzzing in dash. Will have dealer look at it when I take it in for first service soon.

 

2005 MCS purchased in November '04............absolutely no problems to date (touch wood)

 

Yep, dash buzz last winter, none right now, everything else has been perfect so far. 2005 MCS

 

Thanks, tattman and goodbye Mario Andretti.

I was wondering why it was called "touchless" when its components were draped all over my car. Guess I will be going to the manual hose place in another part of town. Problem with living in an apartment building is the car doesn't get much priority. One neighbor must park his MCS in the alley behind our building. I would never do that--all kinds degrading stuff happens back there. Worse than Mario Andretti's car wash.

 

Your right about tougher mechanicals, but the car needs them to handle the extra HP and added weight.

I would love to own a S, but my budget does not allow it. Both to purchase and run. I'm paying around 3 bucks a US gallon right now, and at 600 miles a week, I need to get 35- 38 MPG.

The tranny thing is an issue with the pre 05 MC. But the issue around here, well for me, is not the tranny, but the axle seals that were failing because of extreme cold. When they fail the tranny dumps fluid, and well, the tranny is toast.

I noticed a bad noise after my 50 mile commute, while stopped at a light. Phoned work and said I would be late. Then went straight to dealer.

The tech. came out and listened, and said outside in the lot, at -35F, that I would be getting a new tranny. Then we put it on the lift, drained the tranny, it was short about a 1/3 of the fluid, and it was pouring out of the seal. Full of metal bits.

Flushed the tranny. Put in the newer improved seals.

I drove for 3 weeks till the new tranny came in, and it felt the same, and made no noise.

The new tranny has seen -40F. The newer seals seem to good for the cold.

I wanted the new Getrag, but the axle seal failed, not the tranny, so MINI will only put in a Midlands, till they run out, I guess. I could have payed for the Getrag, and they would do the swap for free. But at $3500 for the tranny, that was not an option.

Not to worried about the Midlands, I cruise on the highway 90% of the time, and I'm not hard on it when I play.

Will probably get a 07, just before my extended warrenty runs out.

So far, 50+K miles in 2 years as of to days ago
All else is good

 

I bought a MC August 05 production. I drove it 12.000+ miles. Had one routine service with the dealer, absolutely no problems. Fast enough with just me on board. I average 27 miles/gallon driving the way I like it and 31 driving the way my wife likes it. Not even a rattle. Noticed power/response improvement when I added MTH original remap of the ECU and I am in the process of purchasing their new Tuner File version. May consider MTH's 160 BPH kit when available and after I learn more about it. I like the MC vs. the MCS because I like to work the gears (I don't have much stop and go in my commute), I prefer the softer suspension, the normally aspirated engine and the stetics. Best car (of many) I ever had.

 

While I have had my Mini only a couple of months, it has had no problems at all. NAM is very informative, but NO PROBLEMS is not such an interesting topic. These cars are not lemons!

 

Thanks for that quick writeup of your experiences. Do you have anymore information about the MTH kit?

 

I have an 04 MCS with zero problems, but I cannot remove permagrin from my face and worry about it not being removable in case someone I love dies. Will probably drive wife's suv to any such events in order to increase probability of changing facial musculature.

 

It would be nice to see a breakdown of "problems" sorted into two bins: problems that resulted in a tow versus problems that didn't. I'm convinced that MINI's "reliability" suffers mostly from the second type. As far as I can tell, a MINI complaint of "my cupholder isn't big enough" rates the same as a VW complaint of "my engine fell out" according the JD Powers. Am I wrong?


Anyway, 05 MCS, almost 8000 miles, no problems.

As an aside, my last vehicle was a Saturn VUE. First thing I noticed when I first sat in a MINI: my visibility is greatly improved with more glass and fewer obstructions. The MINI is also, of course, approximately one billion times easier to park.

The only thing I miss my VUE for is the ability to go buy things and not worry about if I have enough room for them. Well, that, and the ability to still SEE past that damn Volvo SUV that always pulls up beside me when I'm trying to look for traffic on a right hand turn at a red light.

I hear they're thinking about implementing an SUV tax in America. I say "Yes, pretty please, for gods sake, do so." I think they should add a "small car tax break" at the same time. Hmmm. Damn, that's a great idea. We should all write our congressmen suggesting that.

I think I'm getting off topic...

 

Isn't that the price of gas right now? I hear some countries tax by engine size. Sounds like a good start.

 

I purchased my 11/02 prod. date 2003 MC as a used trade-in with 22,000 mi. I have just logged 68,000 mi. having zero problems, total reliability, and more driving fun than advertised! I love this car!

 

For me, the only things popped up after my 55,000 mile extended warranty was expired (of course!).

I thought I was due for brakes but they were fine. They are still good at 64,000 miles.

MINI found the right side hydraulic motor mount leaking so they changed it.

I had a leaky oil pan gasket. Replaced.

That was it. Overall, this car has been a pure dream. 2005 MCS.

 

a re-post, but relevent I hope

94k on my '04

maintenance thus far:

Mileage Repair
22k Windshield
28k Engine dampener replaced due to fluid leak (the big fancy one on the pulley end)
33k Power steering cooling fan, rear break rotors and pads
51k Radiator replaced due to pinhole leak at left edge
59k Front brake rotors and pads
79k Rear brake rotors and pads
85k Lower control arm bushings, lower motor torque mount, RH motor mount
92k Left front wheel bearing, supercharger belt (preventative)

from my perspective, and given the mileage, that's no problems. the brakes, bushings and bearing were at my expense, the other items were warranty

the car is as crisp and fast now as it was then, and ready to go for the 2008 STX Autocross season - still turns 27mpg and still makes me grin...

 

Nearly one year and 17000 miles. No problems at all.

 

44K miles, heavilly modded, NO ISSUES!