korey,
I really don't think the MINI is for you. You will be VERY unhappy with it when the first problem surfaces. Don't do it, not even in 2004.
Get a tried and proven Toyota or Honda you will be much happier with the reliability of either of these.

I've had worries about the MCS reliablity issues as well. But I am going ahead and taking my chances. I have a 1999 Miata LS. Those who know Miatas probably know about the #4 bearing issue that year. I bought a used one with 15k on it and sure enough by checking online and reading the Miata club info was able to check my VIN and was given a new engine under Mazda's service policy.

This winter I hastily bought a Saab 900 V6 which I learned later (again online) are rather notorious for their timing chain problems. I've had no bad luck and it's been a positive lifesaver this winter with the Miata being my regular car. (Does anyone see the one-car solution on the horizon for me?)

All of that said, I think you take you roll the dice, take your chances and do your best to stay informed. A problem found is usually a problem fixed under warranty. The other thing to bear in mind is that these cars are in many ways BMWs; and while BMWs are great cars, they are not exactly maintenance free. They'll run forever but you'll probably get to know your service department well.

A friend of mine picked up a new 330ci in Germany before having it delivered to the states (saved $5k in the process and had a nice car to drive in Europe). One day in Germany the fan stopped working and it had to be flatbedded to the closest BMW shop. They had no replacement part on site so they watched as the head of the service department led some men into the showroom and the cannibalized a 330 on the floor. I doubt few people could name a better car in the class of a 330ci but any car can be far from problem free.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Hey Korey...

As has been stated several times--and just to drive it home--it's a new car! I can't think of any first-year (or two year) productions with absolutely no problems. And yes, while it has the backing and ownership of a well-established company please remember that the MINI brand is just that: it's own brand. It's not a little BMW, it's a MINI cooper, as interpreted by BMW. (i.e. don't expect a miniature 3 Series because it's an entirely different design/concept)

So, are there problems--some. I haven't had my MCS for very long (About 1.5 months/2500miles) but I haven't had so much as a wayward rattle. And the overwhelming majority of the problems are gladly--if slightly inconveniently--fixed under warrantee.

If you're so bent on absolute reliability and you don't want ANY the little toddler glitches then why even waste your time? Buy a Civic... and pout each and every time you're dusted by a MINI


~Kelley

Hey Korey,
Whew! Lots of opinions on this...I'll weigh in just saying that I bought from the lot, paid a premium for it, and have not had any problems at all. I bought in 09-02. Gas mileage is reasonable, but the grin factor is awesome!
Jim

>>korey,
>>I really don't think the MINI is for you. You will be VERY unhappy with it when the first problem surfaces. Don't do it, not even in 2004.
>>Get a tried and proven Toyota or Honda you will be much happier with the reliability of either of these.

I agree. Don't buy a MINI. Actually, if you were to buy a Toyota or Honda and were to get a recall in the first month you would just blow it off but if you were to get a recall after 1 year for a problem you never noticed on your MINI you would consider the car a complete mistake. you've already got a problem attitude toward the car, nothing will make it better.

Keith Hamburger

It is not unusual for someone to come hear to vent. Maybe a member for a year but only a few post's. You need to read between the lines to really know if the problems are real. The regular posters tend to be a little hmmm how do you put it??? obsessed maybe

Korey,

I do not think any car would be good enough for you. The first time something happens it appears you fly off the handle. ALL CARS can have issues no matter what you do. I have owned new cars all my life, I buy new one every two years and some have been great, some have issues. What do you, you live with it, you get over it, life is not perfect and cars are not either.

My recommendation for you, is to not buy a car take the bus the are reliable and you never hve to worry about doing repairs on them........

Go ahead bash away at me.

get a mini, not the mcs. seeems to be less problematic than the s.

I think that you need to start reading the forums and complaints about other car makers. You will find there are allot of problems discussed. Cars are mechanical things and nothing is perfectly assembled 100% time. Try reading a forum about problems people have with their - say Computers - and you would never want to buy a Dell, Gateway, etc... any brandname worth having a forum.

If you don't want to read about problems, it's best to stay away from forums where people are discussing them. or keep in mind that for each problem mentioned in a forum there are 5000 people who have not had that problem. also keep in mind that the majority of people worldwide can not afford computers so they will never be on a forum to give good or bad feedback.

>>If you don't want to read about problems, it's best to stay away from forums where people are discussing them. or keep in mind that for each problem mentioned in a forum there are 5000 people who have not had that problem. also keep in mind that the majority of people worldwide can not afford computers so they will never be on a forum to give good or bad feedback.

Interesting statement. I went to a Mini meet and looked at the five S cars in
attendance. 3 of the 5 cars had coolant tank leaks. One driver was on his
fourth replacement. BMW/MINI service and quality?? One in 5000??? :smile:

okay... I have to add my experiences to this thread. I envy those of you who have not had a problem with your MINI. Before I continue, let me state that I love the appearence of this vehicle. Aesthetically it is the best looking car on the market (IMHO). But, I have definately had my problems with the car. Everything was fine for the first 2 months/2000 miles, but slowely I started having problems. One day, I was driving, and the shifter just popped out of gear. I didn't know what the heck just happened. Wasn't a very good experience. So after that, I figured enough things had piled up that I would take it to the dealership for repair. Here is a list of things that were wrong, and what they did to fix it.

- I had a rattle on the passenger side near the rear. Most noticeable over bumpy roads. *They said it was a gas tank strap, took it off, put felt around it, put it back on and tightened it up. Job Done. I can still hear a rattle in the rear of the car and I will be taking it back down to the dealership again, this Tuesday to fix that, and to fix my climate fan which is making a very obnoxious high pitched noise.

-Headlights were not aimed correctly. They aimed them and said that the passenger side was off a few mm.

-Boot was very hard to shut. Needed to be slammed to have the warning light go off. *They replaced the boot latch and servo system. It works great now, and doesn't make the wierd clicking sound it used to. Shuts very easily now.

-My driver's side door was not flush with the body like the passenger side door was. It was expecially noticable on the trim, near the window. I would run my hand over it, and you could feel a very noticable difference. When I was driving it was noticable in the rear-view mirrors, and outside noise was much more prevalant on the drivers side. Also, when I would shut the door, it sounded like a hollow THUNG. *I don't know what they did. I don't know all of their codes that they place on the receipt, but it doesn't look like they put any time into it. Although it seems that they fixed it. It now shuts quieter, and no noise is heard from the door when driving. I'll keep ya'll posted if anything changes.

-Shifter hard to move on cold start. *Correct! MINI is aware of this problem. As of this time, there is no fix. Repair is in the development stages.

-Reverse gear is very hard to find. Sometimes I have to engage the clutch just to find the gate. *Correction remedy: Place into first gear, and then move into reverse. This usually always works.

-My tranny popped out of gear three times in one day about 2 weeks ago. *They could not get it to do this. Told me to keep an eye on it, and to let them know if it happens again.

-The MINI is now making a clinking sound in the rear of the vehicle. It's not a rattle but sounds like it may be coming from the gas tank. I'm having them look at this too.

-Windshield is cracked. Lower passenger side. Don't know if it's stress related or a rock. Very hard to see any impact point.


In a way, I feel like I am being too picky about this car, but after hearing from nearly 80% of MINI owners on this site that they haven't had any problems on thier car, I don't know why I have these problems. I bought the 2003 MC, because I thought most of the problems in the car would be fixed. I recently recieved a JD Power & Associates survey regaurding how I feel about the car. It was tough for me to say good things about the vehicle quality. I did give great marks on ride, handling, looks of the car, etc., but when it came to reliability, I didn't mark it to high. I'm sure in time, MINI will this under control, but my experience has been not so good. Add this into the fact that I have to drive 80 minutes to the dealership, and this will be my second visit in 5 weeks, which means taking a day off work, it doesn't help matters.

Korey, I think that you should go with the car that makes you the most happy. My love for the MINI hasn't desolved, but I am considering selling my MINI, and getting a different one. I think I just got a bad apple.

>>>>If you don't want to read about problems, it's best to stay away from forums where people are discussing them. or keep in mind that for each problem mentioned in a forum there are 5000 people who have not had that problem. also keep in mind that the majority of people worldwide can not afford computers so they will never be on a forum to give good or bad feedback.
>>
>>Interesting statement. I went to a Mini meet and looked at the five S cars in
>>attendance. 3 of the 5 cars had coolant tank leaks. One driver was on his
>>fourth replacement. BMW/MINI service and quality?? One in 5000??? :smile:
>>

Caught me exaggerating again!!! I'm guilty as charged! but I do know after 21 years in customer service that a company never hears from the happy customer who got what he ordered, when he ordered it, just as he expected it. It's the 2% of orders not delivered on time or correctly that get all the attention. I know I have the chance when I order my MINI that it will come with problems, I also know I have the chance of getting a MINI that is problem free.

I love the mini, I really want one, but like i said when i started checking out what people were saying on the net and others on the street, it started to make me second guess if i was doing the right thing. I havent ruled it out. I still tell people that iam thinking of getting the mini, and with all this positive information you guys are giving me it looks like thats what iam leaning towards. although i was looking at the mercedes since its really the same price at 33,000 bucks. only difference is cost repairs, even though there isn't that much difference between bmw and mercedes repairs.
but anyway i still have all my mini pictures on my walls thinking someday soon i'll get one.
It looks like iam leaning more to the 2004 modles or waiting till they come out with the convertable.

I have done some research on defects and complaints. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration list complaints for the vehicles you compaire the MINI to.

Here are the results for the number of complaints received:

MINI-4
RSX-26
Celica-6
C230-12

Enough said?

Iam not going by what the national highway traffic saftey administration says, iam going by what the people have said on web sites, and people i have spoke to who have minis. I find this to be more reliable information as to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak.

As for Bashing the car, i have not.. I have simply brought up issues that were already posted on this site hopeing to get some insight from others on these problems in which people were kind enough to respond to and let me know there views about it.

As for this crap about you shouldn't get any car because the first problem you have you'll cry
about it and so on and so on.. This just isn't so... I can understand that every car will have a problem now and then,,, FINE. What i don't agree with is having recall after recall and problems inbetween. I think some of the people on here are taking these posts alittle to
personal when thats not the intention....

The MINI has had some teething problems, no doubt about it. Anyone that reads the boards in-depth will realize that the MINI is not fault-free. Some problems also were slow in getting addressed, in my book.

But, I do think that current production is very good. There may still be a few unresolved issues, but they are now few and far between, and mostly isolated.

I would encourage you to browse through the following forums:

Mercedes Forum

Subaru Forum

These forums will show you that the other cars have their fair share of problems, too. Like others have said, it is the nature of these forums to highlight the problems.

Now, I'm not making excuses for MINI. They need to be very proactive and nip these problems in the bud. Maybe they should have done more testing before releasing the car. But, I do think the current production is very good and there is a very high probability that you will get a vehicle that you will enjoy greatly with very few if any problems.

I did a lot of research, I read everything I could find, and I went through a period of doubt. In the end, I decided it was time to order an MCS. And I can't wait to drive it! Mine is due around July, and I fully expect it to be an excellent build-quality car.

See ya,
JS

ANY car you're going to buy is gonna have problems. We're pretty lucky for owning British cars that don't break down every 5 miles, lol - thanks to German Engineering!

Honestly, though - the majority of people will never experience a problem with their cars. These things are partially hand-made (watch the factory videos), so human error can be a factor in things breaking. Sometimes things just don't work out right. As everyone knows, I own two MINIs. One is a MC with 7500 miles, its only problem so far is the window gook problem. The other is a MCS with about 400 miles, and it's completely trouble free.

If you're buying a car for strictly reliabilty issues, buy a Civic. MINIs are collector cars in the making. Few mass-produced cars made these days can qualify for that.

-Sprog

Korey,
What $33K Mercedes are you comparing to?
And how have you reached $33K for a MINI; I tricked my new MCS out with almost everything, and only got to $28K including taxes!
Also remember that MINI give you free scheduled service for 3 years (although that subject can also generate a lot of "discussion&quot

If you are worried about reliability you probably should *NOT* wait for the convertible - just because when it arrives it will be new and might have a few teething troubles ...

As for waiting for the 2004 model - it seems that MINI are operating a "continuous improvement" policy; as mentioned here various issues have been corrected during ongoing manufacture. So I think that, like buying a PC, if you wait something better will always come along. But then you will not enjoy the wait.

>>iam leaning towards. although i was looking at the mercedes since its really the same price at 33,000 bucks. only difference is cost repairs, even though there isn't that much difference between bmw and mercedes repairs.
>>It looks like iam leaning more to the 2004 modles or waiting till they come out with the convertable.
>>
>>

Good first thread, korey....:smile:

Day later, it seems your leaning back towards the MINI...congratulations.

The prices iam talking about are in canadian dollars
the c230 kompressor mercedes started at the 33,000 dollar range (CANADIAN)
and the mini S with the sunroof, computer, foglights and metalic paint and i think thats all i wanted came to 37 000 bucks. (canadian)
so between the 2 cars with all tax included the difference between the two cars was 4 or 5 thousand bucks.

by the way has anyone been using their mini in the snow??? since iam in canada we get a good dumping every now and then. so i was just wondering how is the traction on the snow and ice surfaces??? anyone get stuck???

Sorry, Korey ... could not tell you were located in Canada.
>>The prices iam talking about are in canadian dollars

>>by the way has anyone been using their mini in the snow??? since iam in canada we get a good dumping every now and then. so i was just wondering how is the traction on the snow and ice surfaces??? anyone get stuck???
I am near Boston, MA. We have had reasonable levels of snow this year (probably nothing like you get!)
My MC with 16" runflats performed well - DSC does a good job of keeping the car pointed where you want to go in poor conditions.

General opinion is that the 17" performance tires are very poor in snow; the 16" all season tires are reasonable.
If you are prepared to purchase a set of snow tires, the MINI is reported to handle incredibly well ... but I have not yet found any need to do so (although we did have to on my wifes Mercedes SLK).

>>by the way has anyone been using their mini in the snow??? since iam in canada we get a good dumping every now and then. so i was just wondering how is the traction on the snow and ice surfaces??? anyone get stuck???

I live in Colorado and just drove back from Blackhawk to Colorado Springs while snow had been dumping most of the day. It took me 4 hours to travel 120 miles, three of those hours for the first half of the trip. Once I was able to get to reasonably clear roads where I could leave some room between me and the next car, pass at a reasonable speed differential and drive quickly but sanely, no problems whatsoever. Even before, when traffic was crawling at 10mph, the problem was the other traffic, not my MCS.

This was with DSC on the whole way and I have 17" all season run-flats.

Keith Hamburger

>>The prices iam talking about are in canadian dollars
>>the c230 kompressor mercedes started at the 33,000 dollar range (CANADIAN)
>>and the mini S with the sunroof, computer, foglights and metalic paint and i think thats all i wanted came to 37 000 bucks. (canadian)
>>so between the 2 cars with all tax included the difference between the two cars was 4 or 5 thousand bucks.
>>
>>by the way has anyone been using their mini in the snow??? since iam in canada we get a good dumping every now and then. so i was just wondering how is the traction on the snow and ice surfaces??? anyone get stuck???

I just went on the MINI Canada site and the MINI cooper as you say you want it spec'ed for is $32320 the merc C230 coupe/hatch is 38240 with similar option (sunroof, xenons, ang fog....no computer....i think it is standard)

Hi Korey - welcome to MCO!

If you've had second thoughts, you probably made the right decision in not buying one. If you want a car that's been in production for years, MINI is not the way to go.

For me, I had to have one - problems be damned. I take risks that way. I love my car and will regardless of the issues that arise. That's just my humble opinion.

:smile:

Corey,

One thought on Quality. Having lived automotive quality now and in my previous lives, I know for a fact that plant managers (works directors) are measured on quality at 1 month-in-service and 3 months-in-service. I remember reading of a plant management change at Oxford recently and given the 2002 1MIS-3MIS, out-going quality levels could have been an underlying factor.

My 03MCS built in 1-03 has been flawless as one would expect.

PS

Hi to fellow CWFFCers. Gone on business last week and I'm behind on updating our list.