Hey yall!

I'm new to the Mini world. I just decided about a month ago that I wanted a Mini Cooper to be my second car. My only thing is after I discover this forum, I became hesitant of getting it. It seems like Mini is a super fun car to drive, but at the same time its reliability seems to be somewhat questionable. My parents are getting the car and paying cash for it. However, I will have to repay $200 monthly until I pay the whole thing. I know that my parents are being super nice by letting me pay a very low amount of money monthly and I won't have to start paying until I start working in 2007. My only concern is the monthly operation and maintenance cost. For example, I saw several posts on the stalling problem and also the need for new transmission after 70,000 miles which will not be covered under the warranty. I want to keep the car for at least 5 years and sell it, hoping a high resale value. Do you think it's wise enough for a recent college grad to dare herself owning a Mini or should I keep my original plan of purchasing a Civic?

 

Moraine,

Although every owner's experience varies from person to person and car to car, the MINI in general is a very reliable automobile. True, the earlier models had some issues (as most cars do during their initial builds) though these issues have since been cleared up. That being said, I would not be so discouraged with the idea of owning a MINI.

Cheers,

Jay

 

Please also remember that those posting about problems are the minority. It would be very boring and annoying for all of us with no problems to constantly just post "hi there, no problems here" Also, as was mentioned in the previous post, most of the serious bugs have been worked out since the car was brought to the States in '02.

 

On a forum as enthusiastic as this, there will be quite a few more complaints than one would see in the real world. I'm quite certain that chevrolet cavaliers suffer from just as many transmission failures per car built (if not more) as MINI's of the same vintage, but who would bother posting about it?

 

My MINI has been MORE reliable than any Honda I've owned in the past. My total cost for repairs due to something breaking has been $0.00 so far. The only cost that I have had would be routine maintenance ie. oil changes, tires, and brakes.

I would buy another MINI without thinking twice.

Nik

 

Get the MINI. Also, let us know when you get it paid for. My kids would find a way to weasel out of that agreement.

 

All these posts about needing a new tranny are VERY rare. The MINI is very reliable, and the wattanty is 4 years 50k miles. After that, you should still be trouble free. The MINI isn't a lemon. Its a fine car. I wouldn't worry so much.

 

I have to agree, visit a Honda forum and you will read about people having problems with their cars as well. Forums like this are a great place to exchange information and as everyone knows, misery loves company. People like to share their misfortunes. Cars are made up of hundreds of mechanical components. All things mechanical wear out or eventually break. Some do so faster than others due to the way they were made. Hondas (and Toyotas) break and have problems just like every other car, despite current mythology - just ask anyone who hasn't replaced the drive belt on one at 60K and kept driving. It is true that some cars are made better than others. I don't know if that's really true for the Honda. What I can tell you is that the MINI will put a smile on your face every day; you will blend in with the masses in the Honda. It has no soul and will make you wish you were driving something else every day.

 

My '05 MCS has few miles on it yet ~10K, but no problems yet. Runs great drives great! I agree with MandaBoo and would also point out that those of us who post to NAM are enthusiasts and may be more likely to complain about the little problems with our cars than the average Joe or Jane who views their car as mere transportation.

TT

 

moraine,

You have to realize that cars, even new ones are not completely problem free. From reading the forums (both on MINIs and HONDAs... ) I have to say generally the build quality is on the high end of the scale. I hear worse stories and have experienced the bad in VW's and other makes.

These types of cars are often driven by firstime car owners or youths which really dont know how to handle or maintain their cars. They drive like a bat outta hell to each traffic light and consider this experience "real performance". What you'll find on forums are often cars handled in this manner and sold second hand and having the new owner deal with the problems. they say buying used is often times buying someone else's problems.

If i were you, i'd stick to your plan and get a civic. I am not speaking as a MINI Cooper owner, I am speaking as a BMW M3 owner who also has a 2000 Mitsubishi galant, 95 Jeep grand cherokee and 95 Acura integra (in the process of selling). i drive each car accordingly and now just reading up on the MINI's myself. After i sell my gas guzzling jeep, i'd like a third car to drive in the city. Good luck in whatever you decide.



On the forums, you'll also more likely

 

Thanks for all the replies. I will appreciate more comments from other Mini owners on their experiences. Also, I would appreciate it if yall can share with me yor average monthly spending on the your Mini.

 

Whatcha looking for? Spending on mods? Maintenance? Fuel?
Have had the car for 40 months so,

Mods: ~$2500 total so $62'ish per month
Tires: ~$600 per year
Misc maintenance: ~$100 (brakes) ~$2.50 per month
Fuel: changes daily

Nik

 

I bought my MINI in August 2005 and my only monthly cost is gas and car washes. The amount you spend on gas would depend on how much you drive. A tank of gas lasts me 2 weeks driving to and from work and in town. The oil is changed under maintenance for the first 36,000, wiper blades can be replaced under warranty also. What else is there?

 

Right! And it also depends on how you treat the car. It is a car afterall and not a racecar with a sponsorship to support its thirst for parts

 

also keep in mind that MOST of the people posting about problems have mods done to the car. I think that if you leave it alone, it shuld be just as reliable as anyother car. and I hink MINI has just as good a resale value as a civic, if not better. my $.02

 

i'm not too interested to add modifications to my mini ... i just think that the car is cute and it doesnt look like every other car on the road ... and for XSMINI ... i was wondering what exactly you meant by the 600 dollars/year spending on tires ... do minis use special tires?

 

Naw, check their sig. Car has over 103K miles. So if the car is going on 3 or 4 years old then he is putting on 20-30k miles on the car a year.

 

Nothing special, I just drive too much, end up getting a set of tires every year

Nik

 

And now you update your sig to 106k haha

 

And given that the runflats are worn by around 20k miles the tire expenditure makes sense.

Nothing wrong with new tires every year if your amount of driving necessitates it. The extra driving is a byproduct of mini ownership

 

I have a friend who owns a Civic, I drive a MINI. My friend insists I drive an unreliable car with too much to go wrong and I'm stupid for driving without a spare tire. I then proceeded to point out, the one issue I've had with the MINI that required immedate attention was a tire faliure do to a pot hole any other tire would have left me stranded with a blow out. instead I had enough time to proceed to the dealer and have my tire replaced (which was free due to road hazard coverage). Other than that I have driven 28k miles and only the rare adjustment is wanted, one oil service so far with one more approaching this month, instead of the seven the Civic required, plus other mait. trips. My friend and I have agreed to disagree on the reliabilty. and to echo everyone else, the issues are in the minority and many only join a forum like this when they have an issue, lots of the posts by those who have problems are the 1st or 2nd post for most. I plan on keeping my MINI as a daily driver for a minimum of 10 years which works out to at least 500k miles. This is my dream car and I would never sell my MINI unless I absoultely had to. Also in my opinion I fell safer in a MINI over a Civic or Camry because the MINI is not only rated to be very safe but has such good handling that it will often avoid the accident in the fist place. also something to note, the MINI was ranked more reliable for the 04-06 models and equally all around as a Honda S2000, plus even though the early cars had the occasional issue the owners still ranked it as most fun and many are still driving their original MINI from that point, with little to no complaints.

 

I've had my MINI for 3 years, 130 000km, and it's very reliable!

Go ahead and get one!

 

Times I have been stranded anywhere by my 2003 MINI Cooper- 0.

Times my wife has been stranded at the side of the road by her 2005 Toyota Matrix- 1.

My MINI is winning against my wife's supposedly "more reliable" Toyota.

 

I've got 70k plus on the car. No serious failures at all. And I drive on the track. (not often, abut 4-5 times a year).

And mine is one of the "problem" years, 2002.

Tires will be worn, as the car is a blast to turn, and the suspension geometry isn't perfect from the factory. But there are those that don't beat the snot out of thier cars, and get much, much longer tire life than I do.

Get one, have a ball!

Matt

 

for all its worth...we have two MINI's - a 02 and a 05. Our 02 was one of the first vehicles sold in the US and has been relatively trouble free except one problem...the passenger seat got stuck in the recline position. The 05 has problems from p1498 error codes to a leaky engine mount (fixed) to a leaky rear window wiper mount(still unfixed...no time). I would surmise that it doesn't really matter which model car it is, even from the same manufacturer and model, no two vehicles will be alike and one could be more prone to problems than another. I'm keeping both our MINI's for good...and god forbid...I'm already thinking of getting another.