yeah, scared. I've got an R56 on order, and in the meantime I've been reading as many MINI boards as I can find. Some of these threads are frightening! Transmissions failing at 30,000 miles? Short-lived engines?

Are these cars really that fragile? I'm not looking for a sunny Sunday drive--I need a car that will last, and I live in a region where 30 miles is a short commute. While it doesn't need to be as long lived as my current BMW ('94 with 190,000 miles), I don't relish having major bills just out of warranty, either.

Comments?

 

ddd,

Stop worring, you're putting way to much time into it. I've had mine now for 4 years 127300 miles (Dec 28th), and it has never left me stranded (or remotely close). Its driven in all weather 110+ degrees in the summer to -10 in the winter, thru snow, rain, dust storms, you name it. It has a roughly 140 mile round trip commute every working day with no problems.

My nearest dealer is over 200 miles away, and it hasn't been there ever because it was broken, only for scheduled service, or recalls.

Any car you keep past warrenty is going to have bills- regardless of make, my honda went till 190k before I did the clutch. I hope I get the same with the Mini. (I'll let you know in a year and a half or so )

Just get it-enjoy it, stop worring.

Nik

 

I have a used '03 MC CVT with almost 35k carefree miles. I don't drive it as often as I did when I first got it in '04 [22k that first year], since I, too, heard of all the horror stories concerning the CVT. On the otherhand, I've heard some really great reports of CVT owners with their MINIs approaching 100k. I guess it all boils down to how hard you want to beat the car.

My second car is an '06 MCSa. Since May, I've put about 8400 miles on it and it has seen a fair amount of HPDEs for a new car with an automatic transmission. Again, I have had no problems with this car, so far. I drive it spiritedly, but not recklessly. I feel quite comfortable with both cars and look for many fun-filled miles in each.

 

You have nothing to worry about the forums are usally the place people go when having a issue so your seeing alot of people venting and asking questions.

I went through the same thing when I was looking.

Welcome to NAM and don't worry

 

If reliability is a top concern, I would recommend buying a 2006 off the dealer sales lot. MINI had a yearly improvement in quality and reliability in its 1st generation of cars.

The 2007 R56 will carry some risk as far as reliability. It is the introduction of a new engine, new suspension, new electronics, and many other new components. Some problems will not be known until there are thousands of R56s on the road accumulating miles. It may turn out well, but there is always some risk in buying a first year model.

 

i jinxed my car about 5k miles ago when i said there was absolutely
nothing wrong with my car. then KABOOOOM!!! jk

 

Ken, you have just been baiting me to get the paddle out! LOL! Don't tease the newbies! Help them!

Deb, welcome to NAM. Like was mentioned above, forums like this will get folks asking for help with their problems, but you don't see that many threads saying "oh, my MINI is perfect, tra-la!" It's just the nature of car enthusiast forums. Relax and enjoy your new MINI. It comes with a great warranty to handle any "surprises."

 

yikes, ive been very good over at the Detailing forum helping new
members (been good been good) so you can leave
your paddle at home.

jokes aside, my car has been having minor problems (air conditioner)
since telling everyone that it was troublefree. i dont use the
a/c at all other than to cycle it to keep it working, but it stopped
working last summer (benneth the bonnet).. it's a mechanical leak,
the compressor is working fine. My dealer could not fix it on the
first try. i need to take it in again in Spring. might consider pulling
the entire unit off to save some weight.

MINI's are no j-car reliability that i am accustomed to, but it's
a fun car to have.

 

I can totally relate to where you are. I had the exact same experience. You start reading and you think you've committed yourself to one of the biggest mistakes ever..... it does get scary. Now how to fix that..... Step back and remember that people post their horror stories for the most part. They don't post how great their car has been because that is to be expected. And every one jumps on the smallest thing and little problems begin to look HUGE to an innocent reader.
A couple of people really helped me through my panic stage. They spoke gently to me and told me to just not worry about it, that their car had been great, no problems, no reliability issues etc. If you find someone on here who seems to be like that and you have concerns about an issue and have seen a nice comment from them PM them and most will be more than happy to settle fears. I probably read too much on the board before my car came and began to worry about the "what if's" when I shouldn't have. I took each post to be valid for every MINI instead of unique to that car. I probably don't drive like some of these folks do (being a granny and all ) and so my car won't face some of the same issues. I don't plan on modifying it and I have noticed that many problems come with major modifications. You have to keep it all in perspective!

I got my car in August. My biggest issue was that my order got delayed and I was not informed of this putting me in a time crunch but a little searching and I found a car close enough to my ordered car that all ended up well. I have about 6,000 miles on the car now and the worst thing that I've had happen is the floormats tend to crawl up (because I refuse to put the big old "hold them down" plugs through my carpet..... It's a personal issue I have... lol) Granted I don't have the 30,000 miles on it that others do but I have to admit that the car is amazing and it makes me want to take car of it. Getting it removed any doubts and fears I had previously.

I really think what you are going through is common for those of us who order and really haven't had a MINI before. In my case I had never really paid attention to my cars before, I didn't consider the little issues before and didn't worry about them..... with the MINI I do and I can't even explain why. But it sure brings laughter, eye rolling, and teasing jabs from my family.

 

tra-la to 10k
Oil change on schedule

tra-la to 12k miles
bubble in tire-ethier Good-year defect or pot hole (I'm banking on defect)

16k
Air bag warning light on

22k
New front brakes and fluid done preemptively

24k
Rear tires out of round swtich to 4 non-runflats $800 after parts and labor

27k
Air-bag light fixed
door handle x4 (x3 driver side x1 passneger side)
O2 sensor replaced was intermittent toruble since 12k
oil changed
Cold start issue software updated

30k
Vent flap malfunction- part replaced
heated seat malfuction
Dealer valet gets MINI into fender bender in service bay

tra-la to 48.5k
New Motor mount
Oil drain plug on order
Clutch asssembly on order
Transmission on order
I've got a rattle I can't locate
Alignment minor adujstments needed since rear tire issue
Slight mushrooming developing

This is the abridged list (what I can remember, and significant enough to mention) Everything thus far was covered under warranty minus the tires and the pre-emptive brake upgrade.

I have no doubt that my MINI will get me where I need to go, I do not have the slightest hesitation about taking it ona long cross country journey. And its been remarkably easy to put 50k on in little over a year.

 

Thanks, guys--I appreciate the reassurance! I've had generally good luck with cars because I do take care of them, with no mods. I don't wimp out, though--my history has been with spirited driving with spirited cars, mostly German.

About the '07. I am aware that there is a great potential for first-year problems. I have had 2 first-year BMWs with no problems, though, and I'm hoping a little of the BMW quality will rub off. But it's a guess. I strongly considered getting an '06 for just those reasons, but everything points to some improvements, according to the test reports. I guess worst situation would be that I sell in 3 or 4 years when the warranty runs out--hopefully to get another one. I normally keep cars a little less than forever.

My daughter and son-in-law have two, and they are wildly in love with the car and the "motoring" lifestyle. And I've had a huge grin on my face everytime I've driven a MINI!

 

you got an r56? .... yep. you made a mistake. :P

 

Nothing you've read in here, will probably apply to your R56. It's a different car and will have different problems, especially the first year or two of the R56's. They're, IMHO, a step backwards.

 

Are you setting that tune to the 12 days of Christmas??

 

I would agree with rkw. A lot of new moving parts on the R56 (so to speak). If reliability is your top concern, the R53 would be a safer bet (if you can find one to your liking). The potential problems areas have been well-discussed on NAM. And in most instances, there are fixes available either from the dealer/MINI (DME re-program for example) or the aftermarket (strut tower mushrooming comes to mind). With the R56s, there will be a time lag between identification of a problem and MINI (or the aftermarket) releasing a fix for the problem.

 

In all honestly I really just think it is the luck of the draw, each car is different and people have a range of experiences. I've looked around all sorts of forums and there are lots of people with all kinds of cars dealing with all sorts of issues, it is just the way it is with these machines. IMHO the best you can do is see if there are chronic issues that the majority seem to have, TSBs/recalls, and lastly, importantly, see what the service depts are like in your area, and weigh if those things are enough of a concern to sway your purchase.

The drawback of buying a new model is that you cannot really investigate potential chronic issues and problems others are having since, as an early adopter, you will be the guinea pig. But again, it could be fine - it all just depends a lot on your specific car and your service people.

 

I don't think you should have a problem. Mine is running strong and I bought the first year model. When I was buying it, even the guy at my dealer told me to wait a couple years to let them work out all the kinks. I didnt and im glad, I love it!

 

Ooooooooohhhh....hoooooo hoooooooo!

I'm sorry.

It's going to be a crap shoot. I know you want to hear what 99% of people are going to tell you: that it'll be fine and nothing will go wrong, etc. Hopefully, they're right. My experience has been more similar to Motor On's -- though everything was covered under warranty, including the driver's side door latch cable which broke (for the second time) at 50,010 miles, on the way back home from the dealer's where the car had been for other warranty work... everything, that is, until the $1200 wiring harness that chafed (WTF??) and died just shy of 60K. The dealer had engine wiring harnesses (multiple) in stock, which will tell you how "uncommon" that is...

My point is not that you'll get some sorry excuse for a car. It's just that you WON'T likely get BMW QC. Mine is an '03 (Dec '02 build) MCS. I knew it was a crap shoot as far as quality. Unfortunately, I lost. Hopefully, you'll win. either way: good luck.

 

This condition is, I'm afraid, a permanent one - well, permanent as long as you are a MINI owner!!!!

My '03 MCS was nearly perfect - only minor issues, none of them chronic.
My '06 MCSC has 7k, and nothing wrong so far.

Personally, I would stay away from the '07s, not for reliability fears, but I just prefer the supercharger to turbo, and not sure I am thrilled about the new engine or overall size.

As long as you have a good dealer, the warranty and extended maintenance shouold cover you jsut fine, and hopefully yours will be among the majority with only minor problems.

Whatever you do, your statement above will still hold true, I'm SURE of that!!!

Good luck!

 

Honestly its worth the chance. The car is just to amazing!

 

I could, and I forgot to mention I'm not driving some first year build car, nooo I've got an late build 05 that is "supposed" to have all the kinks worked out.

 

Pottermom, are you sure you aren't using some sort of fuzzy animal for floor mats? ;-)

Dafodildeb, if you became an enthusiast and not just an owner (being a member of NAM is one sign that you already are), you will live with the bugs because you will love your car like one of your children (OK, that might be a stretch...I don't even know if you have children...I can't imagine they'd be unlovable, but there are a couple of kids down the block that make me wonder about all kids being lovable)...but I digress! Just know that you can come back here for support from NAM, and brag to us about your new R56!

 

Yup--I've got children. Two MINIs on one branch, and I'm working on the other! So far he's gone the rice direction, though. My daughter is VP of the Houston MINI club.

You're right, my husband and I are big car enthusiasts. We autocross and do drives with our BMW and Porsche car clubs. Big brothers to the MINI will be an '01 BMW 530I and a '64 Porsche 356 SC (owned since '67).

 

I was going to order an 07. Dealer just happen to have an 06 MCS
which fit the bill, (and configuration we're looking for).

I wouldn't worry about the 07. Good choice on going with a MINI.

We just got ours, and absolutely love it. As its been stated many
a time, that grin on your face is now permanent.

 

what do you mean by "he's gone the rice direction." you making fun of
something or someone?

you went the sausage direction?