I have been looking at Mini's for about a year. The Clubman seems to be best for me. However, I drive alot. I put about 25,000 miles per year on a car. Plus I am not near family or friends so I am concerned about getting stranded. I've got 2 large dogs so functional, sturdy and reliable are important. I love the Mini but me at the shop every 15K miles or stranded on the side of the road once or twice a year is NOT an option. Should I get a Clubman now to be my only car? Or get something else then get a mini as a second car? Reliability ratings are not favorable, but neither is the rating for my current 1999 car and it's still rockin! The Mini is so much fun to drive I gotta have one but before I purchase I wanted to ask the owners to see what they think.

 

Ok, so maybe I only have had my 09 Clubman for a week, but I have to say I am really loving it!! I researched the crap outta this, I have a VW Passat wagon, so I really need that little area in the back for "my stuff"....
Fun to drive, great on gas, I got a manual for my own fun, (have to say my family doesn't care for the manual, but WTF, its not for them.
I have one Jack Russel, but I haven't taken him out yet, I haven't tried, but I know I can get his crate in the back if I needed to. (the back seats fold down flat) I say, GO FOR IT!! I really debated about a car without the sunroof vs. a roof rack, but the sunroof is great, adds fun & keeps car cooler on these 95 degree days!!!! good luck!!

 

I'm on my second Clubman, having traded my first one (an S) only because I got a great deal on a JCW model

I put over 43K miles in about 18 months of driving in the first one without issues. This included DC - Denver and back for MTTS last year.

Our 2 67-pound greyhounds fit with no problems. Of course, they haven't seen the inside of the JCW yet

Hope this helps your decision!

 

Don't forget to consider the fact that you must put premium gas in a MINI so with 25K a year that may add to your annual running cost.....

 

I'm a little over 52k on a 2008 Clubman S as my daily driver, its doing great and never let me down!

As always, preventative maintenance will make a world of difference so if you are on top of the maintenance schedule and get noises or other oddities checked out and taken care of early, then the car will treat you well! I wouldn't be too concerned about being near friends and family to get you if you're stranded as the have built in roadside assistance and they'll get you to the dealer.
I would be more concerned if you were too far from the dealer where you would be inconvenienced to make the visits.

Finally, remember that most of these threads are to share and learn about problems but not so much to spread love and joy. A percentage of people do have issues but it has to be put in context.

 

I will strongly echo this statement and take it a little farther to say that be ahead of you scheduled maintenance.
My personal take on some of the "failures" I feel can be attributed to negligence and ignorance by the owner.
If you're proactive and pay attention to the normal care-to items (like oil level, changes, etc), you should have little to no trouble.

- Erik

 

Hello,

First of all, welcome to the forums.

I picked my Mini at end of April this year. So far, I have slightly over 2000 miles on it. No problems what so ever!!

Your question here at this Mini forum will get biased answers here of course. So I want to be objective here. Some folks that has issues with their Mini will come to this forum as first time posters with their issues. And there are those that's long time participants of this forum with their issues as well. You can read thru this forum to get a sense of the different issues and design short comings the Mini has. Every car has a common issue, even the super reliable ones. My 1999 Toyota Tacoma has an issue with the starter that needs to be replaced every so often, go figure.... So don't let all the people on this forum with their issue scare you away. You can also read Consumer Reports or other sources for Mini reliability as well, but I don't know how they gather those reports, if it is scientific enough.

My belief at the end of the day is that: If you want a super reliable car, then a Mini is not for you. If you want a car that's super fun to drive, then a Mini is for you.

 

all things considered (miles driven, two large dogs), the clubman is probably not the right fit for you.

 

Go to fueleconomy.gov, you can compare different vehicles
you will find that the minis still are less costly than other vehicles. I compared my VW/ford/ and both mini and mini S , let me know what you think. Also you can use Sunoco 91

 

I picked up a Clubman last Thursday night. It’s my third MINI. The first one (a non-S cabrio) I had 4.5 years and it had 90K miles when I traded it in. The second (an S hardtop) I had a little over a year and it had 31K miles. Neither MINI left me stranded anywhere. I hauled two Greyhounds –both weigh 55LBS- in both MINIs without any problems. The Clubman should be great for you.

 

Happy so far :-D

 

Why would you say that?

I have a large (98 pound) Great Pyrenees / Yellow Lab mix and have no problem with him in the car. Take a look at the thread about dogs in Clubman. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...s-welcome.html

There are LOTS of people with two or more LARGE dogs in there car at one time. I even know one lady in Florida that carries eight ( yes 8 ) dogs in her car at one time anywhere from 10 pounds to over 100 pounds. Personally I think 8 dogs is a bit much at one time but certainly not two.

Now to the OP

I have had my Clubman for three years now and no major problems. Yes it did need a High Pressure Fuel Pump but they have fixed that problem and for those of us with the older models they have extended the warranty to 100K miles.

As to the question of running 25k a year. Well I have 73k on mine in just a month over 3 years so I am doing pretty close to 25K a year.

And this is my daily driver and I have no other vehicle. It is a fun car to drive and there is no way I would change my decision.

 

If you look at your owner's manual (pg 113) it states that you can use 89 octane in the S models and 87 octane in the base. Unless you have days of extreme heat like today and tomorrow. then you have to use 91 and 89 octane respectfully.

 

Sulky,
I will be looking out for you. I promise I will honk and wave!!!

 

you can certainly make it work, i agree. but not everyone can. i can hardly put anything in my cooper S even with the seats folded down and i know someone with a clubman and he feels the same (he has that covered, he has a 4x4 to haul his dogs to the dog park/vets, and yes on a long trip for camping). but, we didn't buy our MINI's for cargos or dogs/pets. again, some can make it work but it's not for everybody. my guess is you make it work because it's a MINI and it's fun and it looks good. so to that, i say "All things considered' the clubman is not the right fit for him (unless of course he can make it work like few does).

 

Thanks to everyone for your replies!

I have spent so many years driving the responsible car was the smart choice. I want something fun and for me. It is good to hear from other everyday drivers and dog owners! And I definately appreciate knowing how the forum works. Also I am a very particular car owner. While I don't wash the car every week I NEVER miss maintenance or let anyone skimp on services paid for.

I seriously considered a truck. My ex had one that I mainly drove and I loved it. However new and used trucks are very expensive right now. When you include the note and the fact that a truck gets about 12-14 mpg, then its way cheaper to get a Mini and pay for premium gas. Plus the service manager at my dealership told me that it's okay to use 89 octance for 2-3 tanks then use premium. I didn't think about the extreme temps and I will definately make a note of that. Not sure I am ready, have not had a car note in 3 years, but I called my sales rep today. I think it's a mini for me!

Can any of you dog owners tell me how the interior holds up to doggy drool, hair and claws? I don't plan on taking them anywhere but to the vet or a once a year 4 hour drive to the beach. And I hope to get cloth seats.

Thanks Again!

 

I'm happy with my '09 Clubman JCW, it's a daily driver - 35mi each way.
My dog (35 lbs) fits just fine. I've done a trip or two with my wife, and it keeps swallowing up the luggage (2 roller bags, cooler, canvas bag, hanging clothes, camera bag, two briefcases w/laptops, and I even managed to squeeze in a small end table - 2'x3' top).

As for containing the dog dirt, take a look at http://www.poochstyle.com
Their stuff looks good. I haven't had to take the dog on a long trip yet (just the vet, etc. so far) so i haven't felt the need to get a 'real' mat - I just use an airline blanket.

I'd say go for it - I got mine so I could enjoy my daily drive, and I do!!

 

Thanks ewmjr and schatzy62! I will check out the links. Besides the dogs I also make frequent runs to Home Depot and Lowe's so a few extra tips on keeping it protected from goo won't hurt!

 

SULKGIRL63 -thanks for the web info. I've done ton of research on gas mileage. Including getting the occassional guy who just sold their car to tell me what they really thought. Haha! The website would have made that job much easier.
I had a Lexus for 2 years that it seemed to stay at the dealership, a 1991 low-end model Ford that NEVER went to the dealer and a few other that all seemed to have their own needs. Actually enjoying driving whatever car I get might make up for any issues it might have

 

Wannabe, I traded an 05 Pathfinder for my Mini Clubman S, so talk about shock !!!! Now, observations. The Clubman is not a truck, and it isnt a Pathfinder. Never willl be. It wont haul 4x8 sheets of drywall home from Lowes. It wont pull 6000 pounds.
It will pass gas stations 2x better than my Nissan ever did, my 2 kids fit just fine and its the most fun I've ever had not doing something illegal, so would I recommend it? In the days of $3.89/gal Premium, posilutely. Ditch the run-flats (dino excrement) 2 minutes after you get it home, drop the cash on the K&N Typhoon intake and it'll scream past mostly everything in its size class or nearly. And darn near nobody will hang with you in the twisties.
I tell everyone its like a go-cart with a roof. If you like to drive, you will find new ways to get home, just to find some new bends. Seriously. Not makin this up. Pick a color and go have some fun.

 

I'd go for leatherette over cloth seats. Doesn't stain at all, after two years and some coffee spills mine look like they're brand new.

 

If you drive over 25k per year it is adviseable that you at least inquire about the extended service. This would conver all service items including brakes, lights, wiper blades etc but not tires. Just a thought you would not have to worry about maintenance for 100k miles

 

I second the vote for the leatherette. We had the cloth seats in both of our R53s and wanted cloth when we looked at the Clubman. After sitting in the cloth seats and the leatherette in the Clubman, we went with the leatherette. My '11 MCSa also has leatherette.

 

Clubman S Turbo -- I hear you!! Just what I was hoping to hear.

mrluckypa - didn't know about the warranty, that's a huge help for someone like me

I see the votes for leatherette are from the cooler areas of the country I am in Alabama and when you combine heat with doggy toenails or daisy dukes that all us redneck girls still wear I think we may have an issue. HaHa! No really just concerned about the dogs nails tearing the leather getting in or out of the car. Although since you let me know that you are happy with it, if I find the car and it has the leatherette I won't be so shy.

 

I live in Georgia and I have leatherette seats in my current MINI and in the last one and I didn't have any issues, although I don't wear Daisy Dukes