After much research on this and other sites I decided on a 2010 Clubman (not an S). For the money I could not find a better value for the driving experience, coolness, AND MPG. I received the car in August 2010 and was very happy. Nevertheless, the first day after I passed the break in period (about 3 weeks) I "drove her hard" on the way home from an evening out. The next morning - the car would not drive (warning light and could not get car above 10 mph) - electronic valve control something had broken. 3 weeks later after the car had been parked for 10 days I noticed oil on the ground - the car was missing the valve cover gasket. Made it about 9 months and then came to find the satellite radio antenna had quit. 4 months after that I got in to readjust the steering after a friend had driven it and the steering column adjustment lever lock had broken. I have only had Toyotas and Hondas prior and am really not used to this, but it is what it is. The dealership is very responsive so the warranty and the loaner program (and free towing) make the all of the issues tolerable.

Incidentally, my business partner has a BMW that she bought about 7 months prior to my purchase and she has had hers in for defects twice as often as me.

I am still very pleased with the car. I am averaging 34 MPG and love driving it. I doubt that I will keep it past 3 years BUT I may get another. Even with the issues the car is a decent value.

Nevertheless, I can accept and believe the reports.

 

The reports are valid. Every single person I've personally known who has a MINI (now it's at five people) has had many of the standard problems you see on these boards and others. The reason why I keep posting this over and over again on different threads is because I believe it's important for potential buyers to realize that these are not cars with great quality control -- many have fit and finish issues, and lots of folk with S engines especially have mechanical issues. I should have done more research before buying, which is my own fault.

Like I've said: it's perfectly OK to admit that MINIs are not overall the most well-made cars out there. It doesn't mean you still can't enjoy yours and take pride in it. Mine personally makes me angry that I spent $32k for a decently equipped car that has pieces falling off, rattles, clunks, etc. It's fun to drive (as long as you are cool with bump steer and somewhat twitchy handling, which maybe are tradeoffs for the slot car feel). I'm considering selling mine because I resent having to bring it back over and over again for new noises, clunks, windows not working, etc. Just because a particular MINI has been fine doesn't mean that it's an overall reliable brand, I'm sorry to say. Even the head mechanic at Nick Alexander (one of Southern California's biggest MINI dealers) told me in frustration one day that they aren't the best made cars (this was after the 6th time I had been back within a year of purchasing the car -- he just came out and said that sometimes they make him crazy). Warranty be damned -- I'd rather have a car that doesn't need to go in to the dealer repeatedly for absurd things like rattles, clunks, pieces falling off, sunroof sticking, air conditioning making hilarious noises, etc., etc.

They're great cars in some ways, and it's PERFECTLY OKAY to admit that they also aren't as well made as they could be. If you have a good one, awesome! I wish I did, and I wish all the other people I personally know did, too, but I guess we all got bad ones.

There are no real competitors for the MINI right now, so I'll likely keep mine until something comes out that is somewhat comparable, or until my warranty runs out. When the warranty runs out I'm selling it immediately! Too bad -- it's such a cool car in many ways, and with some better quality control, even slightly higher reliability standards, and some work on the handling (bump steer, mostly), it would be a total winner.

 

Jeeze! People buy a British made car and you're surprised that parts fall off!?

What's wrong with you!!!

Dave

 

@Headlands - If you're only going to keep a car until the warranty runs out, lease it! I frankly can't imagine why anyone buys, rather than leases, a MINI unless they put a ,ot of miles on it. High repair costs and below average reliability is the perfect combination for leasing.

 

+1 Our 2003 Civic was in the shop more than our 2008 MC.

 

@Headlands: ever drove or owned original Mini or any other so called "British car"? They are all "spoiled brats", but man they all look good and drive even better. I would not drive anything else... You have a lemon, sell it. Don't cry about it. Buy a Corolla, maybe you'll have better luck?

 

I have 2008 Clubman. It's been love/hate the whole time. There are few cars that offer the driving pleasure that this one affords when things are working right. Meanwhile, I've had the freaky window problem, timing chain noise at 8k and now again at 30k (this is very serious as the loose chain produces metal shavings and eventually can break,with huge consequence), at least ten annoying rattles that I have made a career over eliminating. Run-flats on this car are bone-jarring so replaced those. Just put noise dampening in the doors. At this point, the car is a delight to drive, but the timing chain issue is haunting.

 

I really could care less with what they have to say about car reviews! I don't agree with the choices that they make! They usually pick boring and uninspiring cars that just happen to be very reliable!

I feel C&D does a much better job at reviewing cars sin they seem to be more in tune which what I like in a car!

CR usually seems to be very favorable to Asian/Japanese makes and knock American/German/English makes!

 

We have a 2009 clubman, it has been a great car. We came from Honda Accords very reliable, but not fun at all. I have had vanilla ice cream, we purchased the clubman for more variety and fun.

 

Call me delusional. Owned a 2008 Honda Accord that was in the shop for major defects; brakes, electrical gemlins, sunroof leak (took three fixes), interior trim problems, AC problems. Before that was a 2005 Toyota Camry with grabbing brakes, no start! problems (senors replaces three different times), paint issues as well as trim pieces failing, and alighment issues. My 2003 MINI? One problem, a sunroof trim piece that would rattle when it was extremely cold, which was every few years where I live. I fixed it myself after the dealer couldn't. My 2009 JCW? Not one single problem yet, although I only have about 12,000 miles on it. Oh, and my in-laws bought a 2010 Camry and have already had the transmission replaced at 21,000 miles, brake system worked on, and had it in the shop for numerous little irritaing things, like trim failing, seat controls not working, etc. Hell, even my 2004 Chrysler 300M has only been in the shop three times for service since we bought it and currently at 100,000+ miles is still going strong, so yes, call me delusional. I will never buy another Toyota or Honda based on all the problems that I have dealt with especially when I read all the mags (CR included) that said these cars are rated highly and good picks. BS!

 

The High Pressure Fuel Pump died on my car at 7k, which was worriesome to say the least, but what was even more so, was that the dealership continually blamed this on bad gas and went as far as to say that I bought premium gas in a bad part of town! The whole ordeal took about 3 weeks to resolve after replacing several upstream components first. Mini has since extended the warranty on hpfp to 100k.

Other than that, the car has been a blast with exception of a clutch howling noise that occurs after excessive stop and go traffic. Again.. when mentioned to the dealer, they said that this is what happens when you don't lift off the clutch and that the Mini clutches are very sensitive. I informed the tech that I don't ride the clutch, but its my word vs. theirs.

I love this car, and would like to keep it past the 50K, but reliability is a major concern and we will most likely part ways by the end of next year before 50 rolls around.

Oh and ya, there are rattles, but every car I've owned seems to have a rattle or two so no biggie.

Honestly, I think that if the dealers and Mini were more supportive, people woudl be more likely to overlook the issues, but I think the dealer is the same boat as us in that the cars fail, and they can't afford to lose their shirt so they play the blame game, well atleast some do. I went through a similar experience with a 2002 VW Jetta and am now also done with that brand.

Has anyone made the leap from a Mini to a 3 series? Consumer seems to really like the 328i and i'm considering getting a off lease certified 328 next year.

-James

 

I made the leap from 3 series to Mini, with a one year Honda hiatus in the middle. Can't compare the two yet since my MINI is on a boat somewhere, but I will say from my test driving, that the MINI is way more fun to drive, much more engaging. The 3 was an awesome car, but felt more luxurious than sporty to me (granted mine was a pretty plush auto-equipped sedan). It was also expensive. I sent it on to the used car lot because it ate through its 1100 dollar run flat tires every 15 thousand miles if I was lucky. My warranty was about to run out, and just the maintenance costs were enough to make me look else where.

 

I don't put much confidence in them. They had a trend of bashing certain brands in the early to late 90s (remember the Suzuki lawsuits?). My car, a 1990 Jeep Cherokee, was "black listed" (put on the do not buy list) and it needed only one repair in the 70,000 miles I put on it. I also owned a Dodge Intrepid and it was also very reliable. I don't remember ever taking it in for major repairs. Also, read some of the older CR articles. They're so picky that you wonder what THEY drive. I mean, they list paint scratches and windshield glare on the list of "problems." I'm sure they bashed the MINIs to kingdom come. Makes me wonder, what is the "perfect" car to them? I bet some of them don't drive it.

 

It's all relative. My PT Cruiser only had one major problem with a battery connection under the car that a friend diagnosed and re-soldered (it helps when your friends are retired Army mechanics). It was totaled out two weeks ago at around 90,000 miles do to accident damage.

Another friend had hers only 49,000 miles and it needed a new transmission. Well transmissions for PT Cruisers can't be rebuilt, it seems there is too much plastic in the innards. (Hey never said I was a licensed mechanic -- check my sales contract for the service extension)

Both of us were original owners. A third friend bought his used. At about 75,000 miles, his timing belt went!

Just goes to show you, your mileage may vary! Am I worried? I just bought a MINI Clubman this week. Am I worried? I extended the warranty from four years to seven. Am I worried? I'm actually counting on going on a nice vacation (with or without my MINI) at the 7-year mark with the nice check I get back .

Your mileage may vary.

 

90,000 and only one do-it-yourself fix? Damn, that's excellent reliability. Ironically, my Jeep Cherokee was very reliable for the nine years I owned it. The only problem I ever had was that that stupid door switches froze up in the winter but then, I guess that's why WD40 was invented. I find it no surprise that some of you rated Honda Civics and Accords as unreliable. I long suspected that some owners were exaggerating on their ownership stories. My brother used to drive a Honda Accord and told me it was terrible. It held together fine for about 4-5 years. Then it flooded him with one problem after another. He threw up his hands and abandoned Honda completely. He currently drives a Nissan SUV.

 

I've had a few little problems with my 09 but nothing to make me want to change brands....

 

Beasley, my family has long had Hondas, and the ones we had in the 80s and early 90s were excellent. My prelude was 11 years old and the only problem outside of normal maintenance was a small leak in the AC system that required a 300 fix. My moms 90s model Accord gave her 200,000 problem free miles--literally nothing outside of normal maintenance items. Her 2003 model, on the other hand, has needed thousands and thousands of dollars of work to keep it running to the 150k mark. Honda still sells a great car, I absolutely loved my last Civic (until it blew up), but they just dont seem to be made of iron like they used to be.

 

The more electronics and safety features that car companies are "made" to incorporate into their cars the more problems your going to have.

 

Agreed. Big mistake on my part.

 

I'm not crying, just helping get the truth out there. Noting problems is not "crying". And it's not a lemon -- it's just a poorly put together and poorly QC'd car. I wouldn't own a Corolla. Ever. Not sure what the next car will be. I really wish MINI would get their fit and finish, etc., up to par but I guess it won't happen. The problem is that there's really nothing out there that compares as far as speed, looks and economy are concerned.

I think that people should really understand what they're possibly getting into. You're right: no English-made car has ever been fully well made or reliable. CR's report was spot-on. I still bought mine despite the multiple spotty reliability reports out there...I hoped I'd get a "good one". One would hope that in this modern day and age the British (and Germans) would consistently get their acts together...but that's pie-in-the-sky thinking, I guess.

 

Ha!!! Best post on this thread.

 

Total sales world wide for MINI in 2010 = 234,175 cars.

Total sales world wide for HONDA in 2010 = 1,497,780.


Anyone who has an ebay account knows that if you sell 20 items a year and get one issue with poor feedback, your rating goes in the toilet....happened to me with ONE dumb **** who failed to read the product description.....

And when a seller has some 5,000 sales in a year, even 100 poor feedbacks has little or no effect on that sellers rating.....

Not sure but could be their method or formula for their yearly figures is just apples and oranges.

 

The discrepancy is even bigger than that. Honda sold 1.4 million cars in North America alone in 2010 - their worldwide automobile sales were actually over 3.5 million. They also sold over 17 million motorcycles - gulp!

http://world.honda.com/news/2011/c11...uction-Result/

 

Please report back your thoughts after a month or two of ownership.

Other than the runflats, any other issues with the 3 series? Also which trim?

Im looking at getting a 328 with m package and plan on dumping the runflats for non whenever they wear out. I think i got 15k out the ones that came on my mini. Also ill probably get a auto since i dont plan to move from Atlanta anytime soon. :-(


Thanks and best of luck with your new car!

-James

 

I also have a 3 series (335i) and its an awesome car to drive. I have had no problem with the runflats, as far as wear goes. Its been a great car except for a fuel pump problem which was quickly fixed. The interior is much more upscale than the Mini, and it feels so solid and planted while driving. I still prefer to drive my Mini though. It is just more fun!