Anyone have any idea when I can expect the tranny to die? I heard from some owners on consumer reports that around 60K to 70K you can expect it to die and replacement is an ungodly cost of 8K-10K for a frigin transmission! Is this true?

 

For which trans? For the CVT, this is probably true... As for Getrag, its pretty much bulletproof.

 

I've heard, read, nothing about a Getrag going bad. Not so of the CVT's. That's where the worries are coming from. Based on yours being a Clubman, I'd say 'No Worries'.
I have the automatic with the paddles. So many ways to shift gears, so little time to drive...

 

I thought the CVT's were only in the first gens and not 2nd gens?

 

The problem with the manuals can be the clutch itself -- the head mechanic at Nick Alexander MINI in L.A. told me that they sometimes fail early; But that's not the transmission itself dying, just a part of it.

Must be the automatic that they're referring to, since the price tag seems more appropriate for something like that. The Getrag manual itself shouldn't fail that early -- again, the problem with the manual is sometimes the clutch.