Looking at a 2012 clubman s but have some reservations about it and was hoping for insight from the pros. The car is clean, it's the automatic, it drives well and my fiancée loves it of course. It does have 72k miles on it though and the reviews on it aren't all that good. I can wrench but having the tranny grenade or having carbon buildup cost me a head isn't something I want to mess with on such a new car. Are these things really that much of a pain to own? Are repairs really as frequent and pricey as people make them out to be?

I own two Volvos and a Land Rover and the MINI is eerily similar to the Land Rover as to how people talk about them. I love my Rover but it is every bit as unreliable and annoying as people say. I can wrench on it though and it's not a daily driver so I don't mind it much. The MINI however would be used for trips, every Saturday it will get driven 300 miles so I'd like it to be more like my Volvos and not like my Land Rover. We actually considered a Volvo C30 but after driving the MINI there is no comparison. How these two are considered competitors I don't know, the Volvo was every bit a Chevy Aveo inside and though quick, it's sloppy and has no charm. The MINI was just awesome but we've never owned one so we're torn.

Anyway what should I expect? Do I need a million brand specific tools and a high end diagnostic tool to work on the mini? Is it going to be reliable well past the 100k mark or is this more of a low mileage, weekend kind of car?

 

Welcome
I would search the R56 Hatch talk forum for identical posts from people asking about reliability. Some of them are very detailed.

The Clubman forum has an occasional boot door won't open postings (with instructions what to do), and club door makes noise, but not much Clubby specific problems that I have seen. Others please correct me if I off base. I certainly would not steer away from a Clubman. It has more rear passenger leg/foot room by a couple inches and the club door for easier passenger access. And more inches in the back for stuff. Note the club door does not work great when parked close next to another car. At times I have pulled out of a parking space for a person to get in.


Good luck!

 

Thanks, could a mod move this post or would a duplicate be ok if I just cross posted?

 

Here is a thread worth reading. Look for NB Cooper's post with details. NOTE: The N14 Turbo motor (2007-2010 Turbo, and 2011 JCW) was replaced by the N18 in 2011 solving most timing chain and carbo buildup issues. I knew all this and still bought a 2011 S Clubby this Summer and love it.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ini-world.html

 

The N14 does require more maintenance than "appliance" cars. For me, it's worth it because I enjoy driving it. I'm at 156,000 miles and do most of my own maintenance....and I have an excellent independent mechanic nearby. If they haven't already been replaced you'll need to do the thermostat housing and water pump soon. I did my timing chain at about 120,000 miles (should have done it sooner), my high pressure fuel pump about the same time ($1100 for the part!, and should have done it sooner), and I recently did my oil filter housing seals, oil cooler seals, a turbocharger rebuild, and a rebuilt alternatory (because I was in there). These are just the high points. I'm in the process of installing an oil catch can...some people will tell you an oil catch can isn't necessary on an N18....others disagree....saying that the N18 design just leaves the bad stuff in the oil. These things aren't really that tough to work on....

Another item is the original equipment shocks aren't the greatest....

If the car that you're looking at has a good maintenance history, including oil changes at about 5,000 miles it may be worth seriously considering.