Hi Folks

I'm looking at possibly buying a 2008 Clubman 6 speed manual. Car is at a local dealer, comes with 30 day warranty. Price seems fair, car is very good condition with 54k miles, looks genuine. I have driven the car. Drives great and true. This would be a second car, a toy almost. Not sure I want to drive it in the winter. Possible car for my daughter as she learns to drive

I've been reading reviews and thought I would try the forums. Are there any known issues with this model? A number of reviews have indicated turbos blow at 50k+ and take the engine with them. Class action suits have been mentioned. Is there anything I should be looking for?

 

Best thing you can do is take it to someone that works on MINIs and have a prepurchase inspection done as that may easily find something.

Also shop around as you likely can buy an aftermarket warranty that may cover future repairs.

 

I agree with Way. It's worth the money to have it inspected by a shop that works on Minis.

I bought my Clubman and THEN took it to the dealership. My "great deal" turned into a "not-so-great deal" within 10 minutes.

 

Agree with the recommendations for a PPI by someone familiar with MINIs. The car could need some deferred maintenance, or even something more expensive that would not be covered by a 30 day warranty because it isn't "broken" yet.

Just curious, is it at a MINI dealership?

 

If you turn it over to your daughter be sure to school her well in paying close attention to it. MINIs are NOT drive 'em and forget 'em appliances. They need constant attention and regular upkeep.

 

Ok

nearest Mini dealer 4 hours/2 states away
nearest BMW dealer 2 hours

The dealer selling this car is a local used specialist, used to be Saabs and Volvos, now more Mercs, Beemers and Lexus, definitely more high end imports. If anyone is going to have a Mini it is these guys. No likely to be anyone else local more familiar with Minis, which is the problem

Car is a base model (no turbo), but seems loaded, leather, heated seats, bluetooth, AC. Still trying to figure what add ons it has.

I'm going to try and find someone to do a presale inspection and I'll look for an aftermarket warranty too

 

+1 on PPI. I had a local, reputable BMW mechanic do the PPI. It cost $300 but was worth it for peace of mind.

I had read several articles on a carbon build up issue that was fairly common with Mini Coopers up until about 2012 I think. If you google you will find several articles. Here is one example of information you might find with such a search: http://casestudies.atlanticmotorcar....intake-valves/

Here are two other articles I read before buying. At least, these articles gave me ideas of more specific questions to ask the dealer and other Mini owners in terms of potential issues. Off the top of my head, I can't remember what model years these pertained to, but might be an interesting read:

https://hausofminis.com/2015/06/7-co...face%E2%80%8B/

https://www.britishamericanauto.com/...er-owners-face

I've owned my 2013 R55n since October 2017; purchased used (CPO) and also purchased the extended service/warranty. Glad I paid for the extended service/warranty insurance as it covers service and extends warranty to 100K miles.

In the 8 months of ownership, I have had 3 issues, all covered by the CPO warranty - faulty vanos solenoid, faulty gasket on an oil filter which caused a cooling system leak and a faulty tank vent valve which caused an error code (D1330).

I change the synthetic oil every 5K and check oil and radiator levels bi-weekly. Perhaps overkill, but after reading a lot of other people's experiences, I figure an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Mini Coopers are super fun to drive and mine has given me great mileage on my daily +80 mile commute.

Good luck and let us know if you buy!

 

PS: It's an S so be sure that only top grade and Top Tier fuel is used. Knock sensor failures are the result of improper fuel delivery.
http://www.toptiergas.com/