I guess I am not alone....I can't seem to trade my problem free Honda's for the Mini. It is agonizing. I want a Mini but I commute 120 miles per day and I am very far from a Mini dealer so reliability is #1 for me. My first and last German car was an Audi TT and it gave me problems (failed ignition coils.) Don't get me wrong, I love German cars and consider myself a Porschephile but if they could only dial in some reliability like the Japanese do. In the end, I passed over the Mini again for a Honda Fit Sport (which is a brilliant car by the way). But I swear, in a couple of years I will take the plunge with Mini. For now I will enoy this forum and keep visiting the configurator on Miniusa.com.

 

There are no guarantees in life. Many of us buy MINIs because they are the coolest cars for under $50K. Does MINI compare with the Toyotas and Hondas in terms of reliablity. NO! But does a Toyota Corolla make you smile when you drive it each morning. I'll bet not. Perhaps you should stick to boring Japanese products.

 

I know a Corolla S owner who loves her Corolla so much that she said it makes her smile every time she drives it.

 

My car has no electrical or mechanical problems with 3300 miles on it. It has had no issues and is a blast to drive. 07 MCS/6 spd/lsd/dsc/sport suspension/16" wheels. I AM looking forward to getting off the runflat tires, but they're not a problem. See gallery.

 

You're right, you're not alone. To quote Joe Walsh, "You're never alone with a pschyzophrenic."
You've certainly convinced yourself. But not me. You are allowing your enthusiasms to be stomped by your practicality. That keeps life simple. It also tends to make things BOOOOOOORING! In 1970, you were the guy that bought a new Honda 750 rather than a Norton Combat Commando 750. And that's ok, too. The Norton just had a "cool" factor that all the reliability in the world couldn't surpass.

"We take our own chances and pay our own dues." - Kris Kristofferson

"Action! Not words." - Deff Lepard

"Right now I'm just learning to ride, man,
but I'll have a Harley someday." - David Allen Coe

Glad to hear that you are enjoying the configurator. VROOM, VROOM!!

"NAM: Where group therapy meets the road!" - Surfblue

 

It seems to me that if you are used to Japanese "reliability," then an Engligh/German/French car may not be what you should buy. I purchased my MINI because I needed to make a step up from a BMW.

When you ask a MINI owner about why he or she purchased it, the first thing out of his/her mouth is probably not going to be reliability. The second thing out of their mouth is not going to be about reliability. The third reason is probably not going to be about reliability.
The questions any REAL potential buyer of a MINI will ask revolve around fun, the experience, joy, speed, uniqueness, driving something different, color, conserving energy, but not reliability.

My recommendation to SIBILANCE and those that need the perception of security that they stick to Japanese vehicles and let the rest of us continue to live unconventional lives. If you don't get it, then you shouldn't get one.

PS. No problems so far (3800 miles).

 

You won't get Honda or Toyota reliability with a Mini, but you will get better than average reliability. The differences in quality are pretty small these days. Check the JD Powers surveys.

 

Thankfully, Mini ownership isn't for everyone.. I'd get pretty tired of seeing myself coming and going around every corner - which is what would happen if I drove a Honda or Toyota.

Nope.. no thanks. Believe I'll hang onto my li'l "world car".

 

Sing It

No problems and getting ready to turn 7k

My '03 had one recall/problem with the seam on the radiator expansion tank that was covered under warranty. Otherwise it was a trouble free 28k-30k miles.

 

I was in the same boat as you, I always owned Toyota’s and Honda’s. my most recent car an Acura TL would be my last Honda product, transmission problems and it only had 42000 miles on it! They won't stand behind their product (Google: Acura TL transmission). after spending a month reading owners reviews on MSN auto,Yahoo and Edmunds to find my next car, I found that the Japanese brand cars reliability is severely overrated. reading numerous positive reviews on the Mini and talking to my cousin who has a Mini and was very happy with it, and one test drive in it... I was sold, just traded in my Acura on a Cooper S.

 

... Part of why I'm reading these boards is also to get an impression of what the Cooper community is like. If I have problems I'm going to have to ask questions of people like you folks.

Anyway, I think this will be my last post here.

Thanks everyone.

 

Week 3 production here. Took delivery in February. The only problem I had was a software issue with the cruise control. Fixed with an update. Easy. You won't have that issue now.

Love the car. No rattles, no wind, no stalling, no paint issues, no malfunctioning stereo, etc.

Yes, there is always something you wish were different on a car, and this one is no different. But this is a good car and a hell of a lot of fun to drive. I come from nothing but Japanese reliability (and some fun ones included). I have driven a Toyota Celica, Honda CRX and Mazda MX3 and my wife had a Miata, so I know about dependable sporty cars. But Japan didn't offer a fun little car in the right price range. So I took a chance and am loving it.

 

In July It replaced a 2003 MC with an MCS. The MC had maybe four minor issues over the four years and 43,000miles: cold-engine stumble, bad window motor, loose hatchback, and leatherette tear. Each was quickly addressed by the dealer under warranty. It never left me stranded, which is most important to me.

I now have about 2,500 miles on my R56. No problems so far. Love the handling, power, comfort, and mileage. It averages about 34mpg on my daily commute -- better than the MC! My only concern is I'll get a ticket, thanks to that amazing engine.

- James

 

ive had the car for 4k miles and i love it BUT there are some minor issues/dislikes :
leaking windshield wipers/staine bonnet stripes
xenon washers dont work
speakers rattle, very annoying
all those tiny panels in the car keep fallling off e.g. fuse cover, covers in trunks
sunroof makes a lot of noise when driving in freeway. my gsr never had this problem.
crappy armrest
thats the gist of the issues but i love the car still. its so fun to drive.

 

+1
We've got ~15k miles. Had it back twice (via flatbed) for shifter cables popping off and totally disabling the car. Have a series of idiot lights coming on right now, probably due to a bunk wheel speed sensor. And most troubling of all, on two separate occations, I've had the ding-dong tone that you're supposed to get when a seatbelt's not fastened, go on indefinitely, even with key out of car, locked and walking away. British cars have a long history of being a labor of love. I didn't expect any more out of this car than the classic British cars I've had, so I'm not disappointed, but if I was writing posts to a forum before even buying asking if its reliability would **** me off, I'd be pissed off.

Oh yeah, and my wife's heard the mysterious clunk grind sound when downshifting, though I've yet to experience it.

 

Nothing serious for me, just the leaky wiper jet and resultant stained stripe. Over 4k miles so far and I'm definitely happy with it. Keep in mind that any auto forum magnifies the number of issues with a particular car.

 

SIBILANCE:
Several months ago I bought an "07 MCS. I posted a request for reassurance almost identical to yours. The responses were comforting. I'm @ 6K and smiling. NO problems...it's almost creepy. Remember this: you're only buying the car, not marrying it i.e. it's not a lifetime commitment. MCS is a good bet, and, with any new car, you're always betting.
CHIPRET

 

1300 miles, zero defect.
Initial rattling dash noise came from flip down panel under driver's side, not secured all the way up. all's quiet now. It's just a little nut-job car. Love it.

 

I just drove 4500 miles through seven states without a single mechanical issue. Percy took to the mountains like a duck to water. Was very comfortable to drive for long distances.
We drove one section of 148 miles without seeing another vehicle on the road. No cell service and nowhere to pull into for help. 148 miles of empty road. I would trust Percy to run that every week.

 

Just did a 11K+ roadtrip in my 2007 MC... Problems NONE. I Love my Mini!

 

I did that with my 2003 MCS when she was a week old...in about 6 weeks. Great little roadtrippers, these MINIs!

 

(MCS)I just went over 4,000 miles in over a month and no problems except the weeping (not a major issue with me)

 

He left? Whats wrong with our mini community? You come in and dis our cars are we suppose to just sit here and not defend ourselves? Toyota/Honda vs Mini?? no brainer ....Its the mini hands down. This is coming from a previous Toyota/Honda owner. Reliablity?? I warn people when reading reliablity storys to do so with open minds because we are not always being given the full story. Either way it seems like he had his mind made up before he even came here...oh well....as my grand pappy use to say...don't let the car door hit you on the way out!! ..seems him and grandma used to have alot of arguments in the car...

 

This is my second MINI and I have nearly 9000 miles on it since 3/21/07. I have had absolutely no problems thus far (other than loosing a left front wheel, which was no fault of the car). I previously had an '05 MC and experienced a broken motor mount (repaired under warranty). I had almost 15,000 miles on it when I traded it in for my current MCS.

Lyn

 

I owned a 2002 Mini Cooper for 3 years and had zero problems in about 10K miles. We recently purchased a new MCS and have put about 1000 miles on it and have no issues so far. Only problem is the sunroof cover creeps back a couple of inches.

2007 Mini Cooper S, Mellow Yellow, 6 speed