This is in no way a disagrement but only an observation: Hundreds can be a misleading figure. Out of the thousands on the road, the problem cars are a very small percentage of the overall. As stated earlier, every mark has it's failures. I'll bet there's even been an anvil left the factory with a defect. Another way of stating the seemingly obvious: "I know all Indians walk in single file because the one that I saw, did."

I read the forums long before ownership and started out waiting for things to go wrong and/or fall off. There have been a couple of minor issues while in the meantime, I've replaced a window mechanism, a wheel bearing and cruise control module on the GM family sedan and the whole danged engine on the F150. Now after 50+ thousand miles of MINI motoring, I can hardly wait for the next trip to anything anywhere. Life is not reliable so ya gotta take it as it comes.

 

I have had 2 BMWs. Both were fun to drive but expensive to maintain, and because of their price tag I never did any mods to them. I had a Volvo that wasn't fun to drive, ate front tires, and nearly bankrupted me with maintenance. I have a friend who bought a BMW 135 and hates it.

So I figure that if I'm going to have to spend time in a car, it might as well be one I enjoy driving and can have fun with. I ordered my MCS just the way I wanted it, and at under 25K I don't have any qualms about mods and customizations. It is great to be back driving a manual transmission again and practicing heel & toe downshifts around the neighborhood. I have driven BMWs, a bunch of Porsches (911, 944, Boxter S), an old Honda CRX Si, a Viper, Miata, Triumph Spitfire, old Jensen Healey, etc. and while they all had some very fine attributes, so far there's nothing that comes close to the fun of the Mini. Especially for the price tag.

Plus the other day a MILF gave me a big smile and told me she liked the Mini. That never happened in any of the other cars.

 

BensMini, I think you nailed it, along w/ several other post(ers). It is irrational but quirky, its humorous when I express down the window then it refuses to express back up, but runs quite fine the next time. The ghosts of Lucas still inhabit Oxford and probably always will, if the exorcism is ever 100% successful they will just become the smallest "Beemer" and prob a lot less fun. Now so far mine has only run me a bit over $300 on unscheduled costs, so for those who are 10 or 20 times up on that figure may very well have a different view, but it is a matter of stubbornness.

I also have a 92 Grand Prix STE, 5 speed floor shift, 1 or 57 made, the highest optioned of the bunch and prob the only one left in existence anywhere. (1 pic in my MINI gallery) In a logical world, for what that "interesting piece of tin" has cost me, I prob would have sold or scrapped it years ago. But when you wind it up through the 5 West German gears and hear that 4 cam "mini indy" banshee scream from the engine and dual Flowmaster 40s, the thousands that I poured into it (clutch $2K, half shaft and brake repairs, $900, alternator $475, 5 sets of rear calipers, (terrible GM design), etc) and the thousands more it'll prob cost me in the future almost disappear. I kinda feel like the keeper of the antiquities, a car that most people never even knew existed and would have prob become extinct otherwise. Yea, stubborn, irrational and perhaps a bit daft, admitted. There it is.

 

Some people don't have their own automotive personality and need to borrow Consumer Reports. Think about it, if that magazine didn't exist, what would they drive?!?

Yup, the GTI is a very comparable car. Also the z4 convertible.

ditto

Well, at least you're honest. ;-)

 

I think the ability to customize your choice is certainly a motivator for people to buy a Miin, but they should not complain about the service cost. This is highly engineered performance car and it's natural that it will be more costly to maintain.

I'll probably end up maintaining this car myself. I certainly have a greater appreciation for maintaining cars than most mechanics.

While it's a British styled car, the new models are very German in nature. The first time I read the manual on how to set and reset the TPMS, I could not believe it. There are some things that both American and Japanese cars do so much better than the Germans....maybe it's just a mindset. I just smile and move on though

 

Say what? These are hardly Lamborghinis.

 

Absolutely correct. A mini wouldn't be caught dead wearing the stock Chrysler brakes that came on a Countach.

 

If you actually think that, you're pretty unfamiliar with Mini history, and with how they're made currently. We share our engines with this:



To answer the original question: It's a matter of desires and expectations. Most people don't buy a car to enjoy driving it, they buy it to avoid walking. People with that attitude aren't expecting much from their relationship with their car, and so they're less likely to put much into it, and then only grudgingly. Mini owners are clearly expecting more than a Yaris buyer, so they're willing to pay more and willing to put more into keeping the car able to do what they bought it for.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis cost a ferocious amount to maintain, but the owners do it because they want to experience the driving performance the car's provide. Mini owners are the same way (in fact, there's some cross-over between the groups, as lots of performance car owners drive Minis).

 

A lot of posters have had fancier, faster, more expensive cars before their MINI, or at the same time as their MINI. For me, the MINI is the nicest car I have ever owned. So I compare her to the ratty old Honda; the boatlike old Cadillac; the early, cheap Hyundai; the decent but dull Sentra. For me, it wasn't about the driving experience... I had never driven one, before I went in to order her. I fell in love with them when I first saw then, ten years ago. I wanted one so badly! But I had two teenagers in Marching Band, with instruments and school books, and it just wasn't practical. After they graduated, I found myself driving a dependable, fairly new Sentra, that could last me another ten years. :-( With absolutely no reason to move on to a new car... except that the yearning for a MINI nagged at me. I just plain wanted it. Not about the driving (though now I understand that part!) not about the mileage, not about anything except that the cars made me smile every time I saw one. My practical side argued with my desires, and then my hubby (who is the best man in the world) told me to give the Nissan to my mom, and go and get my MINI. ZOOOOOOOOOM and I was off to the dealership. For the first time in my life, I could get exactly the car I wanted. Not the hand me down, not the one on the lot that I could afford... I could pick a COLOR!! I could choose SEATS!! And STRIPES!! And I could make it my own, truly my own. It's been over a year of ownership, and I am bonded to this car as I would be to a pet. She still makes me smile. I get thumbs up, waves and compliments almost daily. Any other car feels dull or big or loose or sloppy now.
Interesting, though, that Jeeps came up. Our son owns a Jeep, and he has exactly the same feelings about it. He still looks backward at it, as he walks away. He still jumps at the chance to drive it... anywhere. He takes pride in it, and enjoys the Jeep community that goes with the Jeep lifestyle. So it is not a coincidence that these 'enthusiast cars' have loyal followings. Read the Jeep forums sometimes, most remain loyal and have taken the discomfort, fluid leaks, lack of amenities, and maintenance problems and embraced them, as part of the experience.
'Enthusiast cars' will always come with a dash of annoyance, balanced by what attracted the person to that type of car in the first place. Logic has little to do with it.
Motor on!

 

Certainly not in the classic sense of the world, but when you are getting 112 HP per liter vs say 67 HP per liter from a Laborghini, there is some truth in what I said. Definately driving the engine a lot harder than most which leads to higher tuning and general mainteance costs.

Sometimes I think it's a Lambo when I see the bill. LOL

 

Sounds like you've got the lifetime extended warranty on the missus...Good for you. I think you are going to be happier with her than the car. Good luck.

 

I've had the death rattle, and I'd get another MINI. In four years, I still haven't found another car that has the same balance of fun, affordability, gas efficiency and personality.

 

If you can afford to maintain it out of warranty, good for you. I can't. Good luck.

 

The OP asks why, despite the many reported problems are owners so loyal or are in love with their MINIs. Obviously you are NOT. It is obvious that you wish us all luck with our decisions. Understood...... Understood.

For me, the MINI takes me back to a time when cars were not simple modes of transportation. My cars: Bugeye Sprite, so ugly it was cute. So British I was constantly under the bonnet, but oh so fun to drive during the summer. Lotus Europa, handling that was out of this world, but the Renault engine was unique. Split window VW Bus, it was beat up but would haul anything that would fit in or on it and I could work on everything. They all had personality. I got something visceral out of my relationship with them. I didn't mind having to give my time and $$ to keep them running. It was part of the pride and fun of ownership.

I feel the same way about my MINI. It gives me a smile each time I get into it. I love the admiring looks I get. My heart pumps when I break the back end loose a bit to rotate around an autocross cone. My MINI has had some warranty work, but no big out of pocket expenses. I do the brakes, oil changes and suspension work. I do my part. And the MINI gives me joy of driving I have missed.

I always had good reasons for moving on from each of the cars I have owned and most likely I will eventually get rid of my MINI, but there are some (mentioned above) that I regret parting with. It will be the same with my MINI.

 

Good for you. My piece of mind is more important. Enjoy.

 

Let me get this straight: you can't afford to maintain a MINI, but you can afford to replace it? Wouldn't a new car cost more than any repairs? Wouldn't just the depreciation on a new car be more than any repairs?

 

Gentlemen, ease up. Y'all can sleep with your Mini if you like, I really don't care. To me, without a warranty, this car will be a bottomless pit. Can we move on now?

 

2nd and 3rd gear around 4,500 rpm's..........thats why I love them. And the sound of the engine. I am on my second Mini and still own my first.

 

We're on MINIs 4 and 5, and thinking of a 6th. We've had no major problems, nothing which stopped us driving. The little things which went wrong have all been fixed under warranty.

They're just fun.

 

Sorry, didn't see that as being hard on you, simply asking you to clarify your position or even defend it; I know, I know, that's as rare on the internet as someone changing their mind based on logic, but I thought I'd ask. So, you'll save money spending $20k on a new car because MINIs cost more than that to repair out of warranty- right, makes perfect sense, moving on. I take it you'll spend the money on something more practical as well, like a Ducati?

 

I'm not in this situation, but I can understand it. Let's say you want to buy a Mini and you finance it for $300-$700 a month. While it's covered by the warranty, you're only making the payments plus gas and insurance. Once the warranty comes up, you've got a potential $3000-$7000 liability if something serious goes wrong. A lot of people don't have access to the capital to cover a repair like that but they can make the payments on it.

Personally, I bought a preowned Mini Cooper S and got the extended warranty and the extended maintenance plan. I plan on keeping it and not worrying about problems.

 

Thank you dustint, you obviously can think. Mine is pre-owned too with xtended warranty and paid for but, with a history of 4 (four) timing chain & tensioner replacements and other ailments in 28K, this thing will exit my garage once and for all one year before warranty expiration. I am not going broke just so I can have fun with a car that is at the dealership every other week

 

I know a great deal more than you think. I helped design that god awful expensive O2 sensor sitting right on top. The PSA group was a customer I supported for several years.
My point was that the earlier Lambos were essentially very fancy kit cars built around a custom engine/chassis. A lot of their parts were sourced from existing OE, like Chrysler calipers.
I think this entire thread is either a troll or someone with sour grapes over a car they shouldn't have bought in the first place. This is after all a forum of Mini fans. I probably feel the same way about people who claim to love chocolate but don't like it on fruit. Chocolate is good on everything but I don't feel the need to ride them about it.

 

+1...especially given the semi-troll has already posted "I don't care" and let's "move on" in this thread, yet he continues to re-post and try to make the case that he's smarter than everyone else.

 

Yes, I wish you would!