I keep reading here about people having "death rattle" timing chain problems, window problems, sunroof problems, HP water pump problems, brake and clutch problems, almost every problem under the sun with their Mini's

Yet when they're asked if they'll buy another, they'll say "oh yeah, wouldn't have anything else.....I've had 2 already and am getting another."

So...what I don't understand is why the love and loyalty?

(BTW, I have an 08 MCS, and haven't had problem one with it, but if I had the problems many of you have had, I'd be looking for something else....at least I think I would)

 

After driving the MINI for only one week, all other cars I have owned seem boring. It is such a fun little car to drive that I think we put up with some of it's shortcomings. My wifes 2007 CRV which I enjoy driving around in, is still completely boring compared to my MINI.

Maybe I haven't had mine long enough to comment but I am enjoying the heck out of it so far....

Larry

 

MINIs are amazing cars to drive. Im on my 10th and will always have one in the stable. ALL cars will have problems, some more than others. Fortunately my experience with MINIs have been (for the most part) trouble free. MOTOR ON!!

 

I haven't had any of the issues you've listed, ...yet got to say that the build quality and performance of my MINI is top notch. I would say the MINI is close to build quality of many European cars ...as far as loyalty, they are unique and have a disntinct style. -people love that (think VW Bug, 911 Porsche, etc)

 

You also have to remember that people come to the forums looking for help for their problems. You're always going to find problems on forums... it's just the nature of them. I mean... we could all post about how much we love our MINI and how nothing is wrong with it, but that'd be boring - right?

 

+1

and to add to that just go an check out the forums for Toyota, Honda, Dodge, Chevy, Ford, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes, and any other car you want to look at, most of them are like this forum here complaint, complaint, complaint. Then look at the customer loyalty. I would be willing to be it is not anywhere near as high, just because they are not fun to drive. Jeep forums are similar to this one in customer loyalty again because they are a fun vehicle to have.

This is my first MINI but I will definitely have another when the time comes.

 

Same reasons couples stay married to each other for 40-50 years??

Ok...part humor...but some truth in there as well.

As others say...you are going to get a skewed sense of what the problems are reading a site like this. We bought our first MINI 5 years ago for my wife...loved it...never had any significant problems with it. We just bought a new one for me...I'm hoping/expecting the same for it.

 

Actually to expand and touch on something else someone said.

My former car (which I still have)...is a Ford Expedition with 150,000 miles. It's a piece of crap in many ways...but it DOES still run more or less reliably...happens to be MY piece of crap that's also paid for.

I don't think that 5 years after I bought it I had anywhere near as much affections for it and enjoyed driving it...as I still do for my wife's MINI. Her car DOES still remain to be a fun car to drive...and as I've said before...there are things about the R53 that I actually like over my R56.

 

I have learned the hard way. ALWAYS buy what you WANT, not what you think you should buy. The only thing worse than having your first choice car break down (MINI in this case) is having your second choice car break down on you. Then you are not only stuck with a broken car, but its a car you didn't want to begin with.

 

Some of the issues that people complain about it are legit but some forget that it is British and British cars are quirky and have issues. Some by that I mean most people expect that for the first 500k miles they should be able to get behind the wheel start up the car and have no problems. I just put up with the problems because there is nothing else on the road right that I would want to drive and by that I mean nothing at all.

 

But how about those people that come here and complain about the pie sized speedometer. Yes people do do that. Did they not notice it when they test drove the car or did they test drive the Toyota and get given a MINI by accident. It really boggels my mind how they can complain about it.

 

MINI dealer/service experience has always bothered me but they are a necessary evil I continue to have to deal with. In addition to how neato I think MINIs are, the sense of community also keeps me going. I'm on my 3rd one now but I may end it if I experience on-going problems as I have read others have had. So far, not one problem.

 

... and not what someone or something else says you should buy.

I've known a few people who bought cars strictly on what they read in Consumer Reports. Cracked me up. I consider my car an extension of my personality. Yeah, yeah, not everybody can afford to buy what they think their personality is, so they get as close as they can with what they've got. But I guess some people would rather be an extension of someone else's research. How boring.

 

Then I guess I consider myself fortunate to have the best of both "worlds"...
I have driven Jeep Wranglers (CJ-7 first) since the 80's. Each one has lasted 8+ years and my present '02 has a ripe 123K...

But once I got behind the wheel of my wife's '06 MCS 6 weeks ago, there was no turning back from the allure of minis.
(I still keep the Jeep for those wintery months here in the Poconos)

Now I have "dual" loyalties!

packimocity

 

So far, I've had ~38,000 miles of pure fun in the MINI. It's the car, but not only that. It's also the backroads that in my opinion just beckon the MINI for exploration. And certainly, it's the great people I've met whom I NEVER would have come in contact with but for this goofy little car.

I surely am not blind to the problems with the MINI, nor of some dealers in addressing same. I count myself as very fortunate not to have had any problems thus far and hope that continues. If it does, I'm going to be one of those 'always have a MINI' folks. If not, I'll have to re-evaluate. For now though, I'm definitely loving it!

 

The only MINI with real reliability issues isn't a MINI, but a Mini.

 

The MINI is just different from most other cars. Looks, handling, and still comfortable. But emphasize looks--there is nothing else remotely like it. It's quirky, and quirkiness can quickly lead to cult status. And that is what the MINI has become.

Some people buy MINIs as fun compact car, nothing more, nothing less, and if the car is unreliable, they'll move on like it's any other car. Some people are car nuts, and totally get into the uniqueness of the MINI, and are subsequently willing to overlook its faults. People like that, with a common, devoted interest, tend to group together, especially in the age of the internet. So you get a self-propelling fan club of people who are just as quirky as the car they admire, which eventually develops into a community of people who have a bunch of common interests. And many of these common interests are definitely off the beaten path types of things, which makes it even more interesting and special.

The MINI isn't the only car that has this type of following (Lotus comes to mind), there are others. But it's a combination of things--a great car, a great community of highly independent, individualistic people who tend to be on the brighter side, that leads to the car being more than just something you sit in and drive everyday.

 

I've owned my car almost 8 years, my affection for it is like smoldering coals to which cornering, accelerating, and spirited driving act as bellows. I've only come across two other cars I could even stand to drive. I'd pay like crazy to keep my car, it is my classic car. I'd even hold onto it for years after the engine dies and I couldn't afford to get it fixed right away. But if the time comes that my MINI is no more, only by means of a catastrophic collision, and I regrettably did not die in the wreck, I would not get another. It is hard to explain really. There is and will only be one MINI for me.

 

Or better yet...that the back seat is too small...

 

18 months later, I am still possessed. Almost every night before I go to bed I walk into my garage and stare at my car for about 5 minutes. Its insane.

I have had a few minor problems with the car but I am a perfectionist with OCD so I notice every little thing and make sure its taken car of promptly.

The other day I noticed that the windshield had finally cracked. And I was not even a bit upset. I am glad. Now I do not have to look through the "star field" of chips while driving down the road.

 

I've had a lot of problems with mine with poor dealer support, so I think my next car won't be a MINI. Instead I'm leaning towards a 135i with European Delivery!

 

While we see many stories of mechanical and design failure, we also see very few who after crying about their personal automotive disaster(s) who say they are going to get rid of the source of the problem. There is a simple answer to this mystery, we love our little bundles of frustration. Irrational, yes, but those who inhabit this forum are not casual owners of transportation, we are owners of a lifestyle and not about to give it up no matter how aggravating it may be. There are similar auto nuts driving Jaguars, Jeeps, Porsches, Ferraris, MG's, Alfa Romeos, and even Saabs.

 

Y? Because we absolutely love it! This is my 1st MINI and I haven't had anything major go wrong w/it that I couldn't handle. Yes, there may be rattles and the like, but what car doesn't? I love my MINI 4 it's unusual looks, the attention it generates, the handling, the endless youification it inspires like no other, and its quirks. 4 the time being, it's my vehicle of choice.

 

I can't explain why we love things.

Who can resist a puppy? But we all know that they leak, bite, and then they grow up into actual dogs which then cause real headaches.

But who can resist them?

Somehow, Minis worm their way into our collective psyche.

Its almost like they are really not cars at all, but big mechanical puppies that we learn to tolerate because we love them. They provide something that their owners need.

 

I LOVE this analogy. You are so right.