My suggestion is to find a set of used runflats for sale in the market. I sold my first set of runflats for 300 bucks (they had 1800 miles on them) and I just gave a set of runflats away for free (about 3000 miles on them)

There are people that switch and dump the runflats all the time... you'd save a ton of money checking out the market place.

Just a suggestion...

Mark

 

This guy made it 370,000+ miles on his MINI until he needed a new engine:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-d...-000-a-23.html

And he didn't even have to pay for his new one, since it was the mechanic's fault for screwing up.

I say drive the heck out of it, especially since it sounds like its going to be mostly highway mileage anyways.

PS- For those who are saying don't ditch the runflats in case you're stranded. I'm not sure how much space his wife needs, but she can just keep a donut in the trunk. And yes, I vote next tire replacement, no runflats. I don't understand how you can call those comfortable.

 

Thanks for that link. That guy is AWSOME! I hope he and his MINI lives forever!

 

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, MAN‽‽‽

 

Not worth it! They usually start around $1000. Do your own oil changes and brake work. Better equipment for a lot less! 18,000 miles between oil changes is a death sentence, even with synthetic oil.

 

...Not according to the guy in that link. He got 370K miles out of his engine simply going by the onboard oil change counter. His reasoning being, the people who created the onboard counter know more about the engine than he does. Doing so went against his grain too, but he trusted the counter. I believe his logic is correct. There are many things that can kill a modern car as it ages, but I believe not changing the oil unecessarily isn't one of them.

 

Here's my 2c:

Background: I just traded in my 2001 Jetta TDI with 203k miles on a Justa with 50k miles.

I don't think I'd like the Mini as much as my Jetta for a long commute. (I had 100 miles RT with the Jetta. I have 15 miles RT now) The ride in the Jetta was much more comfortable and predictable. I could routinely stretch 50mpg out of the 4speed auto. There was no doubt that was a half-a-million mile engine. For racking up the miles, it's hard to beat the Jetta diesels, on average. With a set of Nokian WR tires, it was unbeatable in the snow... and got great fuel economy and longevity.


JM2C, YMMV, All standard disclaimers apply.

 

It's all about personal experience and perspective. I can drive my wife's '09 Yaris then get into my '10 MC with it's 16" run flats... making that comparison, the run flats feel fine, but that has to do with the car. I'll probably agree with most folks once I run through the RFs and replace them with a standard tire, but by then my personal experince will have changed.

 

Haha... If we traded in the Mini for a Denali, the next upgrade would be to buy a boat so the new truck can haul it. The money saved buying the Yaris would help buying a better boat.

 

O.K., background I live in Keystone, Co. drive 112 miles round trip almost everyday to Winter Park, Co. where I have a retail store that those coming to MITM will visit (silver creek). I drive over two mountain passes of 11,000 plus feet winter and summer with no problems. I traded in my FJ Cruiser for my Mini (AUTOMATIC) with paddle shifters and it is the most reliable car I have ever had in the snow. And believe me, I've seen some snow. I don't think theres anyone who has the commute that I due. I would rather drive my mini in the snow than my FJ. Theres a feeling of being stuck to the ground in the mini. In the FJ when I would go around certain turns I felt a feeling of top heavy even though the FJ is not. I run with a dedicated snow tire (nokian rsi) and have drive through 12" plus passing people on the pass because they couldn't see or they just couldn't make it. My mini is a Justa, but its one of the best handling cars I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of cars and trucks. You will be fine.

 

Nonsense. On my 110 mile commute, my RF's had a sidewall blowout. No added benefit. I was stuck on a rural highway and had to get a tow. Fortunately, it was time for new tires. Non-RF's and a donut spare now. The ride is much smoother and quieter.

 

OP, if you don't have one already, get a clear bra for your hood and front bumper. Rock chips will destroy your paint from all that highway driving.

 

The best thing a high mileage driver can do it try to minimize the depreciation on the car. It is not too hard.

Best practice it to buy a low mile used car (the lower the better) and trade it in as it approaches normal/high miles.

If you get an 07 with 15,000 miles (or whatever) Average miles is (lets say 12k per year so many will have more like 40k on them now. In two or three years if you sell it, your mileage will not be so bad as to take a huge hit on mileage.

If you get new, you will always take a huge hit for mileage, but not to worry, if you just keep it forever, it will never matter.

 

I have the 17" Runflats, i'm not sure how big of a difference there is. But it just feels like I'm rolling on rocks. Can't wait to get some new tires...

 

This is serious driving experience here folks. I've been around some the those corners too.

 

You should try it in white outs, it gets interesting. I really mean it when I say its the most reliable car I've driven in the winter. I talked my mother into a Subaru when she moved up to Colorado, and I still like the Mini better.

 

Any way you look at it, the overall reliability for MINI Coopers is not great. Some people have good experiences, but they are rated fairly badly overall, which only means that this is one thing to consider if you are going to be depending on it every day for such a long commute. Of course, you might get one that has no major problems, as some people have here. Based on my own experience I wouldn't recommend it for a daily driver that I depended on to get to work, but YMMV, and like I said others have had positive experiences with reliability.

This is just something to consider for the long haul, despite the warranty (a commuter car in the shop a lot is not a very good commuter car ). If you do get one, I would advise (like others here) switching to non-run flats.

Some people love the seats for long drives and some don't. I have the sport seats and sometimes they can get a bit painful after long rides, but everyone has different bodies that fit differently in the seats.

 

100 mile round trip commute. Go with the Continental Runflats like I did, you won't regret it!

 

I agree with "ELCapitan". Unless you have a quality back brace and a gel cushion, I would lose the runflats.

 

I'll buy unwanted RF's for cheap. $10 each, $40 for 4. Will only take the ones with 1,000 or less miles.

If you have dealt with the slime and portable pump, i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to again specially at night. A blow up is a blow up, that was true until run flats came out. unless we're talking desert here, run flats will give you the miles to get you situated better.

 

In the auto business and decided to purchase a car outside our "brands" for the first time in 13+ years going for my 09 MCS. (although I put my dealergroups plate frame & name on the back! ) My car is manual and again my commute is from upper westcheter to the bronx and goes through easy highways, to bumber-to-bumper traffic, to pot-hole city and getting almost pushed off the roads by 18 wheelers on a daily basis (100+ miles per day). I would not take back my SUV for my Cooper S for anything! It has to be the most fun I have had in a car out of all my cars/trucks through the years. Great mileage on gas, quick, comfortable (I am 6 2"), and unique. Noticing alot of comments on the RF tires I have to say on the highway if I do hit a larger than normal bump the car jumps over. I am switching wheels/tires for the winter season and am really curious if this would help the sometimes 2 ft jumps over next to another car going 70mph?
Overall, I dont think its a bad choice for a long commute. Think of going from $25 a day in reg gas to filling up once a week at about $35 super grade in NY for starters! GO FOR IT!

 

Other than needing $$ grade fuel, the mini is great on the highway...
I have been doing about 4 hrs of driving 4 days a week for a few weeks, about 220 miles...
My vote since runflats are short lived, get regular tires, and a jack, then keep a spare tire in the back-full-size...you can keep it at very low psi, and carry a compressor to fill it up to save space...
One thing to consider...
Mini's tend to be out of service longer than many makes when they do brake...so if you have a second car if yours will be in the shop for a few days for something, it might be smart!!

 

I've got a 07 MCS with a 6 speed manual. 42K trouble-free miles. Highly recommended!

 

90 Miles round trip with my S Manual and love it. Can't wait to ditch the run flats. I might just order a 2011 JCW and get it over with. Life is short.

 

You could do that or just throw the Alta AP on your S and have more power than a stock JCW.