I wished for a MCS but a temporary lease was required with an auto box so we went with a Justa Cooper. I know it's temporary and I don't worry about it (except for that damn auto box!).

I don't want to knock the justa because it's a blast with a manual transmission and more than adequate on the tight twisty roads... MINI did a great job of making their more basic car not feel like you are being cheapened out for not choosing a MCS. For most people there is no "NEED" for a MCS, just like many people probably don't "NEED" a car for transportation, but I find the justa lacking in torque and a few other quibbles.

I say if you can justify the MCS cost and possible increased reliability issues then go for it (you have a warranty). Otherwise don't worry about regret.

 

The S was not even an option again due to Budget, we didn't even test drive an S...so I can't make a comparison on choice at the time. I've had S Loaners, but I'm always glad when I can go and pick up the Molly Car at MoP!! Just ask my SA...I'm usually there just as he is calling me to tell me...she's ready to go!!

 

No regrets on our Justa, either. With the stock 15 inch wheels and tires it has a surprising amount of grip and is really tossable.

 

My Dad has an '05 MCS, manual, and that thing hauls. I've driven it, taken a few years off my dad's life span with how much I enjoyed it, and decided that I didn't need a car with that much potential for getting in trouble. I'm not a very good driver and when I got my car it had been 4 years since I had consistently been driving any car so I knew that I needed a car that would keep me out of trouble. My MC fits the bill perfectly. It still has plenty of get up and go, even with the automatic, and it has the handling and safety features I knew that I needed. Someday I'll get a MCS but I do not regret my choice one bit.

And for the record, our '05 MCS has had very few repairs. The first set of brakes lasted over 60k miles. I know that something was repaired a couple of years ago, but it wasn't anything major or anything massively expensive. These are great little cars if you get a good one, which can be said of any brand.

 

I am afraid I have to downgrade my high expectations of reliability of my Justa. I've just confirmed yesterday my fear that I have a leaky water pump. Dealer charges $850 to replace it. Service adviser pretty much said I should not expect any assistance from Mini Corporate. Water pump should not fail that early. I've put a lot of miles on my prior rides (260K on my previous E30) and never had to deal with anything like this. Off to Amazon to get Bentley manual...

 

2008 base with 60,000 miles.....water pump at 50,000 miles at that is it! Mini covered it free of charge too! I am very satisifed.

 

No issues worth noting @ ~56k miles for our '09 Cooper.

 

09 justa 'lilbooger' purchased early this summer w/13k miles - now 20k (wow, 7k already how'd that happen?) has been reliable as a stone - not a hint of an issue. I live on a mountain so most all my driving begins or ends in the twisties. Four years ago things took a turn for the worse with my driving because of a brain injury - it takes all my concentration to drive and I'm limited in how much I am able to drive without rest. The justa has really added some fun back into driving. I don't regret the absence of a turbo - Quite the contrary, with my limitations, the car is faster than I am. I would like to say to drivers of all marques - if you drive in a spirited manner, particularly if you drive aggressively - give others plenty of consideration. Remember, some of us out there have limitations and are doing the best we can. We're people just like your friends and family.

 

2010 with 22,000 on her with zero problems yet!

 

2007 R56 with auto transmission: 34k miles. No problems, no surprises, no rattles, no creaks. Just perfect. Replaced the tires and brakes at 24k miles. That's about it.

 

My 08 now has 63000 miles and is perfect. No issues at all. So nice that I am torn with a decision. I found a 58000 mile Clubman S in the same colors and my Cooper. It is loaded. I can get a good deal on it if it is worth buying as its been for sale for 4 months. Even if it is truly clean, I feel that I'm lucky with my Cooper that I love, and I may change places with something that is not as reliable. The only reason for the change is more room for my son behind my seat. Decisions...decisions...

 

Our 08 oxygen blue now has 88000 miles and has not let us down at all. We drive it all over the country, it has been from Florida to Pikes Peak. I drive it hard too on the back roads of rural tennessee all the time including the Dragon. Only problem that cost me some money was putting my comfort access key through the wood chipper ($350) ! Today my wife tells me she found that replacement key in the washer, yes it got washed. Still works to start the car but not to lock and unlock the car, anybody got a fix for that?

 

My 09 automatic has about 40K. It got a new water pump very early, and since then has been totally boring -- nothing to take apart. Its sorta like the energizer bunny.

BTW, fuel economy improves with age. It gets better mileage at 40K than it did at 10.

I did dump the run-flats, and since then the rattles have also largely gone away.

 

The dryer??

 

24,7XX miles, the only thing wrong is a stupid sunroof rattle. At times I wanna go postal on it. Mechanically it's perfect.

 

Meh...Consumer Reports is great for washing machines or toaster ovens, but they treat cars like appliances and have no clue about driving passion. I've ignored warnings about so-called unreliable cars many times. The best example that comes to mind is a Jaguar X-Type. A Jaguar, for cryin' out loud, that went 100K without ever having gone back to the dealer. Just oil and tires.

There are lemons from every manufacturer and once a car leaves you stuck somewhere, you'll curse it for life, but my MINI is a great, but not perfect car. I love the hell of it, probably as much as my first car (decades ago).

 

A '10 Justa here with just under 10k miles on it, no problems at all. Well, except wipers and stone chips. Seriously tho, I am happy as a pig in. . . well, you get it. No regrets either, Stinky's price was right, it had options I wanted, and with the type of driving I do, it is the perfect car. I wouldn't change anything about my choice. Then again, I am a "I'll-take-the-base-model-and-mod-it-to-my-liking" kind of guy.

 

I had my rear oil seal and clutch replaced under warranty and a catalytic converter replace under recall. I consider this below average, but I haven't had anything major out of warranty.

Currently at 46k miles