Trade it in immediately. It's a hunk of junk. Buy a Buick.

 

I took a ridiculously long time to buy my MINI. I did the research, went on test drives, looked at other cars, etc. for about a year before ordering mine custom. I had doubts about reliability, and that is what was holding me back at first. I have owned a few BMWs and know that they are great driving cars but not the most reliable and expensive to fix. But it all came down to the fact that this is a truly unique car. I knew I couldnt go with a Mazdaspeed 3 or a VW, I just couldnt stand the way they looked. Everything else that even drove close to a MINI was a lot more expensive. So I took the plunge and I am SO glad I did. I have had no problems at all and have more fun driving this car than any other car I have owned. I have done a few mods, such as adding more leather to the interior (all armrests), and adding a subwoofer and I cant wait to do more!

 

I recently sold my 2000 C5 convertible and bought a 2007 mcs. I had my C5 for 7 years and although it had 74K miles when I sold it, I never had a problem with it. If I had read the Corvette forum BEFORE I bought my car back in 2004, I'd probably feel exactly like you do--really nervous about my choice. I've owned my mcs for a couple of months, it had 44k miles when I bought it and was very well cared for and maintained. Again, I have had zero issues with the car and enjoy it daily. Forums have inputs from a lot of different folks and it's not unusual to have the forum slanted toward issues with the car, not those singing the praises of the car. My suggestion, get your car, enjoy it and put your worries behind you--you may have an issue now and then, however, the mini warranty is outstanding!

 

I've had my 2007 MCS for 7 months with 0 problems. Hardly a long time, but I agree with the others, generally, you'll only see the posts when people have problems. This was the same with other cars and trucks I have owned - I saw a lot of posts on the boards about major problems and I never had one. Sure some cars have problems, but many don't. If you like it, get and enjoy it. I love mine - it is a great car.