I understand you're not going to have HPFP issues on the non-turbo engine. But are there other issues plaguing S's and not base MC's?

How about oil consumption, are MC's running into this issue, or is it just a turbo thing?

 

I'm still a newbie on MINIs, having just bought mine. But I did a lot of reading before buying, and from what I can tell the simple answer is yes. The base model has many less issues. I don't believe the timing chain tensioner issue plagues the Justa, nor does the carbon buildup. Obviously, there's no turbo oil line problems either. That's why it was the deal maker when I found out that the MCS I was looking at had MINI's extended powertrain warranty AND already had the timing chain issue fixed. Otherwise, I may have very happily ended up with a Justa.

 

'May have ended up with a Justa.' You say that as a bad thing.

Justa = Just Awesome!

Over 5,000 miles and no issues (Except a flat tire, which isn't Comet's fault).

I agree with the part about less issues.

Happy Motoring!

 

Oops, you're right. That came out horribly (where's the forehead slap "Do'h! smilie??? ). Edited the post. What I was trying to say is that my wife and I were actually leaning towards buying a Justa and would have been very, very happy with it. It had a lot of advantages...better fuel mileage, lower price, better reliability. But we both like the asthetic look of the MCS and extra power is rarely a bad thing. We were just about to buy a black '08 Justa w/15k miles that was loaded. When this MCS came along, it caught our eye. The pricing was fantastic, much better than others we had seen. Then we found out about it's extended warranty and already fixed tensioner. We debated back and forth between the two, but having the extended warranty was the deal maker in chosing the MCS.

My apology if it came out wrong. I'm happy to be a MINI owner, Justa or MCS.

 

All MINIs have problems. There is just no way around it. You could buy a MINI Cooper (non-S) and experience all types of weird crap never seen on the MINI Cooper S. Buy what one you like best and don't look back.

 

And let's all call a MINI without a turbo by a better name: A Straight Cooper.
Justa is cute, but a bit demeaning, even though I've used the phrase too.

 

From the forum, it looks like a lot of turbo models have high oil consumption. Does this happen on base Coopers too?

 

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]No worries. I was just tormenting you. I saw your post and couldn't resist. I don't know about anyone else but my skin is too thick (Much like my skull) to upset that easy.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Even if you hated Justa's you are entitled to your opinion. Seems like you got a deal with it having the warranty. Bottom line enjoy your MCS[/SIZE][/FONT]
.

 

No oil used for my JustA (). So I don't think it is an issue. When I had my oil changed after the break in period the dealer overfilled it (Seriously I don't understand that). I had them fix.

 

I'm at 45 k miles and use zero oil :-)

 

Add to the list of S problems also the aux water pump. Remember, the turbo engine gets MUCH hotter. It is a whole different beast. My straight Cooper's hood never gets so hot on top that I can't rest my hand on it. On turbos, there is a lot of excess heat, more working systems, more things to go wrong. Haven't read of any undue oil consumption in MCs, and of course because they are not direct injection, they also don't get carbon buildup, etc as mentioned above. Better gas mileage too. Check Fuelly.com for actual gas mileage from actual cars. Not what some guy says on a forum, but what people are tracking day in and day out. Straight Coopers made the 'reliable car' list, while S's got a thumbs down. Of course, ANY car can have problems, but it's a fact that MOST MCs will have far less problems than MOST MCSs, especially as they get older.

 

Totally makes sense Joanie. Forgot about the carbon buildup issue. I'm sure the S is fun, but it sounds like you have to pay to play.

 

Just depends on your buying habits... If you're planning on trading in as soon as (or before) the warranty's up, who cares?

I figure on keeping mine awhile - particularly since I'm not too keen on the things I've seen about the next generation so far (but that's a discussion for another thread).