Hello everyone. I just wanted to say thank you everyone for sharing all your knowledge and expertise. This forum has been really informative and helpful but however, owning this mini cooper has caused me a lot of worries, time, stress, and money. It is a great fun car to drive....when its working properly. Ive asked myself so many times if this car is worth the money, time, stress, and worries and i have finally came to solid decision and my answer is NO. It only has 61000 miles and i already did so many repairs to it that i never experience before on hondas acuras toyotas and nissans. Problems that i had on this mini are.....first, death rattle at 52,000 miles fixed. Radiator leak at 59000 miles. Water pump leak, both of the pulleys for water pump was torn apart main one the belt that is wrapped around it is all peeling off and the second one is cracked (i have never seen a cracked metal pulley before) engine main seal leaks. Transmission jerked and banged down shifting to 1st gear and now again the death rattle when cold (LOUD) at 61000 miles. This is only at 61000 miles, can you guys imagine when it hits somewhere 100000 miles? So this weekend i have decided and to trade in my mini for a new car. I feel like all my worries are gone now and no longer worried about whats next and when and how much. So goodbye to all and think about what i posted. If you think your mini is good then thats good but if you think your mini has a big question mark then all the time then thats for you to decide. Save your self some time money and worries. Act quickly cause yiu never know whats next, when where and HOW MUCH! THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP EVERYONE.

 

Wish Fanboy Clown Car Guy would read that post. That's how you make a farewell post even though the MINI hasn't been a trouble-free car.

Sorry it didn't work out for you, zato. And considering the gracious departure post, wish you had posted more often.

Good luck to you!

 

Zato good luck with the new car!

Sorry the Mini did not work out for you.

 

I feel your pain, man. Best of luck with your new ride. And yeah, this forum is pretty cool.

 

Yes it is really painful. I took care of that mini so bad. When i traded it in dealer was surprised they said it is in showroom condition. They gave me $11500 for trade in. Carmax was going to pay me $9000 and long beach mini wants to give me $8500. Toyota of hooman long beach gave me the best trade in value that i couldnt pass. Goodluck everyone.

 

You had a base cooper right? I'd say that's a pretty good price. I got $12,500 for my '07s on trade. I loaded that thing up when I ordered it, spent $35,000 after taxes and all the other BS. The blue book said I could probably get around $14 or close to $15 if I sold it myself. But Mini's are a hard sell around here in northeast PA, especially now that the fall and winter are around the corner. Plus I don't really have the time and I needed a dependable ride now. Anyway you look at it, I was going to lose money given what I paid for it new and adding in the $5,000 plus I just spent on repairs. Though, I did get 5 years with the car and it was mostly just the last year that was the worst.

Like I said in another thread, I still love the design and style of the Mini. But I friggen hate that Peugeot motor they stuck in it. I don't know who had the most input on it, BMW or Peugeot, but I hope they fire the guys responsible.

 

Congrats on the new ride but wear and tear affects every car not just MINIs.

 

Who are you?

 

Good luck with the new car! I suppose there are big regional differences, but I've been offered as much as $11,000 for my '06 as a trade-in.

 

Everyone has their limit. I have a friend who wants to buy a Mini and he asks for my advice all the time. I don't tell him to get it but I don't tell him not to get it, I just tell him it's not a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan or even a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge when it comes to reliability and it's not those cars when compared to drive-ability and style.

Mini = Fun, headaches, style, expensive, fast, stressful, individuality, remorse, excitement, anger, head-turning, disappointment... just can't explain it...

 

I have a love/hate relationship with my MINI...I hate it every time I need to spend money on maintenance/repairs...but as soon as I get behind the wheel it just seems to all make sense...I will cry the day that an inattentive driver inevitably totals it...

 

I know the feeling -- had a similar love/hate relationship with a 2009 BMW K1300GT motorcycle. Stupid fast and great handling bike but spent more time in the shop than on the road. I hated to part with it but the aggravavtion became too intense. Bought a *** bike and never looked back because it is dependable -- always available to ride.

 

Mini = Fun, headaches, style, expensive, fast, stressful, individuality, remorse, excitement, anger, head-turning, disappointment... just can't explain it...[/QUOTE]


You said it so well !! My car has been gone almost a month getting a major fix. It's back and I'm beyond happy. Some people close to me have jokingly said my interest in the car was on the verge of OCD. Of course I realize the remarks are intended only as good natured fun. However, gardenng, painting, or any of my other projects are never scrutinized, as has been my interest in my car.
I knew when I bought my used MINI that the price was good, was another persons trade in and I'd be doing some fixing. Now when I hear a remark that I'm not to keen on hearing, I like to say that I just look dumb.

 

Yes i understand the wear and tear part. I have a 94 nissan sentra that i still drive. Everything WORKS. ORIGINAL TRANS AND ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN AND AC COMPRESSOR and RADIATOR. with 320000+ miles . of course i have to do some work on it like brakes belts and alternators and batteries and all routine maintenance. My point is some cars last longer than the other ones and some cars just doesnt last that long at all. So if you guys think at every 60000 miles or so (maybe less), you need to do a timing CHAIN! radiator, pulleys, seals, a water pump and a new transmission is REASONABLE and you call it a wear and tear then thats your opinion and i respect that. But my own opinion is that it is a reliability, engineering, and quality issues. But, thats my own opinion. Everyone's opinion is correct for themselves and could be wrong for others. I feel confident that if i drive my 94 sentra 500 miles one way that i would make it back but never felt that kind of confidence with my cooper. Do you guys feel confident driving your mini's 500 miles away from your home that you will make it back without a problem? Thanks everyone. Happy driving and drive safely.

 

I do, because the R53 doesn't have any of those issues

 

Zato,
I totaly understand your reliabiblity concerns.
Best of luck to you.

 

Yup and I have do it in both Europe and here in the USA. Again, who are you?

 

I do. Bought my car in Miami and drove it over 1600 miles home. No issues. But I understand your feelings, appreciate your honesty and wish you luck with the new ride.

 

I'm a little shocked to read that you had those issues on a justa.

 

I would have no problem jumping in my MINI and heading out on a cross-country round trip, so a little 500-miler would not be an issue. 500 miles is like one week of driving for me and my MINI has been doing it week in and week out for 4.5 years. I did just have to get some work done on it 108k miles. Overall though, the only vehicle that has been more reliable for me was a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

I thought the timing chain tensioner problem is almost always with turbos? That's a shame, Zato, but maybe some day you will be a MINI driver again, if they work out some of the issues. Hope your new car does you proud!

 

I'm replacing parts so often, it's only a matter of time before I have a brand new car. Of course by the time I've replaced the last bit, the parts I replaced first will be wearing out. It's a European car. I've owned others, and figured this going in. It's still surprising how much I've done to it, though. I'm going to see it through to at least 250k (miles or dollars, whichever occurs first).

 

This thread scares me.. I just bought an 08 Cooper S with 87k on it, I'm up to 92k and havent had any issues so far *knocks on wood* but quite honestly after owning my cooper every other car seems so blah to me! Good luck with your new car!

 

Every part that needs replacing on my MINI is getting replaced with a higher quality aftermarket part so that it won't fail again anytime soon

Make sure to look into all the common problems with those early R56's and make sure to get anything that needs fixing done ASAP.

 

Hi joanieb.
I would really love to drive and own a mini again but not for now. I will need to do some more research and maybe wait a couple of years to see how the newer ones are. Goodluck everyone. I keep saying goodbye but this forum is so good that i keep reading the threads here.