Haha, I sure hope so, that french motor really worried me.

The stang is a real treat to cruise around in. Today was the first day of the year that it's been above 70 degrees, so I finally got to take a drive with the windows down. It handles surprisingly well for a big american car. You can definitely feel the extra weight (quite a bit of nosedive on hard braking and such), but it's dampened pretty well .. much more composed over rough roads than my MINI ever was. The bumpsteer on her was really scary sometimes, especially at speed.

I also managed to go slightly sideways for the first time, until the stability control nanny kicked in and sent me on my way The 3.7L V6 is no slouch, that's for sure. Also, holy crap have I ever missed RWD (at least until next winter rolls around!).

 

There's no substitute for cubic inches! 1.6 to 2.0 is a 25% increase.

I'm hoping for a "Supercharged" rather than Turbo'd 2.0L

 

Damn!! I'm new to Mini and didn't know they were unreliable. I've owned a BMW before and thought they'd be of the same build quality. I'll be picking up my '13 Cooper S this week. Hope the '13s are more reliable than the previous ones.

Nice mustang BTW. Diggin' the color. I was gonna pick up a 5.0 this year but it lacked the fun. Mustangs sound amazing though.. both the V6 and the V8..

 

I am sure others will chime in here, but take heart and enjoy your new purchase when you get it, because the MINI isn't necessarily unreliable at all. Certainly there have been a few folks with issues, but there are thousands like me who have had a great ownership experience. I have 34K trouble-free miles and there are many, many others with even more miles of motoring bliss.

 

Well thats reassuring.. and besides.. I am getting a 5 year open mileage warranty from the dealer here in the U.A.E.. which is great.. but which means no aftermarket mods that would void warranty either :(..

 

I bought my Mini because I fell in love with it when I drove it. I did no research on them whatsoever. I just wanted it. Then I joined NAM. I felt like I made a huge mistake. I was devastated by all the negative feedback the N14 received. And rightfully so. The N14 has been plagued.

Two days after this last Christmas I replaced my oil supply/return lines. In February this year I replaced my water pump. The following weekend I replaced my thermostat housing. Needless to say I am pretty scared to drive the car at times but she is my daily driver. After reading this entire thread I too wonder what is next for my Winnie. I have a ALTA AP and run a Stage 1 FMIC, so throwing more boost at the stock internals has me a bit concerned too. I don't abuse my Mini but I wont turn down a race either.

I had a WRX that I threw 26 PSI (VF34) at all day on a stock EJ20 with no worries. My Mini is like a crap shoot. I cant decide what to do with her. I love to drive her and I get lots of compliments on her but I have 51k miles now (bought with 32k in 2012) and I constantly wonder what the next item of concern will be. I change my oil every 5k miles. and keep a watchful ear about the death rattle. Hell I might as well just replace that tensioner too.

I understand your decision and do not question it. I too struggle with thoughts of selling her every time I hop on NAM. Hell I am thinking about it now! I've never been lucky at gambling and that is what I am doing.

Best of luck to you with your Stang! She looks great.

P.S. I lost both my parents to cancer two years apart. I feel your pain and your struggles. You have my condolences my friend.

 

I can relate. I factory-ordered mine and got it Oct 2009. I have been diligent with oil changes every 5k and routine maintenance, and don't drive a lot of miles due to my proximity to work--I just passed 24k miles, about 6k per year.

Within the past year alone, I have had:

failed clutch throwout bearing
leaking water pump
cylinder head cover valve oil leak
leaking oil filter gasket
sunroof frame coming apart, the rear glass rattled over every bump
"stretched" timing chain, dealer replaced the whole thing

Through my own ignorance I didn't check the oil regularly between changes, and the oil leaks reached the point where the low oil light came on briefly. It was down 3 quarts! My bad for not noticing earlier, but it's crazy that this stuff should fail at such low mileage.

I have 5 more months of warranty coverage. I'm deciding now whether I should get extended warranty or get rid of the car when the warranty is up.

 

If I were in your shoes, I think I'd sell now. You will probably do well considering the very low mileage and the fact you still have remaining warranty time. My MCS is doing well, and with it being a 2011 (N18 vs N14) I am more confident in mine than you seem to be in yours. That said, I have 35k on the clock now and if things start going bad between now and the end of my warranty period, I will seriously consider selling, even though every other vehicle I and my wife have owned has been driven well past 100K miles before we traded or sold it. With resale prices holding up and the high costs of maintenance and repair on MINI's that need attention, it just doesn't make sense financially to keep a car that seems to have issues, and it seems some MINI's are jewels and some seem plagued with issues. Just my observation.

 

I have to agree with highlander709 on this.
I would sell now too in that situation.

 

Good luck with your "me-too" car. Also it is a shame that you had such trouble with your MINI but, everything you described is pretty much on par with what goes wrong with these cars.