2012's better?
 

Considering purchasing a '12 S. I've read many comments on here, as well as other sites, that the 07-11's are maintenance whores and are in the shop more often than on the road. I'm looking for a fun daily driver, but a daily driver above all else. I haven't seen as many threads started on here by owners of '12's. Is it just because they don't have enough miles on them yet, or did Mini really get a lot of the issues fixed for this year?

2012 have fewer problems because they haven't manifested yet :lol: ;)

why not get a 2013? i'm presume there are incentives to clear them out for the 3rd gen. models.

I think I remember reading that someone in the market had checked and since 2013 has come and gone, the dealers have paid for the cars, and have no incentive to deal on them. Something to that effect anyway...

I say do 5k oil changes and hope for the best. Driving an 09 near 100k...

I bought a 2013 a couple of weeks ago and can confirm that the only dealer incentives were the $500 loyalty credit and 0.9% financing(the money is costing me a whopping $610 to borrow....they are giving money away!).

Dealer showed me the incentive catalog and zip on everything else, at least for JCW's...

07-10 N14 engines seem to have more issues than N18 of 2011+. My '11 has been solid reliable aside from warranty covered HPFP.

My 12"S" had issues addressed under warranty, no problems since (hope to keep it that way). My 13 has the same miles on it as the 12 and has been troublefree, but it's also a justa which are known to be more reliable.

I see, thanks. Did i also read somewhere that there's no tunes for the 11+ yet?

To put in perspective, both my 12 & 13 were bought new off the lot. 12 had issues at 7800 miles, it now has 22K problem free since that. 13 is at 22K and also troublefree. I'm still in the "warranty" period but not for that much longer, so we'll see.

Cool, thanks for the reply! Looking forward to hearing anyone's experience, good and/or bad, so please chime in.

my 12' has 30k miles on it and almost trouble free, only having issues with the automatic window, other than that its been good!

I have a '12 MCS with 26k miles. For the most part, has been trouble free. I noticed recently it appears I've developed a very small oil leak. Will be getting it into the dealer soon to get it checked.

I have 47k miles on my 2012 S manual, only had the thermostat issue, replaced under warranty like 30k miles ago. Perfect otherwise.

What about 11 vs. 12? Significant difference in issues? Because I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a 11 MCS that I think is out of warranty.

What is the warranty terms? 3 years/50k miles?

"4-year/50,000 Mile Limited Warranty
At MINI, our commitment to quality, durability and customer satisfaction is clearly demonstrated by a 4year/50,000 mile MINI New Passenger Car Limited Warranty and a 12-year/unlimited-mileage warranty against rust perforation. (Note, 12-year/unlimited-mileage warranty applies to 2004 models and newer. Earlier models have a 6-year/unlimited-mileage warranty against rust perforation.) Refer to your MINI Service and Warranty Information booklet or visit your MINI Dealer for terms, conditions and limitations.

Some go the extra mile. We prefer an extra 36,000.
Our Boot-to-Bonnet Maintenance Program is one of the most comprehensive maintenance programs in its class. It covers all factory-recommended maintenance for the first 3 years or 36,000 miles, and is included with every new MINI at absolutely no extra cost."

OK, thanks for the info. I thought it was 3 years and was a little nervous because it's a 2011 and I thought out of warranty. 23K miles, so mileage is well under the 50K.

I have a '13 MCS. It's 3yrs/36K miles.

I have a 2010 MCS for a year now. I bought it used with 32200 miles. Now it nearing 37k, no problem aside from replacing the battery couple of months ago.
Other than that, no problem. It's a keeper!

JCW Tuning Kit from MINI has always been available. Factory warranty with that tune as well.

Be careful, depending on when the vehicle was first sold will determine when the warranty ends. If it was an early release 2011 it could be coming up on 4 years fairly quick. You'll want a MINI dealer to run the VIN and see when the date of first use is. That way you know for sure when the warranty expires. It looks like the warranty will expire by time instead of miles since the mileage is so low.

That's the maintenance plan, not the warranty which is 4/50k.

My '12 MCS has 45k miles...no issues.

I'm not recalling any mechanical differences between 11's and 12's.

MotoringFile had this about the 12's when they were coming out...

http://www.motoringfile.com/2011/07/...-year-changes/

which seemed mostly marketing/cosmetic stuff.

I've had the JCW tuning kit on mine since new. It did take them awhile to get the correct software for a '12, mine was the first one they'd done as I took delivery in March 2012.

hth.