We had a 2002 mini cooper s 6 speed a few years ago. we got it with about 30k, had it for a little while and sold it with i think around 75k. anyway the mini was the wifes and she/we loved it but we were needing something a little bigger so we got a 2011 audi a3 pretty much fully loaded. while the mini was more fun to drive the a3 has also been a real fun car to drive as well. the a3 obviously had more room, the fit & finish on the interior was hands down nicer, much quieter & smoother but still very sporty, but lately the a3 has been having its share of problems with a lot of time in the shop. sooooo... it got us thinking about getting rid of it and looking for a 2nd gen mini cooper s. but here are a few of my concerns/questions i have about the 2nd gen mini that i wasn't to happy about with the 02...

1. how is the a/c? i know we always hated the a/c as it never seemed to cool the car down when it was 100 degrees +

2. how much quieter is it than the 1st gen? i know its a little sports car/go cart but come on!!! our mini was so loud it felt like it was going to fall apart!!! like i was in a world war 2 bomber plane!!! and the damn window & sunroof wind noise was absolutely crazy!!!

3. interior fit and finish. now i know even when i had it before i thought the fit and finish was kind of poor quality. but how much better is it on the 2nd gen? hopefully it's much better because going from the audi a3 which has pretty impressive interior finish for a $38,000 car i'd be real worried if it was close to the quality of the 2002 mini!

4. reliability?!? one of the main reasons we got rid of the first mini is because it started spending more time in the shop than on the road. now i know mini and reliable don't belong in the same sentence but hopefully this gen is a little more reliable than the mini i had!!!

hopefully someone with experience with both gens can help me out some...

 

My advice is to avoid the following:

2007 – 2010 R56 S model (N14 engine)
2009 – 2010 R57 S model convertible (N14 engine)
2008 – 2010 R55 S Clubman (N14 engine)
Also - the JCW used the N14 thru 2012

Problems include: It may drink lots of oil, carbon build-up, fuel pump, and the timing chain.

 

The AC is inadequate when temperatures get high, great in Spring weather. Avoid any MCS with an N14 engine, too many problems that never got resolved. This is where the N18 engine improves upon.

 

Mrplease,

I recently purchased a 2012 R56 N18 with 36K miles, The A/C is good and has not had any issues in the mid 90's- low 100 degree weather in SWFL. The interior is nice at first and then appears somewhat plasticy, especially if you are coming from and Audi A3. Overall I am happy with my purchase (coming from a '14 Wrangler 4 door and a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 earlier this year.)

If I could go a month back and do the trade all over again, I would do it again. I enjoy the Mini but it is not as luxurious as I initially thought it was.

 

Having had both, the A/C is OK in the 2nd gen cars. We live in S Texas.

As previously stated, the N18 engine resolved a lot of issues. We have a 2013 with 10K miles. No oil consumption and had never been back to the dealer. Do my own oil changes... I think the interior materials are the same as gen 1 cars. Thats you're decision.

Its still the "funnest" car I've ever owned.

 

We have a 2012 MCS. The AC works fine, even here in AZ where it can get over 110 during the summer. We did install heavy tint all the way around..

 

so basically make sure its a 2011+, NONE with the n14 engine which is a 2007-2010.

one thing i always thought would have helped was to get limo tint on the sunroof glass and get dark tint all the way around to help with the temp! i will def. be doing that if we go back to a mini!!!

 

That's exactly what we did. Limo tint on the sunroof, the darkest we could go legally for the rest of the windows. Is a life saver here in AZ..

 

great! so the n14 engine was that bad?!?

is it something i need to avoid at all cost or if i find a nice 2010 it'll be ok?

 

I would suggest AVOIDING ALL GEN2 Direct injected MINI's (so all S)...
if you DO get one...get the N18...less carbon issues....maybe say the BEST of the worst...even there there is few REAL issues...
MINI has done an engine change for a reason for the gen3 for a reason...take the hint...they ended the partnership with Peugeot.....and changed the cars to fit a BMW derived motors for the 3rd gen cars...
Timing chain and carbon issues have been a HUGE issue on the N14..slightly less on the n18.

 

agree...
The n14 CAN be tuned through the ODB2 port...
BOTH a HUGE plus for some..but minus if it was done by the prior owner and abused.....
n14, imo is a no go...
some get lucky and love them..but many have been through multiple $1000 carbon cleanings, and a couple $2000 timing chains or even engines when the chains tensioner fails....then add the usual MINI stuff...

 

Not to mention the burning a quart every 1,000 miles and calling it NORMAL

 

I have a Mini Cooper 2007 Base model with 160,000 miles on it.

I've replaced the timing chain just now. Incredible that it even lasted that long!

 

the non-s has the n12 or n16 motors,,,(check, bot 100% sure)
timing chain is mostly a non-issue, no carbon issues, etc,
Good fairly solid cars if the HP meets your needs...most have long lives..the occasional issue, but great cars for most!

 

My 2007 S has 54,000 miles on it.
Timing chain was replaced at 35,000 miles.
The engine blew 10 days ago; burned a hole in piston 3. The check engine light came on after the hesitation started.
I'd avoid the N14 at all costs.

 

How do you put a hole in a piston, casting flaw?

 

While our '09 S (75k miles) has been mostly reliable, it did poop the tensioner out last year and we were just lucky it happened in a parking lot. Knowing that, and having a friend with a tuned supercharged S, I would never advise buying an N14. The older S seems to last longer and is much easier to add power (imo).

 

I have had plenty of things to fix on my 08 MCS. I think if you drive a car and love it, you need to prepare for issues. One way to get to this is to buy a certified MINI with a warranty.

If you are looking for a reliable daily driver that has no issues, a Gen 2 S may not be the best choice. Maybe check out a non-S or the 3rd gen?

Have fun,
Mike

 

To answer your questions,

1) A/C has little to no issues. Source: live in 90+ weather.

2) This car isn't quiet. It rattles and squeaks, it is a gokart, not a porky sedan like an A3

3) Think Mustang, Jetta, Accord type quality. They have a lot of fake leather, and a lot of plastic, but I would say BMW has more durable products than VW.

4) Reliability? DONT BUY A GERMAN CAR unless it is from Stuttgart. Porsche is the only German manufacture that does well in reliability ratings. If you want a quality car that is reliable, built well, and roomier than a mini or an A3, get an IS350. Source: I had an IS350 and I didn't want those things

 

Also, ohh the unabashed N14 hate. A lot of what people say is true, but completely embellished.

JCW N14s don't have the same frequent issues as a regular S, like the timing chain. If you did buy a N14, try and get a JCW

R53s had their issues too, it isn't like in Minis were amazing in 2k6 then in 2k7 Mini went to crap with the introduction of the turbo. Think auto tranny. here is the IQs studies from 2K4-2K12. Nothing but negative trends across the board for all models of Minis (R53, R56N14, R56N18)

R56/R53 have the same ballpark figures for reliable horsepower on the stock motor, in fact, there seems to be more after market tuning options for the R56

R53s do look better IMO, possibly because you don't see too many well done ones any more

If you did get a R56, don't believe some who say multiple 1k carbon cleanings. It is required only when the CEL comes on (according to Mini) but most do it every 50K or so. Cost is about $400.

 

Got a 09 S, got timing chain replaced at 30k, engine replaced at 40k

 

A lean condition can make the piston melt and burn.

 

07' R56S bought at 45k miles... now at 90k miles... timing chain was replaced under warranty at 75k I'm only losing maybe a quart every 5k miles... never had to do any cleaning's other than seafoam once or twice I've done on my own... don't really think it did anything though.

Never had any other issues honestly... *fingers crossed* lol

 

1) ok, well thats good news i guess!

2) our a3 is a pretty small hatchback, i'd say like a 4-door gti.

3) thats about the impression i got from our old 2002 mini.

4) that's somewhat true. I currently own a 2010 porsche cayenne. We bought in in 2011 with 26,000 miles. It now has 76,000 and honestly it has had zero problems!!!! Knock on wood!!! On the other hand i had a 2008 mercedes c350 and sold it in 2011 for the cayenne and we never ever had a problem with that one either and it was german...

 

this thread is a little saddening. we absolutely loved our 2002 mini cooper s. but the reliability really sucked! i was hoping a few years later mini would get their sh*t together, but it really sounds like a lot of the same. now we always but european vehicles so i know they have their "quirks". but the "quirks" of a european car out weighs the blahhh boring factor of a reliable japanese luxury car. the little shop time here and there i'm ok with, but the constant hugh problems that these mini's are having (BLOWN MOTORS?!?) thats crazy and makes me a little hesitant to say the least!!!