I have a 2013 hardtop with a little over 90,000 miles. I've taken good care of it, but it's also had about $5,000 in repairs this year, including a new clutch. It's running fine right now. However, I worry the car is entering a point in its life when the repairs will continue to pile up and am considering getting a new MINI. Can anyone who has owned the generation of MINI I have share their experience with the same model? I need to decide if I should try squeezing a few more years out of my MINI or whether the repairs will keep coming and spending the money on a new MINI is the better option. Yes, I know there are a lot of variables, but I'm just looking for a general idea of what I can expect with an R56 MINI that is about to turn 12 and getting close to 100K miles.


Thanks!

 

My Clubman is a 2012 model year, built in January 2012. I am ~100 miles shy of the 200k tally. My best advice is to learn how to wrench on the car yourself. If you have to take it to a shop, the cost are really going to start adding up. While a 2013 Mini should be generally reliable, it will never match a Honda / Toyota / Mazda of similar vintage. 5000 mile oil changes will help tremendously.

 

I had a 2013 R56S (October 2012 production date) with 114K kms (~70K miles) for a couple of months shy of 12 years. I fully agree with @njaremka suggestion above - I was doing all the regular maintenance on the car myself and was lucky enough not to have any major problems with it throughout the ownership. The only reason I sold it this August is MINI stopping production of manual transmission cars, so I pulled the trigger on the new JCW, which is allegedly the very last model to have MT. Otherwise I was planning to keep driving R56 as long as I can. On the other hand I totally understand your worry. The thoughts of eventual major repairs have started to cross my mind as the car was getting older. In the end it wasn't the main factor behind my decision but certainly something that added to it.

 

i agree with Nik, time to learn to do it yourself. there is a lot of plastic parts in there, that over time, are going to need to be replaced, not to mention seals, gaskets, sensors, maybe both fuel pumps, etc.

 

As you said there's a lot of variables, but a rule of thumb is that financially it rarely makes sense to replace a working older car with a brand new car. You'd want to replace a car when it becomes either unsafe, or unreliable enough that you just can't trust it.

Like, doing some *very* ballpark estimates, a new Mini is going to cost you maybe $4K/yr for the first 4-5 years of ownership in depreciation. You can buy a lot of repairs for that amount of money. There's also the opportunity cost of putting money into a new car that you should account for. Like, $10K down payment for a new Mini vs. putting that in the market and getting maybe 4% returns is $400 year...that sort of thing. You can do the math based on your situation, depreciation estimates, etc.

Like I said, there are other variables, like the hassle and unexpectedness of repairs vs. having a warranty, being worried it'll break down, or just "I want a new car". But if you look at it financially, keeping an old car running is typically more favorable than buying a new one, even if you're paying for repairs.

 

With only 90K miles (and a new clutch), you have plenty of life left in that car. If you haven't done so already, the front and rear struts will need to be replaced at this point. I would also recommend switching to Valvoline's new Restore and Protect oil. This oil has proven its ability to clean deposits including deposits on the piston rings. My Sister-in-law's 2013 (N16), was using a lot of oil (4.6 quarts of make up oil in 7500 miles). After running the Restore and Protect oil, she's cut that consumption in half. She has 130K miles on her R56.

The most important thing to do to extend the life of your car is simply performing the recommended maintenance.

 

You are right, I totally agree.

 

HI Jim.. I have a 2012 hatchback with 178k. Over the years I have replaced the thermostat,
flex exhaust pipe and just the tensioner for the timing belt—( that is just a 50 dollar part and easy to do.) Otherwise. Normal maintenance items. I hope this helps.

 

Only you can answer this - but a few follow up questions. Is this a daily driver vs a fun second car. If the former - can you handle it being down a few times a year, or have the time to immediately fix yourself. If the later - are you getting the fun and joy if it being a second car and as others have said, will you enjoy wrenching yourself.

Have you re-done shocks and replaced rotors yet ? Might be a self wrench job here ...

There are a few potentially expensive items that can cause issues if not caught early enough - timing chain replacement for one. Fuel pump, oil pump replacement often come up too - but not as catastrophic if caught early enough. If you have done all these - I'd feel good. When you redid the clutch - what else was done ? I've done compression tests on other cars - but not a mini, so not sure how hard it is - but might give an indication of engine health. Others can chime in if this is useful or not.