Hi everyone,

I haven't really been on here since getting my 2012 Countryman S in Feb. 2012. We are now looking at adding an R57 to our family. Sounds crazy since I love my Countryman and it's only a year old. I bought the Countryman because I thought we were going to have a 2nd child, but 4 miscarriages later, it's not happening. So another MINI is my consolation prize.

I have never even looked at the R57s, so I don't even know where to begin. I do have a 9-year-old daughter, so she'll need to fit in the back, but it shouldn't be a problem. What do you recommend - should I find one that's a few years old, or just order a new one (the husband isn't as crazy about this option for purely financial reasons). Is there a year that things were better? I heard someone say the new ones had less visibility with the top up. Visibility and safety are very important to me, but I also like my technology and gadgets.

I do need an automatic though - 42 years old with a new MINI isn't the time to learn to drive a stick.

Oooh, just realized I never updated my signature from trading my Clubman in for a Countryman. OOPS.

 

Keep your eyes peeled for a good deal on a R52 while you are looking. The less troublesome 'lump' engine (as opposed to the carbon buildup, cold start rattle, timing chain fumbling Prince engine) coupled with a Getrag gear box will not just put a silly grin on your face, it will keep it there. You will also want to secure a wind deflector so you can visit in a normal tone of voice at any highway speed. 303 canvas protector or RaggTopp is what you want for taking care of the canvas. Keep the canvas clean before running it down so collected grit doesn't gradually cut the fabric.

After a few hundred miles of twisty roads you will suffer a lowered expectation for the R60. Topless motoring is motoring at it's best!

 

Thanks for the tips! So what year(s) does the R52 correspond to? Is it 2004, or other years? My concern with a car that old is too many miles and issues. I typically buy new cars only, but am willing to make a concession for this one. But I don't want to end up with something that will have a lot of maintenance issues.

 

I just did a little research and it looks like using the wind deflector prevents you from being able to have anyone in the back seat. That would be tough, as that's where my daughter needs to ride. :(

 

I'd go with the R57, which is the 2010 convertible.....love mine and is really fun to drive

 

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

If you have a later model, how hard is it to see out the back of the car with the top up? I'll have to test drive one to see how much of an issue this is for me.

 

I have a R57. I love it! Today it was 68 degrees out and had to take the windscreen out to drive my two teenagers to work and the wind was not bad at all with the side windows up. There is a little of a blind spot when the top is up, and down for that matter, but our other vehicle is a large SUV and I just use the mirrors like I would if I were driving that.

 

I would go with a 2010 or higher. The 2009 R57 has an issue with plastic parts in the convertible top. They break. Also, starting with the 2010, the radio upgrade is HK vs the HiFi system.

Very happy with my 2010.

 

Thanks, Scottt! I do love my HK radio in my Countryman.

I wonder if I should look for a 2010 or 2011, or just build one. I have a pic on my desktop of a mighty fine one that I built in Chili Red. It seems that the used ones are so hard to find though, at least with the options I want. I wonder how important Comfort Access will be with a convertible? I've just become so accustomed to not having to take my key fob out of my purse.

 

I have a 2010 R57S with comfort access. I just had a loaner as I had my top replaced, and I really missed the comfort access. I bought mine used with the base stereo. It's not great, but on the other hand, with a 'vert you have a lot of wind noise. View out huge back, either top up or down is not great. You deal with it.

I understand that you lose the use of the rear seat with the windscreen, but it really calms down the wind. I suspect once your daughter is 10 or 11, she'll be in the front seat anyway. I think that's when my daughter moved to the front.

I highly recommend the R57 and I'd look for the S, although the problems mentioned above only apply to the S. however, by now the problems should have been fixed or didn't affect the particular car on a 2010, except for the carbon buildup.

 

The R57 is the is 09+
And I would honestly look for an R52 as well. You can get wind deflectors that attach to the front seat and another one at the roll bar. Other members say they work quite well (and are much cheaper than the factory one). Also the R52 was made up until 08, so you can find some with a lot lower miles. I found my 05 a year ago with only 30k on it. And as mentioned earlier they don't have the cold start rattle, carbon buildup and timing chain problems.
Hope you find the perfect one!

 

I have an 07 R52S that I picked up a year ago. I have had no problems with it but like mentioned the visibility out the back is minimum with the top up. I depend on the mirrors and beware the blind spots. I picked up a Windblox wind deflector which attaches to the roll bar and it comes with a mesh panel that attaches between the front seats. Very minimal wind noise even at highway speeds. Mine had less than 30K miles when I got it.

 

You guys certainly gave me a lot to think about - thanks!

 

So the dealer has a 2011 R57 base model that only has 8400 miles and is much cheaper than the 2013 I would build. I'm going to test drive it to see if the base engine does anything for me. My 2008 Clubman was a base engine, and it seemed fine to me. The Countryman needs the S. Hmmm...decisions, decisions...

 

What did you decide?
I've got a 2013 R-57 that I really enjoy. Bought it in Jan. and already have 9K miles on it. The wind deflector is nice but even with it I lost my baseball cap while driving on the highway and it is noisy. I stopped fighting it an just roll down all the windows, put the top down and go.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

I didn't do the test drive on that one. They had the Carfax report, and it showed that it has already had 2 owners - the first one was as a fleet vehicle. So even though it has low miles, I don't want a former fleet car. And whoever buys it is in a hole when they go to sell it - 3 owners and a fleet vehicle on a base model. So I'll keep looking, and will probably order the car I want when the time is right.