I've owned two BMWs... Turned one over before 60,000 miles ; I have 43000 miles on my current 135i, so I personally have not challenged the longevity factor, though most BMW enthusiasts believe, through experience , that the car ( engine ) can withstand high mileage. I do know that service/ repairs are very expensive; also, BMWs hold their value, in general.
What about Mini's longevity , service costs, and resale ? I can see how a Mini might retain value when traded for another Mini, but what about trading the Mini for other auto models ... Do you get low- balled because the Mini is sort of a niche car, appeals to a select few, etc.?
I am going to visit a Mini dealer tomorrow, hopefully.

 

Both Edmunds and KBB.com have named the MINI the best resale for its class. Every year MINI has become more reliable and the same engineering dpartment that design the BMW design the MINI too. They used to call MINI "the poor man's BMW", though the current prices are not exactly in the average poor man's budget.

The MINI is a niche car, but that is the major reason I bought mine rather than a more conventional car like a Mustang Convertible. As you can see, none of my vehicles are common or everyday in nature. I have two passions (outside my family) -- cars and cigars. I smoke only boutique cigars and drive equally unconventional vehicles. But that's me. YMMV.

 

Every time I've gone to sell one of my MINI's, they've always sold very quickly, and for a price that I haven't been able to complain about. I think that says a lot about their resale. My daughter's 05 was like new with 120,000 miles on it, so longevity is not an issue either, as long as you keep up with the maintenance on them.

 

With the 10th anniversary of MINI the US, it would be great if MINI USA could come up with some statistics on what percentage of the cars sold in that 10 year period were still on the road. I'd be willing to bet that it's a higher number than many brands.

I know the resale is high, just look at the prices of 5 yr old MINis. A quick check on KBB.com indicates a private party sale price is about 70% of its cost new. Pretty good if you ask me.