I disagree, of course. I've driven Justas. No comparison, especially if they're automatics.

 

As the owner of a higher-mileage Mini (130,000+ miles), my experience is that it appears to have more issues than any other car I've ever had (more than 25 cars in 30 years of driving) with one exception. The exception was an Audi A4, which is the only car I've ever owned that 'broke hard' and stranded me more than once, and the Audi did so 3 times in the first year of ownership!


With the Mini, I've always arrived (so far), but the litany of things that break is endless...both power door locks, both door window regulators, multiple oil leaks, bushings in the suspension needing replacement, stitching separating on the driver's seat, body and interior trim pieces falling off, power steering lines leaking and needing replacement, and on and on and on.


When compared to my wife's Lexus, there isn't any comparison. It's at 157,000 miles now, and, other than routine maintenance, in the first 150,000+ miles, we had to replace exactly one oxygen sensor to make an idiot light go away. It now has a vent motor in the dash making a bit of noise, but still working fine. That's it!


The Mini is fun to drive, but the cost / benefit / pain in the *** analysis says it will probably be my last.

 

Hmmmmm. Unreliable in the sense it stops running? No. Troublesome, fragile, expensive and tempermental? Yes.
This is our second MINI, the first being an '03 Cooper S. It had multiple P/S pumps, racks, spindles, upper and lower steering column, two steering wheels, radiator/fans, body computer, a rattling sunroof no one could fix, rotted out exhaust, and at 5 years/125k miles, it had started to rust.
Now, we have an 09 JCW. It's had a turbo oil line, VC gasket, oil filter adapter gasket, coil, blow off valve, trunk latch, and two headlight washers. This on a car that is a garage queen with just over 70k. The clear coat on the bumper is peeling, and it blew two run flats in a month. The brakes are grabby, and it rides like a truck. Having said that, it's fun to drive fast, and it handles like it's on rails.
Still, I have a Mazda Miata with almost 300,000 miles, and I've spent less in the last five years 100,000 miles than on the MINI in a year- including the purchase price of the Miata! My dealer is polite and capable, but for a compact 'economy' car, it's too expensive, too fragile, and too maintenance intensive. Lucky our MINI had the 'free maintenance to 100k" deal; otherwise, I could add plugs, coolant, brake fluid, and a four wheel brake job, too. NOT a car for the common man. Maybe if they dumped the auto windows, wipers, rear view mirror and a host of other nonsense, they could figure out how to build a reliable car that isn't ungodly expensive to operate.
My advice? LEASE your MINI, and turn it in at 3/36.

 

I don't get what you're saying? That Justas are reliable or not reliable lol? I'm sorry for my lack of understanding your statement:-(.

 

That they're underpowered.

 

Oh I'm not disputing that. I'm letting people know that turbos always have some issues one way or another. But that's what a MINI is, underpowered, and an underdog like back in its rally days.

 

Wow!

I have been a member of this forum for seven years and finally feel compelled to make my first post. I've never won anything in my life, but my '04 S-model has given me nary a bit of trouble. I bought it with 63K miles in 2007 and soon discovered it had a few performance mods, including the 15% reducer pulley on the supercharger and a reflash to the ECU.

If it had wings this car would fly. I often drive it like I stole it. It currently has 99K on the odometer. The rear washer has never worked. Who cares? I can hear the pump running. Someday I will fix it. The rear brake pads have been replaced. Have had to pull the L/S window regulator out twice to file off the flat spot on the armature, which was causing the window to stick in the down position. But that's been it.

Have been kind of kicking around the idea of late of perhaps letting it go for a late-model Z4 or something, maybe a fifth generation Corvette, which are becoming quite affordable. Nothing against the Mini. It's just that there are so many cars and so little time . . .

Now I'm not so sure. This is one of the most trouble-free cars I have ever owned. I had no idea my experience was not typical.

 

Go on any car forum and you will read all kinds of problems what every car out there..

 

No doubt.. I have a '06 Just-a with 136,000 miles. Currently still on stock clutch, belt, plugs. No not the OEM oil still in it!!!.. Recently checked a few tanks of gas for MPG and still getting alittle over 32mpg which is all it has really gotten since new.. it is a DD and weekend warrior with an RMW Tune, done the Phil Wicks, few Auto-x a year, BMW center drives, almost all the MOTD, and MSSD's since new,, etc etc... Couldn't ask for any more out of it really.

 

Underpowered??
Of course my bike goes from 0-60 mph in less the 3 seconds.
But in real life a justa Mini can easily follow the traffic .
A turbo engine used in an unintelligent way is asking for problems.It's a delicate construction.The fuel in the USA is of a poor quality when I compare it with the one we get here in Europe=honest oil made from real crude.
A lot of problems for the S are not a problem in Europe.

 

Your experience probably is typical.

 

Justa's 118hp is well underpowered, and the MCS/JCW is underpowered for how small that 1.6L can push. Yes fuel is apart of that but regardless, the turbo models have issues, no one can't deny that. Some get lucky which is fantastic. My friends own Subie WRX's(and STI's), EVO's, SRT4's, MS3, and so on, that indeed deal with lots of issues on their turbos. It's normal what I'm saying especially with my old cars. Oil burning happens, oil well nothing I can do but keep maintenance up and keep doing 5k oil changes and check my oil.

When I did have my straight Cooper, it was underpowered on the freeway, IMO. That's why I got a MCS regardless of the issues I knew I would have, still bought the car(not as bad as I thought). Wish we had the European fuel, but boy it's expensive there too(when I was in Romania).

 

One US gallon costs here 10 $. (super plus= 98 octane )
That's life and our taxes (income) are over 50%
Of cours we have 21% VAT

 

I've had my Mini now for almost a year now. Bought it with 29k on it and it has been nothing but a maintenance nightmare. Timing chains went out, water pump went out, oil filter housing gasket shot, both left and right barn door locks broke and quit working. Driver side window regulator replaced, and display screen on the radio has completely faded so I can't what stations its on nor the time. Passenger side door handle stopped working and some sort of intermittent short where the passenger side headlight blinks on and off.

This will be my first and only Mini.

 

My wife has a Justa and it has all the power one needs for normal driving.
Before the MINI Justa she owned a "justa" PT Cruiser and we drove that car all over the U.S. without a problem on any mountain pass's or traffic situation and her current MINI Justa is no different.
You just have to know how to drive them and keep them in their power band and you will have no problems with them.
Of course if you are looking for the most performance you can get vs. what you need off the race track then the turbo comes out on top but you pay for it in poor reliability vs. the Justa.

 

DANG, Johnny Bravo I would have already gotten rid of that one if any way possible..

 

My is a POS.....2009 Clubman S. It currently has 30K on it as I only drive it around town.

Fuel pump failure (under warrenty). 1 pump failed they wouldn't replace the other until it had issues.
Water pump recall.
15K miles the tension bolt loosened resulting in a huge oil spill.
Back door seals leaked which I didn't discover right away so I now have rust in my wheel well that they wouldn't replace
The plastic backing of my clubman door comes off all the time.
I get about 24 mpg which is atrocious.

Overall the car is fun to drive but that is about it. The only reason I don't ditch it is that I own it.

 

It is a high sprung, sport minded car. I've had my r53 for 5 years and It has nearly 130k. Only had to replace clutch. I've done some preventative things but never been had to tow it or limp home... People don't maintain their cars, drive them like they stole it, and then wonder why things are breaking and falling apart. Its a cheap, fun, fast car. You can't ask for the moon!

I would never trade the so called "unreliability" of a mini for a honda or camry with no character.

If you have never been on your back on the cold concrete replacing something on your car that wasn't actually broken, don't buy a MINI... or a BMW... or any sport type car for that matter. Go get a Civic or a Camry or Corolla.

 

Agreed! The trouble with cars these days is that owners treat them like appliances. Not enough oil changes, tire maintenance, etc--then they wonder why they break, don't get good mileage, etc. Our cars (all 4 of them) are carefully maintained. We've got a 50 year old Porsche, and they were considered pretty reliable in their day, but there's much more maintenance on them than on modern cars, including MINIs.

As for the MINI, it's been quite reliable--enough that I ordered another one, due next week.

 

As I see it, the problem is not so much that they are unreliable, but that when something does go wrong you're paying BMW part and repair prices to get it fixed. I think "unreliable" is a bit strong, but "prone to problems" might be a better description. When I got my 2012 MCS new, I drove the Justa and it just didn't have enough "oomph" for me. Personal opinion perhaps, but I was buying the car because of the fun factor and the MCS about doubles (or more) that fun factor for me. I have to say though that it's the first car I have ever leased in my pretty long life and over that time I've bought A LOT of new cars. I leased it (three year, 45K mile lease) and bought the added warranty to cover the 45,000 miles because I wanted the fun without the worry. I recently had to take it in for a TPS sensor replacement and a new thermostat, covered under the extended warranty. Overall, I have had a few problems here and there, but I didn't want to own it beyond the 45,000 miles because from what I read here and elsewhere, that's when the more major issues surface (timing chain, for example). I think I made a good decision in leasing and if I decide to go with the F56 now that my lease is almost up, I will do the same thing I did with this one. YM(and opinion)MV.

 

I'm curious--why did you say you bought an extended warranty, when you would have been covered to 48,000 miles anyway?

My experience has been quite good with MINI, with no extended warranty or service plan. Since the warranty ended, over 50,000 miles ago, we've had nothing other than the timing chain issue (reimbursed by MINI), a sunroof motor replacement (also replaced both screens), and a thermostat. The latter was done by my hubby a few months ago. We've also bought tires and brake pads, of course, and I replaced the original 6 year old battery last fall, not because it was bad, but because I didn't want to take the chance. Really pretty normal maintenance all around.

One thing that might be different--MINIs need regular oil changes. Most people don't want to bother, treat their cars like appliances, and then wonder why they run into problems. If you come from my perspective, MINIs are quite maintenance-free. Then again, my first cars came from the era when there were no synthetic oils, oil changes were every 3,000 miles, and points, timing, valves, etc., were something to be adjusted regularly...and a car was old at 50,000 miles. My '07 has about 103,000 miles, and isn't showing any particular problems. If I wanted to keep it, I'd get new tires, and maybe shocks, but that's about it.

 

Maybe I didn't buy an extended warranty. I couldn't remember. I thought it was 3 years/36,000 miles and when I was in for the thermostat a few weeks ago the SA said it was covered under the warranty so, thinking it had expired, I just assumed I had bought an extension.

 

You may be thinking of the maintenance plan which is 3 year, 36k miles.

 

Interesting thread. One thing I've learned about forums,whether it's MINIs or motorcycles, is they attract the real enthusiasts (for good or for bad) and for every "this thing is a POS" story there are about a thousand other folks who have no problems whatsoever and don't show up in the forums to complain, because they are just out driving their vehicle.

 

Our 2012 CMS ALL4 has just under 28K miles. In the past month it has had a new alternator, transaxle ('the rear'), and some mystery cam timing issue (All separate visits). It had some sort of trans oil pump issue early on as well. I work about 2 miles from the dealer, so it's not too bad for me on that front.

However, I am glad the lease is up in Dec. Now it is time to spec out my '15!

I love MINI, and I have been a fan of BMW for years. I have access to an EXCELLENT BMW/MINI mechanic (Steve @ BimmerWorks, West Chester PA)...but I really do not want to own one of these that is not under warranty. Sadly, I don't fully trust them. But, I do keep buying them, so they are doing something right.