Greetings one and all. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Mini Loves Pepsi OR MLP for short.

I wanted to say thanks to those incharge of allowing new members to the forum and look forward to the many experianced owners of Minis for advice.

I must start by saying I do not own a Mini yet however I am in the market for a new car and I must say all the many reviews I have read plus its awsome styling and unique look makes the Mini about the only car I find worth owning on the road. However I do not have alot of money and this will be my main form of transportation. I have some serious questions I need answered. If you all will be kind enough to help I would truely be appreicative.

First off its durability. Is it a problem prone car that needs to be in the shop every few weeks or is it a car that just needs babied and well taken care of ?

Secondly I understand there is no spare tire. I also understand there is no room for one. I do worry of getting a flat. I understand that they have the run flat tires however I also understand that those tires are not always easily accessable. My question is are the run flat tires durable tires that are less likely to go flat ? also any ideas which tire places might carry them in stock and what the average price is ? Also what is the average milage expectency on the the run flat tires?

I have read many Minis are victum of sqeaks and rattles. Now where do these rattles and squeaks normaly come from and how annoying are they ?

Lastly as I stated I do not having a bank load of money and right now buying a brand new car just might not work. I will probably by used for now and then invest in a new one. My question is what should I be looking for what signs that the car has been abused and driven by some rich spoiled brat and not a true car lover ? Any suggestions for bad signs of wear and tear beyound the normal things. I used to sell cars and know the normal things but I believe Mini fan's will surely know their cars and what they are looking at better then a Man who has just done alot of reading and studing.

I truely appreicate your time and patience and will truely be thankful for any information you can or are willing to share.

 

I have an 07 Cooper S in regards 2 the tires they are very pricey but if u don't drive 2 terribly fast and balance and rotate every time 3-6000 miles then they should last @ least 26-3000 miles if you go to www.tirerack.com and search run flats only that will give u some idea of the prices u will be lookin @ i know i just ordered 2 4 mine and it was $565 mounted and balanced from a local discount tire store here

also i have driven mine 24000 miles in less then a year and i bought the car brand new 0 miles on it and have had very little problems w/ it I love the car best one I have ever had!! hope this helps some
-Cory B.

 

Thank you so much for the reply and it did help a great deal thank you so very much.

 

The Bumblebee (04 MCS) is a month short of 4 years old and reached 50,000 miles a couple weeks ago. The original runflats lasted this long, except that from mid-November thru March each winter they were replaced with winter tires. It gets a new set of summer tires tomorrow morning, non-runflats finally. I carry a Continental Comfort Kit (pump and goo), but I have never needed it for the snows and will continue with that for the new tires.

With respect to service, I can only remember one time other than routine maintenance it's been back to the dealer, and that time was accident related.

 

I bought my '06 MC new in Feb, 2007. In 13+ months, I've only had the car into the dealer twice. Once, right after I bought it for a bad shock & recently for it's first scheduled (free) service. Present mileage is 12,500.
My car came equipped with regular (non-runflat) tires & a space saver spare.
My car has an intermittent, mild rattle that comes from the dash area. It's really not bothersome enough to warrant a dealer visit.
Jeff
"Dorothy" '06 MC BRG/W
#151 in the GWRR

 

Thank you both very much for your honesty and time and responses. The more and more I think of it the more and more I see myself in no other car.

 

First, I'd like to congratulate you on your good sense! Minis are wonderful - for the right people. You have to keep in mind, they're originally (and always) compact sportscars! That's why all the squeeks and rattles. You hardly ever hear them after the first week. The tires are VERY expensive, but having tested the run-flat tires first-hand on the German autobahn, they WORK! I was pretty skeptical myself, until it happened. As for baby-ing the vehicle, I'd hope that no matter what you got, you'd want to take good care of it, especially if it were your only conveyance. As long as you are aware that the smaller-profile tires (the sports tires also called z-rated) wear down faster if not watched and taken care of, they can last quite a long time. My husband constantly made fun of me going nuts over Minis until he started researching them better -- they only depreciate about $200 a year!! Other vehicles depreciate thousands of dollars, just by rolling them off the dealership lot! The gas milage is another key component - great gas milage. Very safe, too...just take a look at how many airbags there are in the cabs, and where they are! And last, but not least: Minis are SO MUCH FUN TO DRIVE!

 

I believe they have a great warranty and would probably fit in your budget over the long haul. Go to the dealership and ask about that route.

 

I see you posted in the NJ Forum. We have some good dealerships in NJ. (I go to Morristown Mini and have had great service) I have an '05 MCS (bought used after one year and 10K miles). Its had a couple of the well known small issues taken care of by the dealership under warranty. So, depending on your preference for an "S" (no spare) or regular cooper with a spare, you may not need to worry about replacing expensive run flats. I have 20K miles on mine with plenty of tire left.

Best of luck looking!

 

[quote=MiniLovesPepsi;2122335]

I have read many Minis are victum of sqeaks and rattles. Now where do these rattles and squeaks normaly come from and how annoying are they ?
quote]


Mine is a rattling SOB but I love it! Your buying a street legal go-cart meant to be driven agressively. These are not luxury highway cruisers so expect a few squeaks and rattles. That is what makes mini a mini. I've had to take mine into the shop twice to replace the slave cyclinder but so far so good on everything else.

 

I thank you all a great deal for all your input and advice. I am pretty sold on the car and expect some of the things I have heard. Such as squeaks and rattles. I owned an RX-7 For 5 years my favoriate car. I actually looked at the RX-8 but even for an rotorary motor I am displeased with the not starting issue in cold weather. I mean mine was a bit lazy in the cold weather but never did it not start. So now I am looking for a car that I can fall in love with all over. I expect to treat the car like the child I have yet to have. Well pushing towards the rougher sports.

Thank you again for all your wisdom and kindness.

 

I had an RX-8. Sold it after 4 months. I never could become comfortable with the rotary engine and the gas mileage for such a small car was terrible. I was lucky to average 15 mpg. I average 27 with my MCSC and I drive it just as hard. I was a fan of the rotary engine until I bought that car. I enjoy the mini so much more (especially with the top down so I can hear the supercharger whine with a 16% M7 supercharger pulley!) Don't even think about the RX-8 again.

 

Thank you so much for confirming some of my worries of the Rx-8 I saw the gas milage was horrible and I am not overly concerned with it at least not at this point I am sure when its up to nearly 6.00 a gallon in mid summer I would be very worried.


Let me thank you all again for your wonderful advice and information.
I am glad to see that Mini owners are down to earth likeable people.

 

Pepsi,

You are right on to ask questions, but you do need to understand one thing about us MINI owners. We absolutely love our cars! And we love to suck others into buying and loving our cars as well. So all answers you have gotten, or probably will get, are inclined to help move you further along towards ultimate ownership. Just keep that in mind.

Now for my bit ... TAZMIN is an '03 Chili Red & White bought about 5 months ago off a used car lot in Northern New Jersey. She had 84K miles when I bought her and she has been fantastic! She has rattles, I feel the road bumps and hear road noise (although not as much as you might think), and oh how I wish she had a decent cup holder! But ... I love her! I absolutely love her! I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I'm 61 and I have never had this much fun in a car in all my life.

So, if you love cars and you love driving, stop asking questions and go find a MINI of your very own. And if you would like, I can put you in touch with the dealer I bought mine from in Lyndhurst. He buys his from the Mannheim Auction in PA, and I would expect that he could find you a good deal.

 

Thank you Revray I might do that when I am ready to buy. I shall have a total of 10,000 saved in the late may or early june. So I will then start looking to buy. I have been studing their prices for the last couple months on different websites. However it never hurts to know good people to buy from. I have heard morristown is a good dealer as well as Princeton I live in burlington NJ so I think morristown is just about as far as I wish to travel however if I find an unbeatable deal I suppose father isn't undoable. I am sure I will have to finance the rest but hopefuly it wont be too high of payments.

Thanks again for all your help everyone I really want one now and nothing is going to stop me from getting one now. Thanks for making my decesion far easier and something I have no doubts about.