Hello all

I currently drive a 98 BMW Z3. At 22 mpg on premium, I need a change with these gas prices. Wouldn't mind having a back seat either. I'd been STRONGLY warned off buying a used, out-of-warranty MINI previously on this board bya MINI tech. I was just warned again, on a different forum yesterday, by another tech saying "You'll regret it. Keep the Z3." I would love the input of as many So Cal owners of the first gen car as possible.

Here's my situation. I've driven roadsters since 2000 (Miatas and Z3's). I hate to give them up. I need far better mpg than I'm getting, both from a financial view and from an increasingly environmentally conscious/guilty view. I have ONE car. It is my DAILY driver; 50 miles round trip, Monday-Friday and whatever errands on the weekends. I do about 15K miles/year. If purchased, the MINI would be my ONE car, daily driver replacement.

I am sick of sending so much money to the oil companies. I also don't want to spend vast sums on maintenance or repairs.

I would love to find a car, like the MINI, that is stylish, has great performance AND gets fantastic gas mileage BUT...I DO NOT want to spend every penny I save on gas (and then some) on constant, niggling repairs...a new clutch, a leaky sunroof, rusted hinges, etc.

I've found an 02 MINI with sunroof, 75K miles I'm considering...or was until this latest warning. I'd have it inspected of course prior to purchase but...I'd sure like to hear from you all what your experience has been with the early MINI, especially out of warranty.

While I'd be pained to do so, I'd rather go with a Scion xA or a Yaris HB and have fantastic mpg AND reliability than go with a MINI and sink half my paycheck into keeping it on the road.

Thanks. I look forward to seeing what this will generate!

 

if you really just want to economize, go w/ the econobox. but instead of the scion, get the honda fit. it's better

if you want the mini, keep looking and go for a later model, unless the one you found is a really good deal. cooper's get really good mileage, but if you get an mcs and have a heavy foot, the mpg can take a real dip. that being said, i consistently get 30mpg out of my jcw mcs

 

I bought my '02 used at 46k miles in August '06. I'm at 62k miles now, with no problems whatsoever (knock on wood!).

 

The one I'm looking at is an 02 with 75K miles, second owner, at a great price. I could sell the Z and pay cash for this one...she's told me no problems, she's had it for about 2 years. I'll ask for service records and see what has or hasn't been done...if she's got them.

I was just looking at Consumer Guide and saw the MINI is a CG Recommened choice; said the hatchback's reliability is far above average but I did see that problems have gotten progressively better each year.

As for the Fit, yeah better car...more $$$. I've only got what i'm selling the Z for to work with.

 

Strange twist...I e'd the seller of the 02 and asked her some more questions about what had or had not been done on her car, if she had service records, what the tech had warned me of...her reply was "You don't want a MINI. I agree with the tech. Good luck." I"m not sure if she was being a sarcastic ***, not wanting to deal with someone who was doing due diligence on her car or if she was serious.

 

We have an 02 that is out of warranty. I think the only major thing we encountered was the clutch going out a bit early at around 50k miles. Thats a pricey repair so I would check if that was done already. As for options like the FIT and Scions, the MINI is a bit more stylish! If the car has been well maintained.....go for it!

 

Stay away from a automatic Mini, if that goes it is very expensive. Makes a clutch replacement look like nothing.

 

that's a bit shady. either something's wrong w/ the car or she doesn't know the proper way people buy used car. or maybe she decided to keep it. what you did/asked for was totally appropriate. keep looking. look at the ones in the for sale section, too

 

drmitch - my recommendation is to be patient. Right off the bat, you want to test drive both a normally aspirated Cooper and a supercharged S. Because, fuel consumption is a concern for you, the Cooper may be your ticket. But you may decide that the S is for you, with mileage that is still better than your Z3. My driving is a little more than yours and my mileage is consistently 27-28 mpg (real, not OBC). And you are certainly aware that both the Cooper and the S use premium?

Your timing may not be the best to buy a convertible, right before summer and all but good luck and be patient, there are a lot of cars available.

 

I know there are early minis with no problems but try to avoid them.

get a later year model +04. both cvt/manual are problematic on those cars.
starting 05, they got a revised dash and on the +05, S models got proper automatic supplied by Aisin (toyota owned) and i heard they are reliable.

with my 06 auto MCS, i get about 24mpg combined.

if I baby the throttle, I get about 35-38mpg on freeway and upper 20s in town.

 

You happen to be located near a great independent Mini shop. Many NAMM and SCMM members go there. Check with Steve the owner there. He may know a mini owner selling theirs and he would be a good source for repairs/service.

Telephone 818-891-6109 FAX 818-891-6433 Street address 16205 Nordhoff Street, North Hills, Ca 91343 Electronic mail General Information: info@stevesautoclinic.com
Sales: stevek@stevesautoclinic.com
Customer Service: stevek@stevesautoclinic.com
Webmaster: webmaster@stevesautoclinic.com [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]-Michael
[/FONT]

 

if we're starting to recommend socal mechanics and shops, danny @ minicorsa is way better. he's in van nuys. steve's is ok but danny is better, good work and a great guy, and pretty good prices

 

If it were me I'd buy the 03 Silk Green for sale in the marketplace. It's owned by a dealer's daughter and has been lovingly taken care of.

I'd be all over it if I was in the market for it. I have an 03 IB/W with 83,500 miles and have had only one problem with it - power steering pump - which I repaired at home!

At least take a look at the Silk Green for sale is my opinion.

 

That is the best advice so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is one sweet car.

 

I'm a little late to this party, but I'll throw a non-MINI option to you if you're still looking: My dad is selling a 2000 red/black S2000 with a little over 21,000 miles on it.

I drove it every day for over a month on my 40-mile roundtrip commute and got over 27 mpg recently. I get the same mileage in my 04 Cooper S, but the S2000 is a Honda so it should be bulletproof (though my MCS has required only $300 in unscheduled maintenance in 64,000 miles). Plus it's a roadster, and it redlines at 9000 rpm with a sound so pretty it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. Granted you can't wind out every shift to 9K and get 27 mpg, but that's the beauty of the car. You can shift at 4K and drive it like a Civic, or you can wind it up like a maniac.

PM me if you're interested.