I suppose it's really unfair to compare any front wheel drive car to a rear drive (and all wheel drive). In the end they're just different beasts. Our Cooper S is great fun but a rear wheel drive its not. If the new 1 Series is anything close to the E36 M3 it should do just fine. The surgical precision of a rear wheel drive is hard to beat...you point in a direction and it goes that way. It took a while to compensate for torque steer on the Cooper S...it adds a dimension of "driver involvement" for sure. Does the Mini inspire confidence all the time, maybe not. Is the Mini fun to drive, hell yes.

 

My late 2002-built 2003 MINI was at the dealership for "fixes" more in its first year than my previous was in the entire 17 years I owned it. Some of the dealership's shuttle bus drivers got to know me by name! Most of the problems were cosmetic/leaking/rattling stuff, plus a service bulletin or two and a reflash. I was just grateful for the comprehensive warranty, and for the NAM forums that let me know about the possibilities for getting things fixed. The warranty is all gone now and I just shelled out over $1500 for repairs, including some routine maintenance and some repairs that were definately ahead of their time.

I haven't regretted getting this car for a minute, and I'm still thinking I'll get another MINI when it's time to replace it.

ETA: forgot to rant about the lousy soft MINI paint Bad paint, bad, bad, bad!

 

DISCLAIMER: I hope this isn't taken as a negative towards those who have had problems with their MINIs, as that's certainly not my intention!

I'm probably older (50) than the majority of the folks here, and it's interesting to me how much better cars are today (all of them) than a few years ago. In the late '60s ('67 in particular) Chevys were shedding their paint at an alarming rate, and it was common to see them with huge areas of light gray primer visible when they were less than 10 years old. Then in the mid-'70s, picking on Chevy again, most of the automatic transmissions were lucky to last 30,000 miles before a complete rebuild (or replacement) was required. And then there was the Vega...whose engine could grenade while driving off the dealer's lot! Now as for vehicles from the UK in the '60s and '70s...Lucas Electrics... you know.
I guess my point is that even though some people have had issues, some major... it could be worse! Maybe I'm just a "glass half full" type.

 

Ah yes, the infamous Lucas Electronics...the death knell of Jaguars built during the 60's, 70's and part of the 80's. My father drove a Jaguar Vanden Plas back in the 80's, that car was nothing but trouble. After about a year and half of driving his Jag, my father noticed that the engine wasn't spooling up. It turned out that two of the six cylinders were not firing for about a month. After a week in the shop, the dealer ended up replacing the engine. Hard to believe but that's exactly what they did. I can't imagine this happening today. Thankfully the car was under waranty so he didn't have to pay for anything. He ended up letting go of the car a year later. That was a low point for Jaguar for sure, before the Ford days.

 

Maybe you'll remember this, but as I recall there were a lot of Jags from the '70s that were later fitted with Chevy small-block V8s. I believe that was a rather popular conversion, as it made the cars more dependable and way cheaper to repair!

 

I'm in your age group and know what you're talking about, VRMCS. I worked for a doc in the early 80s who did the Chevy conversion project in his Jag. He was very pleased with it.

 

This is true. But the relevant frame of reference is one current car versus another; not current versus old. And the interior build quality of my MINI is far inferior to any other car I have owned since my 1972 Vega. Even the Hyundai loaner I was given had better build quality.

 

Come on now, how could you say that. I know the mini is not perfect but that is a crude statement . i have owned a (64 mustang ) (68 vette,) (a (74 toyota land cruiser, ) (a Chevy s10 truck) (a GMC truck) (a ford Thunderbird) , (a ford Ranger supercab ) X three times. ( all bought brand new), and now my 07 R56 Mini MC. I am a very picky person , do my own maint . dont let anyone do any work on my car. do a lot of research on what I buy . I think that the Mini is built far better than any other car that I have owned in my life. I have had no problems with this car that I would consider other than minor. ( BTY I also had a 1964 Mini classic (1 year old ) in Ireland that I couldnt kill (until I crashed it) My main point is that IMO this cars build and interior is of better quality than any of the other cars that I have had.owned.

 

You're talking to the rattle salesman . Had mine two weeks, and so far I'm very pleased with the interior build quality. Hope I feel the same a year from now (and the years to follow).

 

maybe he is a planted mole secretly mobilized in our midst by soichiro honda ...

 

Character....you are a funny man.

Think about the human population. Most people are born perfect physically. However, some are born with genetic flaws such as incomplete heart valve, poor eye sights, missing digit, poor hearing, too much hair, too little hair, and the list goes on. Cars are made by people. Some will be near perfect and some will be a combination of problems. There will be a fix for most problems but it will take time and patience and sometimes money. Fortunately, it is only a car and not a child you gave birth to.

 

Count me in as a member of the perfect R56 club who wouldn't have even looked into this forum if it weren't for my strange desire to read the 'This-car-is-crap...No-it's-not' type wars. My '03 was perfect too, up until I was hit in the windshield by a bouncing rock that sounded like a 357 mag when it hit...then I developed that dreaded "windshield crack" syndrum.

Actually, I exagerated a bit when I said my R56 was perfect...my driver's side visor mirror light doesn't come on. That's okay though, because every one of my previous cars that had a working mirror light and also had a monster in the visor. This car...no light...no monster.

 

i suggest you swallow a fistful of amphetamines, then head down to your local dealer to raise holy hell about that visor light. life is far too short to take small things lying down!

 

You're dang straight about that XPB. I walked into the service garage once and saw some small parts boxes on the floor. One of them was about 10 inches long so I stuck my foot in it, clip-clopped up to the SA and said, "I don't understand! This happens everytime I come into this place!"

He rudely asked me to leave the facility.

 

Almost all the new cars regardless of how expensive they are have some rattles; layers of plastic panels atop plastic conduit affixed by plastic clips to you unibody car, it's just going to make noise, more-so as the temperature drops.
For squeaks & rattles, get yourself some dynomat & a big roll of felt tape & go to town.
Any real physical defects or mechanical problems, the dealership gets paid to fix them, talk to the service manager if that glorified secretary (SA) tries to give you the brush off Part of it's how you ask, if you have a specific problem, let them know what the problem is and what you want them to do to fix it.

 

 

I have a small list of minor complaints. None of which deal with fit or finish and all are so minor as to be inconsequential. I read about issues other people have and cant feel the pain. This vehicle is solidly built, fun to drive and extremely reliable after 7k miles.

 

Ditto here--worst thing so far is the SZL, which is more of a nuisance than anything else.

 

the missus drives a lexus rx300. bought it new several years ago, and i have no doubt it will run perfectly through the ends of our lives, should we keep it that long. no squeeks. no groans. all the little doors and hatches are dampened and they open and close with asian kanban perfection. it has never used a drop of oil, nor secreted any fluids that are not supposed to be secreted. it is engineering perfection.

driving that car is very much like taking a sedative. sedatives are fine if you are in the mood to sleep. not so much if you want to actually enjoy the drive.

my mini, on the other hand, bucks and heaves with road irregularities. there is some residual cosmoline in the windshield washer that sometimes soils the bonnet. the super-secret ipod compartment that only i know about does not open as it should.

all of which bothers me not one whit. well, my kidney DOES get sore from the pumelling delivered by i880 south of oakland, and the bolstered seat seems to be rearranging my gluteus just a bit ...

but i've never driven a car that is more fun to whip around a corner, and i never realized how much fun a "measley" 180 horsepower can be.

i'll pass on the narcolepsy, thanksverymuch. give me a seat cushion, a mini s and a windy canyon road. spend your time bitcin to the dealer if you want. i'll have the windows down, the brisk fall air toussling my hair.

 

Hey, don't write off those seats! I just got back from a Houston-to-Tampa-and-return road trip, and I didn't have a bit of problem with my back, which is notoriously fickle!

 

The Mini's been in the shop since Thursday, still waitng...still motoring.

 

Maybe we should start an "old timers" string and see who the oldest Mini driver is on this forum? LOL I'll admit it... I'M SIXTY TWO! Thankfully I am in terrific good health and look better than a lot of guys who are in good health at fifty. You'll see by looking at my gallery that being an AARP member isn't stopping me from getting out after my regular workout in something that is more than basic transportation. In fact, I'm gonna do an hour on my Total Gym in a few minutes, clean up and then make the choice as to whether I go on four wheels or three today. The poor Scorpion has only been out TWICE since "The Fridge" arrived back in early April. I still love it, but the allure of the little torque steer monster has me in it's grasp!! Who says "old age" can't be fun"? OH yeah, I read that "old is the new young"...whatever that means. I'm gettin even for mom and dad not letting me have a go kart or a Mustang motorcycle when I was a teenager.

 

Hubby's 64, although the MINI isn't his. He drives it as much as possible, though.

 

Ugh, I get so tired of these threads. 1 person has a few problems, and they start telling everyone to buy another car cuz MINIs suck. It's freaking annoying.

All cars have quirks, MINIs included. Sell your damn car and buy a Honda!

 

My 03 Honda Accord rattles & squeeks way worse than my Mini from day one .