So I have decided to sell my Mini to Carscam i.e Carmax who gave me a low ball offer of 22k for a car which I bought at 27.5 exactly a year ago.

I could probably sell it for 24.5k as a private party sale but I do not have the time and I m very possessive about the car. I don't think I can live with 10 different people entering, driving or touching the car.

My Experience

The good ones:
1) Mini Community. Its the best owner's club ever. Period. People say best thing about Mini is how it drives. I think they are wrong. People who own them and the way they treat each other is the best thing about Mini. Its more of an experience of owning it than just driving it.

2) Mini. The drive is perfect. Its so much fun to drive and zip through the streets and highways. Not to mention the curb appeal is tremendous and I have never received compliments from so many people for any other car (and thats just in the first year).

The bad ones:
1) I wanted to get an IPOd adapter installed before taking delivery. They told me my car didn't have the secret compartment and they will have to install it too. I took my car 3 days after buying it confirming they had all the parts. After keeping the car the whole day, they tell me that the black trim which covers the compartment, is out of stock and it will come tomorrow. This was the first unprofessional experience within the first week. I let it slide. However, when I got the car back I was not happy to see that after puting the compartment in they left a small gap between the base of the compartment and the red chilli trim (the one that holds the glove box button). I made them pack it up as much as they can but no dice. I learnt to live with it.

2) The 1001 vibration and rattling noises. They fixed the one coming from sunroof controls. Now theres one in the right vent (which can be fixed - I saw someone on this forum get it done). I learnt to live with it.

3) The rubber sealant just at the base of the roof, came off for the rear hatch door from right side within 2 months. Mini replaced it. It came off again. I just used superglue and permanent fix.

4) Cold start noise - I first noticed the cold start noise in January. I thought it was just the cold making the engine work harder. The noise is not as loud as from what I have seen on the cold chatter threat but there is definitely a rough engine at cold. Dealer did the bleeding procedure. No improvement

5) Check engine light came on once but was fixed with no issues.

6) 3-2 shift groan or whatever you might want to call it. This is a deal breaker. Dealer says none of the solutions work. Mini is not acknowledging any of the solutions. And in the mean time, I see people with clutches falling apart in just 14000 miles. Doesn't look too good. Dealer said just drive with it make sure the rpms are below 2000 when shifting from 3-2. For most of the time, its not a big deal. I drive pretty safely and don't drive hard. In fact I noticed the problem when I shifted to 2 accidentally. But this response is unacceptable. For a new car, which I m paying $400 a month to own, I need to worry about shifting? No please!

7)Mini of USA. I m not sure what experiences you have had with the company but I think for a brand name the corporate customer service is pits. I needed to call honda only once that too because of a dealer issue and not car related. Honda was very courteous. Mini on the other hand is being quite arrogant.

I called up Customer Service and explained the gear problem to the rep, Asked him to document it on my VIN so if I run into issues in future they might be able to do it under warranty. I also asked about future clutch replacements and he said clutch repairs are dealer decisions but he didn't see any problem with clutch replacement as long as car is driven normally. He decided to take it up with the dealership to see what the issue was and get back to me. I told him the dealership wanted to burn the clutch which they themselves agree doesn't solve anything. A day later I do get a voicemessage which says something I can't understand. I call back next day and every day ever since leaving a voicemail but no response.

8) This is not related to Mini - company , car or dealership. Its just the place I stay. I stay in a rented place and there are just way too many peope coming in and going out. I m scared of leaving the car for the fear of getting nicked or dinged. I do work on the car in evenings removing bugs or fixing chips. Someone might have seen my obsessive behavior and decided to mess around with car. Twice in one month now I have had tree branches piled up on my windshield. Thankfully he or she didn't scratch or key it.


Deal breakers

#8 and #7. I think cannot live with constant fear of car getting dinged or someone messing with it. To make matters worse, I m just disappointed by the careless attitude MiniUSA has shown to address my concern. Mini hasn't done jack to relieve my anxiety that the clutch won't break down and leave me with expensive repairs. Another reason I m not selling it privately is that I cannot sell the car without informing about the issues and we all know how that is going to work out.

I know I ended with a rotten one. May be in future when I have my own place where I can show my obsession with Mini in a garage, I will own one. But I think for now, I will just take the loss of $2k and get some peace of mind.

May be drive a stupid corolla for a yr or two ( wave if you own a corolla! yeh right!)

 

I hear ya. I have some of the same sentiments related to poor build quality and very poor service from both the dealer and MINIUSA. Such a potentially good car soured by carelessness. I've begun looking for a replacement vehicle after only 3,000 miles (and owning 2 MINIs). Good luck. Greg

 

Buy a good used car....I get free lifetime ding removal , but somehow think you will be back.....

 

Hey, Chandresh. Sorry things didn't work out for you regarding your MINI.

Bummer that you had a sour experience with MINIUSA and some envious neighbors.

Yeah, maybe at another point in your life it'll work out better.

 

so sorry that u r leaving us but hope u will be back..

 

Actually don't leave us just use this place as four "FIX" until you can get another at a some other time.

I know I would like to know what you replace it with and how that goes for better or worse. Cause maybe the Mini isn't so bad after all.

 

I constantly worry that something is going to happen to my car. Luckily, where I park at work it is unlikely something will occur, and I park it in my garage at home. Nevertheless, my previous car was hit in the parking lot at work when it was only two months old, again in a parking lot at a local mall some time later, and a third time when it was parked on a street. The first two times only caused around $700 damage (each), but the third time topped $2000. My friends think I'm paranoid when I park my car far away from others, but I have good reason.

I also dread washing my car and inevitably finding another stone chip, despite trying not to drive too close behind other vehicles on the highway.

I have often wondered if I would be more content driving something I didn't care about.

Actually, my previous car was a Corolla. Not terribly exciting to drive, but in 6 years of ownership and 75,000 kilometers it never required anything other than regular oil changes and gas to keep on the road (I used synthetic oil and had one set of rims and tires for summer, and another for winter). Well, apart from the occasional repair after being hit.

 

Why not get a good used Mini if you're going to get a used car anyway? If there were any initial problems they would have been sorted out and you still get the Mini experience though without so much pressure since it's not new (slight pre-dinged?)

 

I hear you! I have been a Mini owner for a little over a year and I am on the process of getting out of it as well. It is very sad, but I am very dissapointed with Mini's quality control and with BMW's service.

 

Wow!! Great response!

As I said, the number 1 reason to own a Mini is to be part of the Mini community. I love it!! (although I don't one now. Car is sold ).

No matter who says what - This has been a very special experience for me. Flashing headlights, waving to people, people complimenting, just coming up to see the car, children waving from the side walk - I loved it all.

Its unfortunate that I had to sell it. But yes, I will jump at the first opportunity to be an owner again.

Chris

Thanks for your support. Your detailing job was spotless . I would have loved to own the buffer and give my Mini a nice little rub. Someday . Sometime.

Thanks folks. I will hang around the community. I can learn a lot about cars and detailing from you guys.
Happy motoring to all the lucky owners!

 

As I said before, Chandresh, my pleasure. I enjoyed helping you out with that small detailing job... as I have done for other DCMM members. I enjoy showing others The Power Of The Random Orbital Buffer !

Take care !

 

Well. I m going to get some really old car on which I don't have to make payments. If it goes well, its great - if it doesn't well then you get what you pay for.

But I m not leaving the forum just yet. Will keep drooling over all the cool minis.

PS: I m going to contact MiniUSA everyday until I get in touch with the CR guy. I would like to know why he never returned my calls.

 

Hello Cybergypsy

Two questions ....

Which mini dealer offers free lifetime ding removal? Downtown?

And how did you create that neat "apple" signature graphic.
I would like to come up with a unique one. Besides no creative ideas, I can not get good resolution on mine - it looks "grainy".

Thanks.

 

Sorry things did not work out for you. The good thing, is you may have worked all of the bugs out of the car for the next owner.

Wish you better luck with your next purchase!

 

+1 for the Corolla. My previous car is a '99 Corolla. It currently has 62,000 miles on it and is my husband's daily driver and even after all this time, the thing still gets 33 mpg with 85% highway driving. It will then be handed down to my son as his first car when he gets his license. No, they are not fun to drive, but they do get you from A to B with few complaints or problems. The only thing I ever had to take my Corolla in for was standard maintenance.

I also hear you on the dings with your car. A few weeks after I got my corolla, someone hit it with a shopping cart. A month or so after that, I curbed the tires and messed up one of the hubcaps and I had never done this on a car before ! Then six months after I bought the car, it was parked in front of my house a few days before Christmas and some idiot driving a pick-up came around the corner on my street too fast, hit a patch of black ice and had a choice between my neighbor's house, or my car. He figured he had a better shot at surviving if he hit my car. The cop that showed up ticketed him for "driving while stupid". My car was in the shop for three months after that. Having no car sucks.

 

Several years ago I spent way too much time, money, and energy to do a restification of a 1973 BMW 3.0CS. The car was georgeous and rare enough that it always drew attention. One lovely sunny afternoon my wife and I were driving it to go to the movies. It started raining. I had to take the car home so that it did not have to sit out in the rain. I lost several gold stars and good will points with my wife. Some time later I was run off the road and ended up sideswiping a bridge. I sold the car. I survived the emotional trauma. I continued being somewhat compulsive (I detest the term "****") about the care of my cars. Then I developed chronic lyme disease and everything in my life changed. Then two years ago my 28 year old son died of cancer. Then everything in my life really changed.
I am very fortunate. I am retired at age 56, I have an 07 Cooper that I purchased last October. It is a lovely fun car that gets great gas mileage. It is as perfect or as imperfect as the rest of the world that I live in. It has some minor booboo's and some inherent flaws. My MINI does not define who I am, it is just what I drive. It is, I believe, in my Lyme infested brain, a matter of developing and maintaining some degree of perspective.
I hope that your Corolla is everything that you desire it to be. Toyota has and continues to sell a bazillion of them.

 

Well said, even though most of us obsess over our Mini's, there are so many things much more important out there. We should all be thankful for the other little things in our lives, not just our Minis...

 

Thanks. I hope so too that the next owner is much happier and uses this Mini for what it was made for. I didn't have much problems mechanically except the 3-2 groan and cold chatter for which there is no fix as of now. But if I had my own garage or stayed in a gated community, I would have continued with the Mini at least till the warranty expired.

RandomGemini

I hear you! I think right now I want to get a car that gets me from point A to point B within city. I do not care much about driving long distances. I can always rent if I want to.
Sorry to hear about the idiot who rammed your Mini. I think other insurance company should be made to buy back this car and get you a new one

BMWBoy
I am speechless! I m really really sorry to hear about your son.

I know there are lot more things important than a car ( I m originally from India and you do not want to know how I lucky and blessed I feel everytime I take a trip back home.). Just two years ago I was diagnosed with congenital heart defect and I have accepted it as part of my life. If I m not perfect than how can I expect something built by humans to be perfect. But unfortunately, I have OCD and I m very possessive about my car. I know I m being very materialistic but Mini has been my dream and I couldn't stand the constant worrying. Perhaps when I buy my second Mini I would be able to look at it the way you do .

 

chandler vt,
life is so full of choices and compromises. Perhaps by letting go of the OCD concentration on a car you can devote yourself to taking care of yourself in the best possible way minimize the possible consequences of your health issues. Peace to you.

 

Yes. I m working on it. My wife is teaching me yoga and meditation with other mind control techniques. I guess getting an old car will help me get over the car fixation for now.

So I m hoping I will not be so restless in future. Health should always be more important than anything else.

 

Chandler, you wrote: I have decided to sell my Mini to Carscam i.e Carmax who gave me a low ball offer of 22k for a car which I bought at 27.5 exactly a year ago.

I am sorry to hear of the problems and appreciate your comments. Frankly, it seems to me, that's not much of a hit considering the car problems you've outlined. I wouldn't pay that if the problems were obvious so my question is: With such inherent problems in product quality and service why does the mini hold its price - or does it?

chema

 

I was very obsessive about my MINI when I first got it right up until I hit a deer and smashed the hood and front bumper all to H*LL. After I got it back from the shop I decided the heck with obsessing about every stone chip and ding and decided to just enjoy it and that was my epiphany. It's just a car (but the most fun car I've ever owned) so I no longer worry about it (much). If you worry about every little thing that COULD go wrong that takes all the enjoyment away. Life's too short.

 

OCD - it's something that everyone has to some degree with Minis but it's something best to let go, as everyone has so profoundly pointed out. There are so many more important things in life than an inanimate shiny object.

I know not worrying about all the dumb little quirks about the Mini has made my ownership experience 1000x better.

Chandler at the same time the fact that you're refocusing yourself is quite an honorable thing. Good luck and hope to see you around

 

Well as I said earlier the biggest reason to own mini is the community and the drive. Once you get used to it its difficult to let go.

And the problems I have described are not show stoppers. Its not like you will get stuck on the road in the middle of nowhere. Theres lot of warranty and lot of time left for Mini to address these issues.

One reason why people are having this impression of "poor quality" is - in my opinion - mini drivers are much more in tune with their car than say honda civic users. For example, 3-2 groan - if i had a civic I would have thought thats the way transmission is designed and lived with it. However, I had access to this forum and I came to know that this is an issue. So there goes the perception of "quality". (Note: We still don't know that this is something that will be an issue.)

There are thousands of 2007-2008 users and as you can see only few are having problems. So its not like the build quality is bad. Rattles and squeaks are normal for mini and if you are looking for a quite car - you need to look at lexus in premium cars or camry/accord / or any domestic car which is midsized.

One thing that I will always hold against MiniUSA, the company, is its general attitude towards buyer. Its quite arrogant. They always keep on saying this is normal and one fine day come out with Service bulletin. Plus Mini is not a premium brand but the service department continues to charge BMW labor rates For e.g. They charge $72 for tire rotation and balancing and $190 for alignment.

banjoez

I agree. Life is too short. But it definitely hurts when you have your dream car and it comes up short on expectations. I know other things about dings and stuff are silly and I wouldn't have been so **** about it if it were not for the two instances of someone messing with my car (And I don't blame the car for it).

 

Chandler good luck on your life changes.I am on here reading these threads to see if I am ready to live with the quirks of the current MINI'S.I had one of the first 02 MCS and put 36000 fun filled miles on it before I had enough of the quirks.Am I ready for another run??? I am still debating.... the Clubman S.