I've had my Mini now for a bit over a year, and nearly 25K miles. Like most of you, I read about all of the things that new owners are upset about, and I've been bugged by a few things myself.

But I'm coming to realize that this is a very well put together little car, but it takes a lot longer than most modern cars to "break-in".

I would speculate a bit and suggest that many new owners who are frustrated with their cars simply lack the patience to stick with it till the rough edges wear off.

I find that my car is measureably better now at 25K than it was at 10K. Its gotten smoother, its gas mileage has improved, and in general, its a great little car. I continue to become happier with it as the miles disappear behind it.

So to those who are frustrated -- Keep the faith. It will get much better. Really, it will.

I'm a very happy Mini owner. 'nuf said.

 

Thanks Herleman for posting a plug for the MINI. I have friends with R53s that have way over 100K and are still going strong with only standard maintenance. My 8 year old MCS is a daily driver with just over 70K and only routine maintenance. These good-little-car stories don't get published much because no one likes to gripe about a good thing. It takes all the fun out of it!

 

I'm gonna' "Toot" MINIs horn too!! I ordered Molly new, my 1st Brand New Car @ 45yrs. old, I might add. She has done nothing but bring a Smile to my face every time I go out in the garage and see her there. I've had some very minor issues, that my dealer has been fantastic at fixing. With just under 31,000 miles and 2yrs 7mo. and 2wks old, I'm not even thinking of any thing else I'd rather be driving, I'm gonna' keep her 'til her wheels fall off!!

 

I think it comes down to the owners usually. The ones really b1tching about the problems, which are overall small, are the ones who just buy it and drive it (and add crap tons of badges and vinyls lol), but really have no clue how it's put together. The more mechanically (and electrically on these) inclined people will see how great of a little package Minis are, like the OP stated.

You dont read horror stories like the many here on some of the other forums, as its no big deal.... Just take it in if its under warranty, or get your knuckles dirty if not lol

 

While I'm very happy overall with my JCW at closing in on 20k in a little over a year, I would not use "very well put together" and MINI in the same sentence. It appears pretty common to have squeaks and rattles from brand new. I know I've had too many to count, some of which the dealership has been able to fix, but MINI essentially acknowledges the cheap materials and questionable fit/finish/assembly tolerances, particularly the interior. Finding a MINI with belt line trim that lines up and consistent panel gaps is about a 10% likelihood based on visits to my 4 local dealers. I had to put my car up on ramps and tighten various bolts in the suspension that were not tight to spec (some actually loose) within the first 2k miles. The exhaust heat shield was misaligned and rattling at times, also fixed while it was up on the ramps. Almost forgot to mention the passenger heated seat that was not connected when I took delivery and the Sirius antenna that needed replacement within 6 months.

It may not be a big deal, and I can live with the rattle or five that still come and go, but for the price premium of a MINI (over 35k MSRP on my JCW), it's a bit disappointing to have all these niggles detracting from what is such a great package. I'd rather not have to take it back to the dealer or dirty my knuckles fixing things myself on a brand new car. The MINI is the 10th new vehicle I've purchased since 2000, including examples from Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda, Chevy, GMC, Audi, and Toyota. The MINI has had more problems than the previous 9 combined. I've hung on to the MINI for longer than all but 2 of those, so there is also a lot I like about it. I just wish that it actually was really well put together.

 

I have to agree with all of this: Maybe the Coopers are much simpler and more reliable but I had so many problems with my 07' MCS with 45K miles that I never had with any of my previous cars starting from replacement of the whole chain assembly, broken piston, high pressure fuel pump replacement, ongoing carbon build up issues and now excessive oil consumption (1qt of oil/1000 miles). I am not even discussing things like replacement of the whole instrument cluster and other less significant items. The truth is that Mini is a poorly built cheap car with the premium price. I think this applies to not only the interior but to the engine and its components as well. For me the bottom line is that I lost piece of mind with it and now trying to decide whether to sell it or get an extended warranty which I think is a must for this car once the factory warranty expires.