Joshua wrote:
Well I've owned my NA Miata for about five months now and have driven it more than any other car I've owned by a long shot. I love how tight and tiny it is, how carefree ownership is, the 37 mpg (when I'm nice to it), how it always attracts attention from girls (not entirely sure why yet) etc etc.
However, the Miata's only downfall is that it doesn't exactly accept bike racks. I want to be able to utilize roof racks for mountain biking, kayaking, and storage, but I can't because of the lack of a roof to mount them on. This leads me to think that a Mini Cooper S, which I absolutely love in the latter 06+ turbo form, would be a great, and greatly expensive replacement.
So, please tell me what you know about the turbo Mini Cooper S platform. I have driven it and love how it drives compared to the supercharged original.
I have gotten 37 mpg with my Miata, what gas mileage do Mini's see in the real world? (I drive similar to your grandma on normal commutes)
How reliable are they?
Being a BMW car, hownexpensive to repair are they? (I had a 1995 M3 and it was a nightmare to own, I switched to the Miata so I could enjoy carefree car ownership)
Are there any options I should absolutely stay away from?
Are there any options I should look for?
Is it best to buy used, CPO or new?
Are the 06 models okay, or are there some gremlins in them that were worked out in the later models?
I wish the Mini was RWD, I love RWD cars in the winter so much more than FWD. Are there any other cars that I am missing? I would buy an e30 but I don't know if I can drive anything that has a Roundel badge on it for a while after my M3, I know the Mini is basically the same but....anyway. I would love to own a Datsun 510 or some other RWD hardtop but they're impossible to find around here. So to pose my last question, is there a car that I haven't thought of that would fit my criteria?
I think you mean 07+ models, as the 06 were still supercharged.
I have a 2007 MINI Cooper S that I bought new. I've got about 54k miles on it now and it is my daily driver.
A very fun car to drive and to toss about. Has plenty of hp and the turbo is so smooth and cuts in so down low that there is no perceptible lag whatsoever. Major fun in the twisties.
It has been quite practicable, too, with the fold-down seats I'm able to haul a lot of stuff (biggest was a 3500 Watt gas powered generator).
Mine has been very reliable. I have had to have zero non-maintenance items repaired. There are some engine issues with these (see northamericanmotoring.com) that include timing chain noise and high pressure fuel pump failures. MINI will generally fix the timing chain out of warranty (though your experience will vary) and has extended the fuel pump warranty to 10 years. Besides a software update, there were no problems with my 07 that had to be ironed out in the later cars (of which I am aware). AFAIK, even the later ones have the engine issue. The warranty/free maintenance period was extended to 5 years/50,000 miles with later cars from the 3 yrs/36k on mine, but I think that was because BMW did that on all their cars.
Downside is that they are expensive to get repaired at the dealer. Generally BMW prices on labor and parts. A brake job will run you about $1000 (no joke). I hated going to the dealer I bought it from for service (Momentum in Houston), although I've heard others have had better experience with other dealers. Mine is out of warranty now and I do all the maintenance on it myself. Not that there is a lot. Oil changes, filter changes, brake fluid flush. I just changed out the spark plugs, which is a 60k maintenance item. I also used some Seafoam through the engine because these motors tend to get carboned up and get to running rough.
Mine is a flappy paddle auto. I would have got the stick, but this was my commute car and I couldn't stomach the idea of clutch-bumping in Houston traffic for two hours a day. Now I've moved to a smaller city and wish I had the stick. The flappy paddle thing is fun, though, and I use them a lot. Comes with a "sport" mode that changes up shift points and throttle response-- puts the fun back in the auto when driving hard.
I've also got the convenience package with bluetooth, built-in remote and some other stuff. Waste of money-- wife talked me into it. I've also got the auto climate control, but probably could have lived without it. Wish I had the leather seats, but they are very expensive on this car. A lot of the options are dress-up things that you can buy later and add-on, like the rear mirror covers. Moss Motors and others sell it on-line.
I get around 30 to 32 mpg going back and forth to work and I drive it like a maniac. The auto probably reduces mileage a little. I get 39 or so on the highway. Not a bad long distance car, despite what you might think. Wife drove it 1100 miles in two days with no complaints and she has a bad back.
Expect to go through tires about every 25k-30k miles, regardless of wear rating. The run-flats ride horribly and are ridiculously expensive to replace. I replaced mine with regular tires and carry a small compressor and a Dynaplug repair kit. I had had maybe two or three flats in my lifetime, so I guessed the odds would be with me. I've had three flats with this car since (not the fault of the car). Go figure. But the Dynaplug worked as advertised.
I'm quite happy with my MINI and don't regret buying it. I'm not sure I'll hold onto it as it gets the higher mileage, though, as the potential for BMW-type endurance and expensive repairs scare me. I think my next car will likely be a Miata 
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My old Rhode Gear Euro Shuttle. 
