Should I buy a MINI?

In reply to racerdave600:

Everything I have read makes it seem like the '05-06 R53 is the one to have. Lots of little tweaks for those last few model years, particularly fit and finish related.

DeadSkunk wrote: I drive an R53 and occasionally take it to a local MINI specialist. The folks there were driving 1st gen cars last time I was in but told me that 2nd gen cars are their bread and butter. That tells me something.

That pretty much mirrors what my local Porsche/BMW/BINI specialist told me when I asked them for advice about a Cooper S as a potential track/Auto-X shed.

Their advice was either to get an R53 or a very late R56.

Where in Canada? I have an 06 R52 S, auto that I will be selling in the spring. It has had all of the trouble stuff done, shocks, control arms, LCA bushings, ball joints, oil pan leak, valve body replaced,15% pulley, Milltek exhaust, two sets of wheels, JCW brakes, no rust. Not a very reliable car, but pretty much all known trouble spots have been taken car of. It should be good for a while.

For reliability you want an '05/'06 s or 2011 or newer. The 07-10 are the really bad years...google "N14 engine problems" and read all about timing chain failures among other things.

If you're looking for Japanese reliability, don't buy a Mini. I love mine dearly ('06) and have no intentions of getting rid of it, but they require some wrenching and parts are expensive. The upside is that once you've done some work, you realize that they are pretty easy to work on (you just have to get them into service mode first).

Edit: Stay away from the autos.

Sooner or later, you'll see this in your garage :)

WingZombie wrote: The upside is that once you've done some work, you realize that they are pretty easy to work on (you just have to get them into service mode first).

I've been saying this for years, but everyone here says I'm nuts. I'd rather work on a MINI than an E30 any day. Once you figure out the "logic" they aren't that bad. There was no logic to how an E30 went together.

How about an Ion Redline? Civic SI? MazdaSpeed 3? Honda Fit?

I sold my second gen 2007 Cooper S specifically because I started a longer commute and didn't trust it to hold up. I expected repair costs and depreciation costs to exceed my tolerance. Also factored in was the fact that it was downright uncomfortable for a long commute on rough city streets and it would wear me out. My previous commute was shorter through twisty country roads and it was a hoot for that (sigh).

Ian F wrote:

WingZombie wrote: The upside is that once you've done some work, you realize that they are pretty easy to work on (you just have to get them into service mode first).

I've been saying this for years, but everyone here says I'm nuts. I'd rather work on a MINI than an E30 any day. Once you figure out the "logic" they aren't that bad. There was no logic to how an E30 went together.

Invest in some wobbly extensions and you're good to go. The thing that is really nice is nothing is very big so nothing is that tight or hard to break loose. I can have it in service mode in 15 minutes from pulling it in the garage and once you're there, everything is pretty easy to access.

Basil Exposition wrote: I sold my second gen 2007 Cooper S specifically because I started a longer commute and didn't trust it to hold up. I expected repair costs and depreciation costs to exceed my tolerance. Also factored in was the fact that it was downright uncomfortable for a long commute on rough city streets and it would wear me out. My previous commute was shorter through twisty country roads and it was a hoot for that (sigh).

Yeah, '07 is one of the worst years. Gotta ditch the factory seats too...no lumbar support for longer drives. Sparco's fit nicely.

So far we've had an '11 base with Sport, Premium, and cold weather package, and a '14 base. The '11 was dead nuts reliable for the 3 years I had it and the 14 has had a few recalls, but nothing serious so far. But, like a new BMW, it's great to own under warranty (especially with free maintenance for the duration of the lease), but possibly not great out of warranty. Still, that '11 was tight and rattle free during that time, including a lot of road trips and dailying on rough Baltimore streets.

WingZombie wrote: For reliability you want an '05/'06 s or 2011 or newer. The 07-10 are the really bad years...google "N14 engine problems" and read all about timing chain failures among other things. If you're looking for Japanese reliability, don't buy a Mini. I love mine dearly ('06) and have no intentions of getting rid of it, but they require some wrenching and parts are expensive. The upside is that once you've done some work, you realize that they are pretty easy to work on (you just have to get them into service mode first). Edit: Stay away from the autos. Sooner or later, you'll see this in your garage :)

I feel like this will be what my garage looks like soon. My 2008 MINI Cooper is getting up there in miles and making all the wrong noises...ha.

rustysteel wrote:

WingZombie wrote: " but they require some wrenching"

That may be a bit of an understatement........ looking at that picture.

You don't need to pull the nose off to do major engine repairs.

You do need to pull the fender-lets off. And the bumper cover. But you can just slide the nose forwards on some extra long M8 bolts, such as what one would scavenge from a dead Miata 5-speed transmission.

Feedyurhed wrote:

rustysteel wrote:

WingZombie wrote: " but they require some wrenching"

That may be a bit of an understatement........ looking at that picture.

It looks worse than it is...I swear