SWMBO is in line for a new car this year. She's been driving a Buick Enclave for 8 years that we'll pass off to my 15 year old daughter. Wifey wants something a little more sprightly, small and fun, but still with the ability to carry four adults and stuff and take on a rutted out gravel driveway. She loved the look of the Countryman; a friend has one as a rental and we gave it a full shake-down yesterday. I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed. Even in base trim it was pretty zippy for a small SUV. Steering, handling and brakes were excellent. Back seat was plenty comfortable for my 6' 220lb self. Just enough room for her hauling needs. Interior layout is great.
Overall, it's way cooler than the million bland egg-shaped CUV's that are all over the place. Wife loves it. I know not to expect Toyota reliability or GM service costs, but how bad are we really talking here? We would buy new with warranty. Is it any worse of an idea than something like a Land Rover Evoque? A Macan is at least 50% more expensive.
fanfoy
SuperDork
2/14/21 8:33 a.m.
Apparently, the 14+ models are much improved (not very hard) from the early models. Keeping away from the turbo and automatic models also helps the reliability.
If you don't plan on keeping it too long, I'd give it a shot.
I own a 2003 R53 Cooper S and I've been down that road. Love the car...hate some of the repair costs. You seem to have your eyes wide open and understand it'll be BMW pricing for everything. I've had instances where I look at the service manager and say " It's going to cost HOW much?" and I cringe. After paying the bill I just go for a drive and it puts a smile back on my face. I like it so much that I'm struggling with what to buy when it finally reaches its useful end of life and I have been looking at buying another MINI, including the Countryman or Clubman. I won't try to dissuade you in the least, they are a very nice environment to spend your driving time in and BMW has had 18 years to make improvements since mine was built.
Nothing wrong with it. My wife and I have a 9" height difference and Minis are one of the few ways to get a car that will fit both of us in the front and back.
Cross shop against the current or previous gen BMW X1. The current gen is built on the same platform as the Countryman but will have a BMW interior and switch gear if you are into that. The previous gen X1 is RWD or rear biased AWD with a nicely tuned ZF 8 speed.
The big negative with minis is how much it costs to install Apple Carplay. It might be more than $2500 because you have to pay for the bigger screen. Android Auto is not an option. The "Mini Yours Interior Surface: Illumintaed Piano Black" is pretty cool but impossible to see in photos and doesn't show up when you select it in the configurator. It is worth it if it is included in your trim level.
Remember that the Countryman will have all of the normal BMW problems plus weird Mini specific problems that nobody could imagine.
The Mazda CX5 is the reasonable competitor at a lower price point but doesn't get you away from bland.
Not a direct answer but my wife has a '19 Cooper S Vert 6MT. Coming up on two years, it's been flawless but it also only has 8000 miles on it.
I don't know how the Countryman compares, but on the odd occasion I open the hood, my immediate thought is "man, I'm sure glad I don't have to work on this". It is packed in there.
Buying new? MINIs are a case where everyone I know who has bought an extended warranty has NOT regretted it. And having been involved with the local MINI community since 2003, I know a lot of people who have bought them new.
Like Warren, I do like my R53 and have no immediate plans to part with it. I'd only part with it to get another classic Mini, but only when the MINI doesn't need to serve as my back-up DD.
I know new is fun, but look for Certified ones, usually previous dealer loaners. You can find them with 4-7k miles and save $7-10k.
