It’d have to have a manual and be for basic, semi-entertaining transportation, needs some sense of not-leaving-me-stranded- reliability. I can deal with window regulators and things like that.
It’d have to have a manual and be for basic, semi-entertaining transportation, needs some sense of not-leaving-me-stranded- reliability. I can deal with window regulators and things like that.
Worked on my friends a lot. Can't remember the year (wanna say 05 or 06) but it only left us stranded once when the 7 year old battery decided to die. Only had issues once we swapped in a cooper S drivetrain.
If you can't talk yourself out of one, you need serious help. Or you may want to cross shop a Bi-Turbo.
I have a 2003 CooperS. I love it, except for the price of dealer parts or service. It let me down for the first time just a few weeks ago. It wouldn't turn over and I had it towed to the dealership. A new starter at the dealer is $756. 
ebonyandivory said:... needs some sense of not-leaving-me-stranded- reliability...
Thanks for coming, exit's on the left.
We had an 05 S. I have never owned a modern car that was engineered worse. Things failed that just shouldn't. We bought it at 50k miles from friends that had bought it new and had it dealer maintained. I traded it in at 100k because it was my wife's car and I couldn't escape the feeling that it was a time bomb waiting to self destruct.
But hey, when it ran it was a lot of fun.
If you suddenly find that the lights won't turn off, or the windows don't work, it was a $1500 BCM. If a Bi-Xenon headlight stops leveling, the module was $400, and required dealer programming (I didn't bother asking how much labor was, and aimed them permanently).
This happened in the first 56k.
They are fun to drive, but open the hood on one(S model) and stand there staring at the engine compartment for a few minutes. They are not fun to work on IMO.
IF, you get:
Then, you MAY be OK.
My 06 Auto (do not get the auto!!!) has only had one serious breakdown. The trans harness had a broken wire that caused the tranny to go into limp mode. I could still drive it to the shop and had only 3rd and reverse. The many other repairs didn't stop it from driving.
Look for a car owned by someone who cared about it. Inspect it thoroughly. Pay for a good one. Do not buy a cheapo project beater.
I can only offer first-hand experience with a 2004 MINI that my wife bought new, and my two 2003s, that I bought in 2012 and in 2016. All 3 are non-S models. The 2004 has around 127k miles, with nothing major needed. Both 2003s have more than 200k miles, and have also been pretty reliable, during the time we have owned them. All of them have been a lot of fun to drive. I tow a very small camping trailer with both of my 2003s.
They say that MINIs come with friends. The various MINI owners I know show a great deal of enthusiasm about their MINIs.
I would not use one as a daily, and I did it for 7 years. God damn entertaining, when it wasn't broken. I've only had an extended warranty once in my life, and it was on that car. Saved me over 6 grand, and it still ate the rod bearings at 120k.
In reply to Klayfish :
This post had me giggling for a few minutes, thank you.
I recently drove a newer one, an '18 S and I seem to remeber the first gen being more fun. Not that that helps talk you OUT of one.
The cobalt ss exists 
Based on my friends experiences with them they make my mazdaspeed protege seem like a reliable car.
Do a Water pump on one. You will never want one after that.
If you're considering this you have to 100% avoid the Midlands 5-speed manual gearbox that was used from 2002-2004. I once asked about them here and these were the responses:
They are that bad, I've seen several die before 100k. I've disassembled two of them post-failure and found the pinion bearings failed. The drain/fill plugs come with magnets, check them for metal debris as that often shows up some time before failure.
There was a successful class action suit on these transmissions. Do they all explode? ....No,but the number that do is higher than normal. There are several reasons they fail, not just a single fatal flaw. Synchros give up prematurely, seals go and the gearlube leaks out, and there's a third one that escapes me right now.
I agree with the comments above, and have personal experience as I had one fail at 90K in my 2003 R50. I took it apart and it was the carrier bearings, not the pinion bearings, in mine. There is very limited parts availability for these--you can get "rebuild kits" for about $600-700 which include bearings, seals, maybe synchros, but not individual parts. You can also get "remanufactured" units from MINI or some aftermarket suppliers. There aren't any really good options in my opinion.
Metal shavings on your magnetic drain plug should be looked at as a feature, not a flaw. Consider it a quaint throwback to an earlier age.
Do you hate yourself and your wallet?
Buy a Mini Cooper.
If Johnsonville brats are “heaven on a bun”, then new mini coopers are “hell on a ciabatta roll”
So what I’m reading is that I should park one beside my Land Rover Disco, my MK4 VW and my A4 Audi and wait for the ramp truck.
Sad.
ebonyandivory said:
Sad.
You should be happy. They're doing exactly what you asked.
At least I hope.
My brother desperately wants to sell his wife’s S but she loves driving it. Just the other day he found another engine leak that requires major disassembly. In less than 100k miles it’s had multiple engine leaks, new clutch and constant brake issues.
Minis are great cars for learning that you never want to buy another one.
hmm...maybe you can LS swap it. that would be pretty cool actually. and possibly improve reliability.
My '06 S only left me stranded once when the crank pulley failed (that I mis-diagnosed as a bad alternator). It's also not my primary car, so it doesn't see a ton of miles (about 3500/yr over the last two years). More reliable than my E30 and Cummins ever were, both of which left me stranded multiple times.
Personally, I don't think they're that bad to work on, but I've spent a lot of time taking them apart since my ex- bought hers in 2003.
I also have a VW Mk4 and a couple of old British cars, so...
You'll need to log in to post.
