Used Mini cooper's : avoid like the plague ?

I see prices have been dropping on the first year Minis . I had a 03 and loved it. Where talking about s models only. Actively seeking a not so soul ducking D.D . Are used Minis really a ticking time bomb of destruction ?

Ive been pondering the same and await an answer although ive seen here they aren't usually advised. But a cooper s sounds so fun

Midlands transmission and auto transmissions suck. So does doing much of any real repair in the engine bay. I think you really need to enjoy them to get around the less than good reputation for reliability.

First year minis came out in 1959 and prices have only been climbing. Oh, you meant the BMW MINI (aka BINI). I'm no help on those.

I've had my '03 for about 8 years. It has 115K on it now. I've changed shifter cables,E-brake cables,front suspension bushings,surpentine belt tensioner and the supercharger. All told that's over $3K of repairs, all done by a MINI specialty shop in Detroit, not a dealership. THe shifter cables were a result of fording some water on I-75 in Cincy, the E-brake cables simply rusted off,the suspension ,tensioner and supercharger are all known MINI issues.
BUT, it sure is a nice driving little beast, just an expensive one.

$3k in repairs to a MINI in 115k miles is really good. The best MINI's are the 2005 and 2006 models due to the many improvements done along the way. If you can find one with replaced control arm bushings,new struts, new strut mounts you would be in pretty good shape. I would only buy a 2003 if it had replaced all of the known weak links.

Check the electric pump for the p/s. The cooling fans die, cooking the pumps and that is a couple grand. Interior bits always seemed to wear like an 80's domestic. suspension bushings were typical BMW quality. Parts are not cheap, working on them sucks. So unless you have a good mechanic thqt's cheap, I'd stay away.