I think the title says it all. Are the BMW minis something I should be scared of, or are they as fun as they look/sound?
Manual trans only, $5K or less.
I think the title says it all. Are the BMW minis something I should be scared of, or are they as fun as they look/sound?
Manual trans only, $5K or less.
I will be watching this, just because.
I have wanted a BMW Mini for years. Just never did it.
Put the term "Mini death rattle" in Google. Happy reading...
Having said that, I owned an R56 S a long time ago. I sold it before it gave me a chance to experience any major issues, so I lucked out. It was an absolute riot to drive, highly enjoyable.
I feel the same way. Really want one, but not going to take the chances. There is a 2005 on a local dealer's lot, lowish mileage, but has automatic.
I enjoy the 2006 R53 JCW purchased a few years ago, although I paid quite a bit more than $5K (has the spec/options/mods I want and I've known the seller for years). It is also not a primary vehicle and is only driven a few thousand miles per year. At 103K miles, (bought at 90K) the needs have been reasonable. The only time it stranded me was when the crank pulley came apart, but that is a known issue with the R53 and somewhat easily fixed with an ATI super-damper. Eventually I'll need to replace the clutch. If the engine ever blows, I may go the stupid route and get an RMW 1.8 stroker.
The R56 variants can be a crap-shoot. Early or later versions have their own issues, but I'm not familiar with them enough anymore to recite them. The Roadster JCW would be a fun car if you can find a good one. Potentially a future classic due to rarity (they were pricey when new and didn't sell well).
The F56 variants are generally good cars, although they seem to be more a "FWD BMW" than "MINI" if that makes any sense. They tend to lack some the "MINI quirkiness" although to some that may be a good thing.
The R50/53 is closer to a classic Mini if you want some that experience with fewer of the downsides - and I say that having owned both.
The MINI still has a pretty decent club culture, which may or may not be of value to you. The local club in Philly is pretty active and diverse. I'd say almost half (maybe more?) the active members are women, which is somewhat rare in the car world.
Personally, I don't find them hard to work on, although my local mechanic sees quite a few of them via used car dealers, so most of the time I just let them do whatever needs to be done.
I have put 30K on my R55 Clubman S. It is a 2008 so it is the turbo not supercharged. Bought it with 60K just passed 90K last month.
I am frequently surprised by how much I like the thing. It is quick, handles great, looks cool, comfortable, the 5 door mini wagon thing is super convenient for us
I did have a timing chain rattle at 80K. I replaced the chains and guides. No big deal. I am not sure why so many people harp on the doomsday "death rattle" thing. I did have to drop the pan to pull the bits of plastic guide out. "Service position" made the job relatively easy.
I had budgeted 6K and wanted another hot hatch. I was done with VW but I like BMWs so it made sense. Frankly anything would have been better than continuing to daily an Avalanche, but the novelty of this one hasn't worn off yet like I thought it would. The fuel savings from going from the Avalanche to the MINI has more than paid for the car.
I was a fool and left the sunroof open one night and we had a rainstorm. That took out the passenger occupancy sensor so there is a warning light on and the passenger airbag is disabled. Unluckily for me I have very uncommon seats so I haven't been able to find a replacement.
I'm trying to decide between a mini and a miata. I've already had a miata, so I kinda want to scratch a new itch.
In reply to DrBoost :
Having a lot of experience with MINIs and moderate experience with a Miata, the big difference (beside the drive wheels) is the feel of the shifter. A Miata shifter feels amazing to operate. The MINI shifter... does not.
I've owned my '03 R53 since 2007 and I've put over 100K on it. My wife's Scion xB has been less costly for maintenance, but it's no fun. The MINI is. If you jump in expecting that it will cost more than a Japanese/Korean econobox then you'll enjoy it. The car is a nice car to travel in, as well as being fun to throw around. I also own a supercharged NB and IMHO the MINI is every bit as much fun.
I kind of want one as a $500 beater with a heater
Grtechguy said:I kind of want one as a $500 beater with a heater
For $500, ya' ain't gettin' a heater....unless you count an engine fire as a heat source.
I've seen several 1st gen BMW Minis around here in that price range. Usually, a little dinged up and many electrical issues.
well... maybe not in the last year with the current situation
I had an 02 R50 with kust over 100K on it a bit back. It was fun and zippy, but the stock seats were like sitting on a park bench. I never had heat blowing on my feet, supposedly an actuator goes bad, and the only way to replace it is to remove the entire car to get to it. Internet said pop a chunk of coat hander up it and you have floor heat. That worked. About 2 years later the electrical faults. First the ABS module thing. I got the red brake light on solid. Was told it was ok to drive so I did. Then the random dead car syndrome. Put key in and turn and nothing. started happening more and more. Also needed a radiator, but only leaked enough to make me add coolant once in a while. There were a few other things. But In general, I felt I couldnt trust the car anymore. It was barely 10 years old, and only had 120K on it
I feel like this thread is a setup, I don't think there is any bad car decision that this group wouldn't encourage you to take. That said, embrace! I paid $1700 for my Mini (2003 S / R53), however it probably was a $4-5k car. It's a riot to drive. I've had it going on 3 years now, managed to do most of the work (poorly) myself up to this point. It has its BMWisms, but nothing too terrible. The Mini club culture is interesting. I feel like there are 2 halves of it. There's the group that is like me and tunes/races/builds Minis, and the other side that thinks they are cute. Somehow they manage to get along and do interesting events and drives.
The shifter isn't phenomenal. It isn't terrible. Just kinda shifts gears. I'm sure there are short throws that can be added to make it feel better, but it serves the purpose.
I'm about to take my Mini to run One Lap of America, you can read my misadventures here:
A couple other threads on here:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/learn-me-r53-mini-coopers/186687/page1/
In reply to BradLTL :
Thanks for the links.
While we are on the topic of BMW MINIs, I have some experience with a R53 Cooper S. But how bad are R55 Clubmans?
I enjoyed my R55 JCW. I intentionally bought mine as a '14 since that had the N18 motor to help hedge my bets against some of the relatively common issues on the older N14 motors. In the end though, I learned that FWD just is not for me. I really did give it an honest chance, but the power of the JCW just meant wheelspin on corner exit. I considered getting grippier tires than the DWS I had on it which I am sure would've helped with my chief complaint. In a straight line it had plenty of grip because, let's be honest, it didn't have *that* much power. But it certainly could blow away the inside tire if you so much as thought of trying to steer while getting on the gas.
I loved the space efficiency though. It was perfect for having a newborn since her car seat clicked right in the back through the half door. And laying down the back seats opened up a decent amount of space relative to the outside size of the car.
Piggybacking on this. How dog-friendly is a 2010 Clubman S? I have a 40lb shepherd/hound mix. He has previously ridden in the hatch area of my Veloster and Kia Soul.
How kid friendly is the back seat for a 6 year old? Alternatively, is there a way to deactivate airbags and let the boy ride in the front seat? I'd love to be done with this back seat bs.
This is roughly a what... 15 second car?
Does it have a limited slip?
Very dog friendly. I have two 30lb corgis that would ride in the back a lot. There's also decent room under the trunk floor for things.
Whether or not there's a limited slip depends on the year and trim. They started getting away from an actual LSD and going towards brake intervention around '08 for the JCWs (check all this). I thought mine had brake intervention, and, if it did, it sucked at its job. Couldn't get 10,000mi out of my fronts. But brake intervention that works well also sucks because it cooks your brakes.
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