I currently drive what I consider the 'other' MINI, at least in spirit of the original British Mini; spacious yet tiny front wheel driver with more sportiness and agility than one would expect - the Honda Fit. I have a 2008 Fit, which is one of the last years of the 'GD3' platform. The current Fits are a slightly larger, slightly softer evolution that a lot of enthusiasts criticize for lacking in the original spirit and driving feel (sound familiar?)

Anyway, for no particular reason I've come around to the MINI and am currently on the hunt for an S here in southern california. Internet forums are the best thing to happen to car fans, since so much great info can be disseminated so easily among owners.

The first order of business is to locate the info I need prior to seeing any cars first hand; I always buy used, and knowing what to look for (or look out for) is a great tool to have. I'll use the search function, but if anyone can point me to a 'What to look for on a used MINI' thread I'd appreciate it.

 

Welcome to NAM, FC.

I drove a friend's Fit Sport on a trip a few years ago; plenty of fun with the paddle shifters, but, unlike the MCS, they are notoriously reliable.

I don't even have an S, so I'll leave the details to those that do. You'll notice the forums here break into Gen1 ('02 through '06; R53 for the MCS hatchback) and Gen2 ('07 on; R56 for the MC & MCS hatchback). Gen1 MCSs are supercharged, while Gen2s are turbocharged. Some prefer the sound of the supercharger, but, from what I've heard and read, the turbochargers have apparently been a bit more reliable. Both have apparently been the source of more than a few headaches, however.

There are other generational differences as well. Gen2 MINIs are just a bit larger in several dimensions (about 2.5" longer) and have a slightly different look; it's subtle, but it's there. Apparently the newer components have been a bit more reliable than those they replaced in the Gen1 MINIs. That's not always easy to tell, however, because most of the newer MINIs don't have the time and wear on them that the Gen1 MINIs do.

I think it's a good idea to get a pre-purchase inspection from a shop that knows MINIs before buying used. The more you can learn about the car's history, the better.

Good luck; and be careful out there.

 

Hah, yes. I must admit trepidation, given that this Honda is both simple and legendary in it's stay-togetherness, and it's wonderful fuel efficiency. It's also the manual, with one of the better gearshifts I've ever used. I do know that anything that rolls out of England is sort of a crapshoot in regards to it's level of polish. Lucas magic smoke!

I do know most of the basics thanks to the Wiki page. I'm a little surprised that the turbo'd engine would be more reliable; turbo plumbing and systems are much more integrated and tricky than a simple supercharger.

You speak as though you've either been bitten or are at least wary. But I do thank you for your honesty - don't want to go in blind!

 

I currently own an 05 Mk1 cooper S and love it. It is about as fast as my 08 SI was and quite frankly loved the car but hated most of the community. I like the Mini groups much better. I did have some trouble with my mini shortly after purchase with the thermostat housing leaking but it was quickly remedied by the dealer. otherwise i have no issues other than a few weird sounds here and there, (which Ive heard is normal) But best of luck in the search and post pictures when you get one!

Welcome to NAM

 

The Fit is really an amazing car. My gf has a new one, 2010 I think, and we drove it cross country - Miami to San Diego and even through the mountains and with the car fully loaded to the point that the back wheel wells were almost rubbing on the tires, the car managed to average almost 40mpg. And in the city, even in bumper to bumper stop n go rush hour, she's getting about 36 mpg.

I've yet to get over 29 combined in my Mini but then again, I drive in the worst of Miami traffic which consists mostly of idling, then accelerating for half a block and stopping again. On longer highway trips it will get about 35 or 36 but in the city I've been averaging about 25.

Anyway, after spending a lot of time reading through the forums, unless you are a DIYer and don't mind and are capable of fixing anything that breaks, I'd consider buying some kind of extended warranty especially for an S since some of them seem to be not so reliable. I bought a non S for several reasons but one of them was definitely the reliability factor.

 

I had an '06 for 5+ years and loved it. I now have an '11 and after a bit of adjustment have fallen in love all over again. Good luck with your search!
Here's some info on buying a Gen1.
http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Annette

 

FC: "Our" '06 MC is my wife's second car. Her other car is a Honda Pilot for hauling two big dogs. She tried to get me to sell my M3 for a MINI, but eventually gave up on that. Now I'm thinking about a newer MINI of my own. We both autocrossed a '64 Mini Cooper S decades ago, so they're hard to shake off.

Our MINI also had the thermostat housing gasket leak MrCoty mentioned in post #4 above. That's fairly common, as is coolant leaking from a split coolant tank. Strange electrical glitches are also fairly common. Other fairly common problems can be found in the "problems" forum here. In spite of all the poor reliability talk, some have experienced very few problems with their MINIs.

 

Some search terms for the 2007-2011 MINI Cooper S (MCS)
- run flat tires (RFT) ..... MCS do not have spare tires
- death rattle
- cold start
- timing chain tensioner
- sunroof (heat & rattles)
- Boost CD vs. HK vs. HIFI (these cars do not have DIN style stereos so factory upgrades vs after market upgrades are not your standard run of the mill undertakings).
- if your into moding then make sure to search (rear sway bars, Alta AccessPort, CIA, Torque Arm Inserts, NM Springs)
- also some special editions that you will probably see a list of in the WIKI page you've been viewing.
- also packages like Premium, Sport, Convenience have changed year from year, so the same options of per say a Convenience package are not always the same year to year.
- manual clutch problems (PS 2007-2011 auto trans are way way more reliable than their gen 1 counterparts)

Now if you are looking for more info on gen 1 MCS, I'm not that well versed. But MINI is like most cars, where the later years of each build are the best reliability (i.e. gen 1 2006 MCS and current gen 2 2011 MCS). You will see a higher percentage of happy owners (reliability wise) when it comes to 2006 MCS, 2011 MCS does not really have much history yet, but many of the issues listed above have apparently been upgraded or fixed with 2011 productions (only time will tell).

 

Thank you BoCRon and sumint! Those links/lists are perfect. Now I have an idea of what to ask about and look for.

I have seen a fair amount of MINIs with clutch replacements before 60k miles. Is the clutch a known weak point? Is there a good aftermarket 'step up' clutch out there that's a little more hardy?