Hi all!

The Mini Cooper has been my dream car since I was a kid. Recently, I was the first in my family to graduate college. And a week later, I hold the keys to a new-to-me 2008 Cooper S with more packages than I could dream of! I love my blueberry (yes, Psych reference!). Not having the MINI new car intro, I came here looking for answers. I've found more compartments in my car than I know what to do with! This place has been amazing.

And then it happened.

After 5 days-4 hours-11 minutes-35 seconds, the honeymoon was over. Cold feet, buyer's remorse, and every anxiety set in as I read page after page of failing vacuum pumps, failing thermostat housings, turbo heat shields and timing chain recalls recalls, and failing high pressure fuel pumps.

I looked over at my set of MINI keys and my heart broke. Sitting in a heated garage, with its own cushioned floor mats, my lighting blue R56 beaming back at me could very well be a lemon.

I see this car as my first MINI in a long line. It will still continue to be my dream car. I do most of my own maintenance for small things. Oil, brakes, headlights, fan systems, and rotors are all within my grasp.

How do I settle these feelings so I can go on my happy motoring way?! I know there's no way to know what will happen. It's just disheartening to read all these horror stories, anyone with a good used MINI experience out there?

 

Have you got a Carfax report?

 

Just know that most posts are about people having problems with their cars, so you dont hear alot about good cars with no problems. Congrats on getting the MINI though! Can we get some pics?

 

My fiance drove it for the first time last night. He just had to fold in the mirrors for it to 'fit'. Ha, it will actually fit between the other care and the wall.

 

Unfortunately, no. I do not have a Carfax report. I bought the car from Carmax and I bought their warranty. I am in contact with MINI to see what they can tell me about my car as a MINI dealer is two hours away from my current location. I've heard that if you take your key to a MINI dealer, they can read it and tell you at least if it's had maintenance. So I will do that if MINI can't tell me anything.

When it was getting new winter tires, I did go out in the shop and look underneath. It looked pretty good the only thing I noticed was they reused the drain plug a few times and it's started to circle out.

 

Well congrats on your MINI.. While I can understand your concerns I honestly would just enjoy your car... Big key is to keep an eye on all fluids.. While I myself have had good luck I can easily see where people can run into trouble with these type of cars.. My MA always told me these are fun factor type cars and were built for that.. Which really means they are a good car for that..on reliability stand point is where you have to pay close attention to your MINI to have the best of both worlds.. Enjoy!! Awesome cool btw..

 

Congrats on your mini!!
ANY CAR can be a lemon.....
Any car can break....
Reading these forums can make one think mini's are junk...
Every part routinely fails....and we all get $5000 repair bills and months of shop time!!
My car for one has NEVER had a night away from me...never a tow....heck only warrenty complaint was a dome light failure about 6 months after I hot the car in December 2004!!!
I have done some bushing, shocks/struts....and some performance upgrades....but as to reliability, no complaints. I do drive my car "nice" with bursts of fun...no full on 24/7 drive like you stole it...that gets $$ on ANY CAR IMO.
So before you get all OCD over impending failures....know Thst some folks beat, wail and race their cars...then come here for fixes.....
No car is perfect....but few are also complete lemons either...even mini's.

 

Apparently carmax warranty is good

http://plays-with-cars.kinja.com/one...sed-1485113319

 

Go out for a drive & enjoy your MINI.

Like has been said folks come here to complain, that is why you are seeing those negative posts. Not all MINI's are afflicted with all those miladies.

Learn to open the hood & check fluids. Many people do not & then have a costly problem. My call it is their fault for ignoring basic maintenance.

FWIW buying that warranty should also buy you peace of mind. Congrats on your MINI enjoy it.

 

Thanks!!! I really appreciate it. It's surprising how much a little reassurance can help! I definitely love my car. I might be guilty of going out of my way to find curvy back roads to travel. But, who can resist in a mini?! I think the only real downside I've found is on the highway. I'll start to notice I'm passing everyone and look down and realize I'm about 20 over the speed limit.

 

Good call. Carmax has a good warranty...

http://plays-with-cars.kinja.com/why...m-ca-814250605

 

On the Gen II cars you re-use the drain plug. You just use a new crush washer whenever you change the oil. If you use the BMW/Mini filters, they come with a new o-ring and crush washer.
I like your car. Your excellent taste is apparent in the color choice.

 

Wow, this is the most pessimistic post I've ever read. I hope your overall outlook on life isn't this bleak or you're in for a miserable existence. I've had 4 MINIs so far and while none of them have been perfect (2 were bought used), they have been a blast to drive and worth any headaches that arose.

Cars sometimes fail and it's likely that you'll eventually have one of the problems you read about. However, it is unlikely that you will experience ALL of the problems on the same MINI. Just enjoy the driving experience and don't let the uncertainties of the future spoil the present.

 

Live your life through the windshield not the rear view mirror...all these things could be possible but why let that hold you back...drive it and enjoy the ride.

 

Neat! I didn't know that. I do want to replace it before I have to drill it out.oh wait, if I wait, I have an excuse to get new sockets. Btw, where might one find your signature image if they had a lightning blue mini too?

 

Thanks for the link! Nice to know that.

 

I've had my 2010 MINI Cooper S since new. Other than replacing the battery, zero problems.

 

More like the first time I've financed a car. But yes, point taken.

 

Wow!
Why would you crush your dreams like that
I have own may a used car over the years. Some of them were the worst cars that Consumers Reports has ever reviewed, and they were great cars.
If you expect the worst, then the worst is what you will get. Yes, thing wear out, which you seem to expect, but to expect you have a lemon? Why? What about your new to you car would lead you to think that?

You read these things on the blog, but you have to realize that people mostly only post because they have had a problem and for everyone of them, there are 100 or maybe 1000 people who have had no problems at all with these cars.

We have a 10 year old MINI and the major expenditures have been tires and brakes. I have a friend who tracks (that's like racing) his MINI with 250K miles on it. I think he is still on his original clutch.

Point being, these cars are fun and eccentric. You may have an issue here and there, but that is part of car ownership. You obviously really love the car. So treat it well and it will likely treat you well back. Change the oil often, put premium gas in it and drive like you are having fun and not a care. If an issue comes, deal with it but please don't spoil your MINI adventure by looking for something that is not there.

Happy Holiday and enjoy

 

I bought a 2012 MCS almost a year ago. I bought it from a used car dealer that specialized in VW, BMW and Mini. They had over a dozen Mini's on the lot, several 2012 MCS. The one we picked was a couple thousand $ less than the others similarly equipped. When I asked the salesman why, he said the original owner had resold it back to Mini under the California lemon law (shows up on the title). At the time, I figured I still had almost 2 years left on the warranty and wanted to save some $.

10k miles and a year later, ZERO problems. Enjoy your mini..

 

My experience has been that, while there are some great people and some great advice here, NAM in particular, is notorious as a gathering place for people who like to complain about every little thing. All cars have the potential to have issues. Some more than others. I'm on my third MINI, and I've never had a moment's trouble with any of them. As the old adage goes, take care of your car, and it will take care of you. I wouldn't lose sleep over anything you read here. Enjoy your new baby, drive it, and have a blast! Welcome to the insanity!

 

You have a terrific car, and a huge network of enthusiasts to rely on. You will be fine and have more fun than most car drivers out there. MINI, like most BMW engineered cars, have their weak spots under the hood and other points where we just wish they had done something different. But Lemon? No. These cars are not junk. Take it all with a huge grain of salt, and WAVE BACK!

 

It is my understanding that you can call the dealership with your VIN and see what actions have been taken on your MINI by authorized dealership service.


Love your MINI.... It WILL love you back. Any problems I've had (only a few) have been taken care of by the dealer.... for free.

 

As with any internet review you come across - most of what you see are complaints, people expect good service and good products to be the norm. For every complaint you read about a gadget, restaurant, cart, etc... There are 100 people with the exact opposite experience. Then there are also the 'glass half full' people,, these are the reviews that a 4 star hotel gets from a customer that 'is only happy by having something to ***** about'. Some people just like to complain. My guess is that most of what you see on this forum are people with legitimate car issues but relax man,, it's not an epidemic. Mini is a strong company with a need to make their customers happy (like every other company). The bigger their presence gets in the USA the stronger their customer support and service will get. You got the whole world and a your whole lord ahead of you. You shouldn't be fretting about such small 'what-iffs'!

 

You guys have been awesome! Thank you so much for your support and help. This is my first big purchase after graduating, so I was pretty nervous. So a big thanks to you guys for the help!

And yes, I DO WAVE BACK ( although I'm sure I look insane because I'm so ecstatic when I drive my mini!!)

Happy Motoring!