I have found a 09' base vert that I am wanting to buy for my wife as a surprise. But I have read some much about timing chain and tensioner issues that I am having second thoughts. I did find the dealership that the car was serviced at and they said they had not replaced these parts on this car. He also said that the recall only effected the "S" models. The car has 68,000 miles on it and I don't want something that is going to be in the garage alot. Any re-assurance would be helpful.
Thanks,
Brad

 

The one you found is a non-S, not a "base". "Base" refers to any car that has no options including the S models.

Generally, the timing chain tensioner issue affects the S cars. I had a 2010 R56 hardtop (non-S) and never had any issues with the timing chain. You'll find that most of the issues you read about here (timing chain tensioner, high pressure fuel pump, carbon build-up, etc.) affect just the S models.

 

If you are talking about a hardtop, The timing chain issue is on the N14 motor which is the S and the JCW for the R56 model.

The Cooper or Base or Justa as it is called is a N12 motor.

 

Lol. Couldn't or the life of me understand what you meant by Vert. You mean a cabriolet. The 2009 is a R57 model and the engine is also an N12.

 

Sorry about the semantics. Here is a brief history lesson on the terms Convertible and Cabriolet:


Purists may claim that both phrases only refer to cars with four seats that originate from fixed roof cars however there have been so many exceptions to this rule that they seem better suited as general terms.
Cabriolet on is a French word first used in the 18th century originally referring to a light horse-drawn carriage. A Cabriolet would have two wheels and a folding fabric hood that could be pulled up to protect two occupants (one being the driver) from the weather. It would be pulled by a single horse. The name is thought to derive from cabriole (a French term for a dance-like high kicking classical horse movement) because of the vehicle’s light, bouncing motion.
Since the advent of the automobile the words convertible and cabriolet have become interchangeable. Manufacturers in America have generally kept to using ‘convertible’ while European brands (French in particular) often prefer to use ‘cabriolet’. Contradicting examples can be found in German brands where BMW use Convertible while Audi prefer Cabriolet. Brands such as Jaguar and Mercedes have been known to use both terms for their cars.
Interestingly before the automobile was invented Cabriolet’s were often used as taxis’ for hire and the word was was often shortened to ‘Cab’ thus being the source of the phrase ‘taxi cab’ or ‘hackney cab’. When referring to convertible cars, Cabriolet is more likely to be shortened to ‘Cabrio’.
The word Convertible seems to have more recent origins and is only used for motor cars. The phrase simply means ‘to-convert’ referring to the fact that the car can be converted from a vehicle with a roof to one without. Today both words are widely used with ‘Convertible’ being the more popular by a small margin.

 

"base" (short for "base model") means the lowest available model. If you mention a base Mustang, everybody knows you're not talking about the GT. Same for S and non-S MINI. This meaning of the terminology is commonly used by auto consumers.

 

And in the MINI community, they are S and non-S. The non-S is sometimes referred to as a "Justa" (as in just a Cooper).

 

For some reason, the people on White Roof Radio and MotoringFile get all worked up and offended when someone refers to a non-S as the base model. In the MINI community as a whole, nobody seems to care. If someone goes on a MINI forum and says they have the base model, everybody knows they don't have an S. I find it perfectly acceptable myself.

 

I was not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers nor rehash other threads about the problems, just trying to gain a better understanding of what appears to be a very serious issue. Another appears to be with the transmission which does not appear to be quite as serious. Having owned Hondas, Fords, Chevys, Mazdas, Nissans, Mitsubishis and Jeeps I am not use to experiencing such major failures in such short mileage. I had a Dodge once, it was a POS. Currently my Cherokee 4X4 (that means four wheel drive, both axles have power transferred to them at the same time) has 189,000 miles and wife's Ford Sport Trac has 202,000 miles on them without ever having done anything other than change fluids, tires, plugs and add gas. I also had a Prelude with over 200,000 miles and only ever changed a radiator. With issues like I mentioned plus low consumer reports, it just doesn't build confidence in the car. As I said, I was just trying to get a better understanding of the issues and build quality.

 

It sounds a bit like you will never be able to sleep at night with a CABRIO MINI!! the n12 powered cooper has been a pretty solid car if the power is OK for your wants. needs and desires.....
Just saying...if you are THIS worried now...and willing to try to educate us on MINI calling a CABRIO a CABRIO (VW does it too)...you might want to move on.
One more tip...
the BASE MINI is actually a ONE (not sold in the North American market), here the MID-LEVEL COOPER is the bottom....
most folks call it a "Just-a", short for JUST-A-COOPER.

 

Don't get so bent out of shape. I was only inquiring about what appears to be a very common and quite expensive problem. I guess I just expect better quality instead of just excepting poor quality from a niche car. I was not trying to correct anyone. It seems some are hung up on the terminology I used. If the car had been a "S", I would have called it so. I called it a base only to mean it wasn't an "S". Since you brought up VW, they had a Rabbit convertible that they called a Cabriolet and VW uses convertible for their new Beetle. Rolls Royce calls their's a Drop Head. What is your point? By the way, MiniUSA refers to their car as a Convertible. Weird, huh?

 

Based on what I've seen posted around the internet, I'd say timing chain issues are an uncommon problem for the N12 engine on the MINI you are considering. I'm not aware of any common or frequent issues with transmissions on the 2nd gen models. The only "serious" transmission problem I am aware of were with some CVT transmissions used in some 1st gen models.

 

Footnote:copied from-
http://www.convertiblecarmagazine.co...d-a-cabriolet/

 

No problem....just comes off as kinda preachy (the lecture on the history of cabriolet...we can use Google and use search and Wikipedia!!)....
The timing chain issues has had MULTIPLE repairs....and it seems that they FINELY had a fix in the most current one..shocking yes....but the motor was l Peugeot designed.....and MINI/BMW has never been happy with it...and the severe $$$$ issues Pugeot has had has needed several cash infusions from BMW to keep production going....
the most recent cars made by MINI (the recently introduced F chassis) has a BMW MADE and BUILT motor.....

 

Sorry that I contributed to the off-topic banter that often happens among the forum regulars here.

The engine in a 2009 non-S convertible has proven to be fairly reliable and doesn't exhibit the chronic issues in the turbo engine of the S.

However, I can't resist a final comment on the convertible/cabriolet topic. The convertible model is officially called "MINI Cabrio" in many parts of the world. Look at the websites of mini.de (Germany), mini.fr (France), mini.es (Spain), etc.

 

I was not trying to be preachy at all, I was actually trying to choose my words carefully. You never know how someone will interpret your tone.

No problem, "thread drift" happens alot in forums.

It was interesting to find out the origins of the two terms and meanings. If anyone is ever on a game show and the question about the origins of "Cab" comes up, we now all know. This is a debate for another day along with their hijacking of the term "hardtop". It does sound better than two door sedan though.

Truce everyone? And thanks for the responses, all of them.

 

What a tough read this thread has become. I have a R52 JCW and the first time someone referred to it as a Vert I was confused. Many ways to call it a convertible I suppose.

To answer your original question, I think the Justa is a good option and seems to have escaped many of the reliability issues you referred to. If you are comfortable with the service records of the unit you are looking at then it should be a fun and reliable ride. I suggest you take it to a qualified independent shop for a once over.

Spring is just around the corner now and I am looking forward to another season of top down motoring! Nothing beats a top down drive on a twisty road!