There have been several board members that are so disgusted
with their MCS that they are dumping them and getting a different
make of car.

I haven't heard a single case of that hapenning with an MC owner.

Are the MCS that much more prone to breakdown?

I know they have many problems that the MCs do not, but is it
enough to drive owners on to a different car?

 

I LOVE MY MCS!

 

Not me! I'm happy as a hog in s--t with my MCS... 13 months, 12K miles, nothing major other than the stumble issue. I love this car!

 

I could give you a nice little list of warranty repairs on my Cooper. But I'm not getting rid of it. I get the feeling that those jumping ship were either hot-to-trot over the hip and cool factor of the MINI, and after driving it for a few months got tired of the quirks, stiff suspension, whatever. Really, a little test drive doesn't give you the whole picture with a car. I've got 22K on mine - and regardless of the problems, enjoy it more now than when Igot it.

 

I love my MCS. Maybe those who have thrown in the towel
are just more vocal. Keep on Motoring.

_________________
'03 MCS IB/W, Packages 1,2,3 and NAV,
Lapis Blue interior, driving lights, skid plate, etc.

 

Aside from stumble (...which must be maddening!)...its possible some (...maybe just a few) MCS owners are the types of enthusiast that just trade cars alot, either for more hp or for the latest hot car. It's their hobby...no fault in that. They might be just looking for something in a car that long term MCS ownership can't fulfull. Hard to imagine, I know! ...just a theory.

 

I love my MCS. Maybe those who have thrown in the towel
are just more vocal. Keep on Motoring.

 

>>I could give you a nice little list of warranty repairs on my Cooper. But I'm not getting rid of it. I get the feeling that those jumping ship were either hot-to-trot over the hip and cool factor of the MINI, and after driving it for a few months got tired of the quirks, stiff suspension, whatever. Really, a little test drive doesn't give you the whole picture with a car. I've got 22K on mine - and regardless of the problems, enjoy it more now than when Igot it.

My point exactly, I notice that there's quite a few folks that are only interested in "the moment" then get rid of their MINIs. All makes of cars have their issues and everyone's entitled to their opinion of them. But others just lease their MINI to get rid of the car in a matter of a few years, then on to the next hot car...I don't get it.

I love my MINI, even with the stumble and power hungry A/C. I have a few minor issues like the weak latch in the glove compartment, the sunroof mesh coming out of the track, the front seats coming out of alignment. These issues have been fixed and didn't change my feelings about my lovely car.

I don't know if I would sell Junior, but I can see having another car in the future for daily use. Junior can just sit pretty in the garage...until the weekends.
:smile:

 

I will give up my MCS, when they pry my cold dead fingers from around the steering wheel.

 

>>I will give up my MCS, when they pry my cold dead fingers from around the steering wheel.


Wow!!! :smile:

 

Love my MCS. WILL love my MCS years after it is no longer "The Hot Car". This car is me! I've got 26k miles (don't tell anyone, but my stumble went away, all by itself at at 25k!!!)

 

>>don't tell anyone, but my stumble went away, all by itself at at 25k!!!

WOW!!! That's great news.

It wasn't after the second service was it?

 

Both the MC and MCS are wonder ful cars. I guess the MCS has had some issues with the coolant bottle, stumble, and such that the MC hasn't had. The coolant bottle fix has worked for me; no problem so far, and I've only noticed something that might be called a 'stumble' twice in 5 mo.s and 6K miles. So I don't have any real problems or reservations about the car.

If I did have to give up this car, I don't think I'd go to an MC. Driving a car that was identical to what I was used to, but didn't have the supercharger's accelerating wine as the engine pulls me out of a curner... I'd just miss that too much.

 

I think you are seeing a combination of things including the early problems, a waning hip factor and the fact that there are a lot of sporty car choices coming on the market right now (350z, RX8, VW Cabrio etc) - some with better cup/flower holders

And if city commuting driving is all you do with the car, an MCS is like a caged cat. The niggles would begin to grate on badly paved roads in stop-and-yo-yo driving.

In Australia, the hip factor is a bit more subdued (the new VW has never made it big) as folks appreciate premium priced cars that keep looking fresh and being good over the longer term (eg Audi TT remains very popular). From the marketing material and having talked to a rep, I also think BMW initially completely missed the breadth of the age group that this car appeals to and why.

The fuel mileage is also a bigger factor for us (very few Hummers here). So even though the Mini had a slower ramp-up but the momentum appears to be healthy and steadily climbing in Oz.

Also, the original Mini had a big following in the UK and Australia so I think many took a different approach to the new car. And I think the new Mini clubs and after-market suppliers will help entrench this with all of their tours, support, etc.

Lastly, because our MCS introduction lagged the US and UK, I think we got a later, more reliable car to begin with.

Just my 2 Pesos...




_________________

 

Okay, I did a search on AutoTrader for the entire country:

350 Coopers being sold
(one savvy dealer said the car was "turned in by a local owner who was in tears - drive it and you'll see why!&quot

237 MC 68%
113 MCS 32%

I can't remember the exact percentage of how many MCS's are built compared to MC's, but I seem to recall it was around a one-third, two-third split, so the numbers seem skewed toward more MC's over MCS. Perhaps MC owners are wanting to trade up for more horsepower? A couple of people have mentioned wanting to do this.


_________________
=^.^=

Almost due:
'03 Elec. Blue/White, Black leather/Silver, Packages 1,2,3, rain sensor, H/K
(And I thought I wanted to save money! LOL!)

 

I think your seeing it more with the MCS than with the MC because it takes longer to get the MCS. In that additional time frame, something changes in their life that prevents them from keeping the car.

I read more than a few threads where future owners have gotten married,lost jobs, gotten divorced all in the time it took for the car to arrive. Stuff happens. The car no longer fits their lifestyle.

Then again I could be completely wrong about everything,and that it really boils down to people wanting the next hot car. Which I'm told for this summer is the Chrysler Crossfire. Go try to buy one. They made 5000 cars for 2004. The dealership won't even let drive it before you buy it.

O.K. I'm done.

 

In addition to the 350Z and RX8, you also have the EVO and STI to deal with. I 'm sure more than a few WRX owners went STI as soon as they could. Some speed and HP freaks will not miss the opportunity. I'm sure there are some owners out there who have seen far too many MINI's for their liking now - either on a group drive where they saw "their" car replicated, or just cruising around town. I've heard the sentiment thrown around in other threads regarding the uniqueness factor wearing off...

 

>>There have been several board members that are so disgusted
>>with their MCS that they are dumping them and getting a different
>>make of car.

Sometimes people are frustrated with problems and are looking for greener pastures but you just sign yourself up for a different set of problems.

>>I haven't heard a single case of that hapenning with an MC owner.

There are cases where on MCO people have posted that they are selling their MC to buy a MCS. Was it MINIclover that did that? I'd have to look.
Also kbseto is looking to do that and others have as well and were happy.
Not everyone will like their MINI enough to keep it but that happens with any car. I'm not worried.

>>Are the MCS that much more prone to breakdown?

There are some problems that happen more with the MCS than with the MC like the ECU problems but most problems can happen to either model.
Now it could be that MCS owners are more particular and wanting or expecting more out of their cars and that MC owners are more laid back.

>>I know they have many problems that the MCs do not, but is it
>>enough to drive owners on to a different car?

It may boil down to how well did you shop around to find a good match and did the MINI meet your needs as a car. If you fell in love with the car it is really unlikely that you will change it anytime soon. If you are unhappy about other things in general then problems with your MINI might seem not worth the effort to keep working on and then other cars with less trouble could look attractive.

The bottom line is that MINIs are great cars but not for everyone unless it is a third car to be used whenever you like- then expectations would be different.
There are definitely problems but most can be addressed or avoided/prevented. Sometimes we are lucky and sometimes we get a lemon but that can happen with any car. Most of us are tickled pink to have a MINI and would never give them up. I'm happy with my 2003 MCS.

 

This post reminds me of the statistics courses I took in college.

They were excellent BS detectors. The poster is basing his assumption on some postings, no data.

But here I am responding!

Regardless,
Red

 

I live in NYC, have MCS, so I don't drive so much. And literally every time I took it out, for a three month period (8 or so trips), each drive resulted in a trip to the dealer. I eyeballed the warranty receipts as best I could, and it seems I ended up with about $3K in warrantied repairs before my car was 6 months old. A number of us have commented on, 'well, what happens after the warranty goes?' I don't know that MCS' were more prone to manufacturing defects (mine included the clutch cables, boot latch, coolant tank; the stumble happens and is not resolved. I got the bonus of a failed oil pump). Non warranty fun such as the windshield and a tire (NY streets, boo-ya!) make it all the less fun. I don't intend to sell my car. I think a number of the MCS folks bought over the MC becuase of the perforrmance aspect, and the stumble, along with maybe a general disappointment at how MINIUSA has dealt the issues has exacerabated the frustration of folks with high performance expectations. I bought a Mini because the brand and the spirit intrigued me. I bought the MCS cause I could afford it. So I will stick around at least through the warrantly peroid, if I can afford it (BTW, what is resale looking liek these days for MCS owners?)

 

well somepeople are dumping MCS cuz of problems

i havent had any with mine yet, keepign fingers crossed

but the people dumping MC is usually for more HP

also some people bought them to make profit on teh car, and not to keep it

its a capitalistic society

 

>>I live in NYC, have MCS, so I don't drive so much. And literally every time I took it out, for a three month period (8 or so trips), each drive resulted in a trip to the dealer. I eyeballed the warranty receipts as best I could, and it seems I ended up with about $3K in warrantied repairs before my car was 6 months old. A number of us have commented on, 'well, what happens after the warranty goes?' I don't know that MCS' were more prone to manufacturing defects (mine included the clutch cables, boot latch, coolant tank; the stumble happens and is not resolved. I got the bonus of a failed oil pump). Non warranty fun such as the windshield and a tire (NY streets, boo-ya!) make it all the less fun. I don't intend to sell my car. I think a number of the MCS folks bought over the MC becuase of the perforrmance aspect, and the stumble, along with maybe a general disappointment at how MINIUSA has dealt the issues has exacerabated the frustration of folks with high performance expectations. I bought a Mini because the brand and the spirit intrigued me. I bought the MCS cause I could afford it. So I will stick around at least through the warrantly peroid, if I can afford it (BTW, what is resale looking liek these days for MCS owners?)

Sorry to hear that you have had these problems. My MCS is my daily driver and I have 5600 miles since Feb driving on a very small island. I have no problems you mentioned except for a leaky coolant bottle once that was fixed and is still fine. Obviously some cars are trouble free and others are not. However with your problems, once the fix is made are any recurrent problems? Stumble is a good example. Probably it is not fixed- still working on that. In the time you have warranty whatever you can find that needs fixing is the time to fix it. Heck I drove a 1991 Dodge Caravan that needed lots of warranty work for the first few years then it did OK enough that I kept it for 12 years and put plenty of miles on it before I bought my MINI.My 2001 Honda Odyssey is like your MCS.

 

I'm operating under the 'well, they were all the typical problems' (except for the oil pump) and crossing my fingers. I still haven't replaced the windshield ($784 at Manhattan MINI). I expect/hope that this will taper, since I've hit all the high points, in terms of initial manufacturing flaws (oh, I had one of the recalls as well, for the strut bolt). But $325 for a tire from the dealer and eight bills for a windshield? I know all the money is in repairs, but this seems absurd for a car that retails for $23K. I'm about to go in for my 10K service. I've seen other comments about what isn't reviewed, and not having owned a car for 8 years prior to this, and not having a driveway, makes the costs of servicing and the ability to do some myself a serious consideration, since I will probably request some additional, not covered checks.

 

>>There are cases where on MCO people have posted that they are selling their MC to buy a MCS. Was it MINIclover that did that? I'd have to look.<<


:smile: :smile:

Cheers!
Clover

 

>>I actually traded in my Cooper, "MINIclo," for "Wanda," my all-Jet Black S. I had no real problems with the Cooper. I just realized after driving her from August through January, that I wished I'd ordered more goodies and I wanted the S!


If you replaced the words "MINIclo" and "Wanda" with "COOP" and "COOP II" it would be my story exactly! I've loved both cars...though I've definitely become much more of an "enthusiast" with my MCS than I was with my MC. I can't explain why exactly, but this one has everything I wanted, whereas the other one was what some dealer had picked out. "COOP II" just feels a little more "mine."

But I digress. Back to the topic at hand!