Did you read his post? Sounds like he's about to wet himself.... So scary!

 

My wife has a 07 MCS she ordered to how she wanted it. Its at ~65k and no mechanical issues. We have alot of cars and I'm active (as a reader, dont post much) on the forums for a few of them: my prius and our powerstroke and some old GMC motorhome forums.

With that said, I'd agree with the poster that said that these are fun cars, good value, overall good reliability but they are more $ to maintain and they may be overall less reliable than a toyota/honda/nissan. They will also be less fun to drive than a mini.

The only issue that really has me concerned is the vacuum pump seizing causing total engine failure. Thats a combination of bad design and BMWs poor maintenance plan. We usually buy used but bought new because of the maintenance plan. Going 15-17k miles before your first oil change is crazy, especially on a low oil capacity system with direct injection. We changed ours at 1k and every 5k thereafter. I have a gut feeling that the seized vacuum pump issue is from infrequent oil changes. Maybe its a false hope...

I do all the maintenance other than the two or so free services that came when it was in warranty and its not the easiest or cheapest car to work on but its not the worst. Its the worst of what I own now but I recall other cars that were harder than they should have been to change the oil and brakes (brakes are ez on this car but $ as the rotors get replaced).

With that said, I use the mini build online tool alot, dreaming up the perfect clubman to replace my prius, as the prius is rock solid reliable but yawn... to drive. Depending how the MCS does in the next 3 years, I may replace the prius with a clubman.

 

Sure, there are lots of problems mentioned on this forum, enough to make anyone a little reluctant to purchase one of these cars. But if you read carefully you will find that most of these problems are specific to the "S" version of the MINI.

Why not consider a JustaCooper, non-"S" model? The Justas are essentially the same car, without the turbo. Suspension, steering, transmission, interior, trim, etc. - all the same. They handle just as brilliantly (they are slightly lighter weight, always a good thing), brake and shift the same. Nice free-revving engine, it sounds great at higher revs just like it should. The JustaCooper even looks the same, except the "S" has a fake (melting) hood scoop - a big turn-off for me (it's just a styling add-on with no purpose other than to make the "S" look different than the cheaper non-"S").

HPFP failures, rattling timing chains, carbon build-up, melting scoops - all problems to be concerned about, and all specific to the "S" model.

Of course, not ALL turbo MINIs suffer from these issues, as mentioned in some earlier posts. But your chance of having any of these problems with a JustaCooper is nil. Ditto with rattling, sticking and troublesome sunroofs - just leave that option off your order sheet, and be done with it! A sunroof is nice, but not worth the trouble to me (on any car, not just the MINI).

The turbo on the "S" is a great test-drive rush - a big hit of horsepower and torque make a great first impression over the non-turbo MINI. The first time that turbo kicks in - "whoa, I got to get me one of these!!". I like more power and torque as much as anyone else on this forum. But for day-to-day commuting or everyday driving? Not so much. Nice to accelerate and feel that turbo boost for about 3 seconds at a time - then you're back to stop and go city driving, or steady speed cruising on the highway where the turbo makes no real difference to the driving experience. The things that make a MINI a blast to drive are all present and accounted for in the Justa, minus the short-term acceleration rush. AND minus the (potential) problems mentioned above. Also minus about 3 or 4 thousand dollars less initial outlay for the Justa versus the "S". The Justa gets better fuel mileage too (mine qualified for a $1000 gov't fuel economy grant when I bought it - the "S" did not).

My 2008 Nightfire red (white roof) JustaCooper has around 35000 miles on it, so far it has been dead-nuts reliable. The only option I ordered was the "convenience package" - I needed cruise control, that was the only way to get it at the time - oh, and the beautiful Nightfire red paint cost extra. It came (standard) with 16" alloy wheels and run-flat Continental tires, fog lights front and rear. No sunroof, no stripes, no leather, etc. It's perfect just as it is.

This is all just my opinion, of course. Everyone on this forum seems to want a Cooper "S" - but the plain Cooper is a much better proposition in the grand scheme of things. Definitely worth considering, especially if you plan to keep the car long term, as I do.

__________________________________________________ ____

 

Agree completely. Just ordered a Cooper S Countryman to replace my 09 Prius-same complaint: the Prius is just too boring to drive.

We've had a new 05 Convertible S with up to about 35,000 miles with no major mechanical issues. Only trouble we had were a few rattles in the interior.

My one year-old used 08 BMW 335 was in the shop once a month until BMW bought it back under the Lemon Law. But the rest of the time when it worked, it was AWESOME.

MINI/BMW will never be as reliable as a Toyota/Honda, but will be infinitely more fun to drive.

 

El Tiger
Owner of a justacooper 09' ,paddle shifters , regular tires ,Lighting Blue , White stripes = son wanted them . Yes the justacooper is a hoot to drive and great MPG ! I did not want the "S" because to the extra $$$ and the higher insurance ! Mile for mile = still have to smile . It runs like its on rails / legal go-cart driving on the streets . Drink the kool-aid and enjoy the ride !

 

I drove Honda Civic for seven years, and just bought 2011 Mini Cooper S a month ago.

I love both Civic and Mini, but I don't expect the same thing from them because they are very different. I don't expect the high reliability and low maintenance cost from Mini which I had from Honda. I just hope my Mini does not have many problems while we are together.

So, to OP, just think about what you really want and hope for the best if you decide to have Mini. I hope you have a good decision!

 

Will you have problems... probably, but you might get lucky. I read many threads on here before purchasing, and learned about all the issues. I knew getting into this car there could be problems and there certainly have been. However you will also discover this car can be the most enjoyable auto you can drive despite its issues.

 

12,000 miles with no issues. (2010) I had the same concerns, but figured as long as everything is covered by warranty why not take a chance. I am still certain I will trade it in when the warranty is about to expire. I am also certain I will trade it in for a new MINI. The only cars I would be happy with after owning a MINI are out of my price range.

 

Go drive one. Do you like it? Great, then buy one. Things might pop up, but that's to be expected with any mechanical vehicle. I know my MINI will take whatever beating I can dish out, and smiles at the end of the day(also not stock- at all.). I would have no qualms with driving this thing to the west coast and back. Maybe I'm just lucky, but for the past four years every new BMW or MINI I've owned (going on 4 ) has been absolutely fantastic, and I miss each one every day. I just have a problem with wanting new cars. That said, the MINI just might be the new car I keep for a while. Feel free to PM with any specific question you might have.

Good luck!

 

I've owned a Honda S2000 (which is currently over 10 years old) for 7 trouble-free years so far. And I've owned a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX for 4.5 trouble-free years so far.

I've owned a Mini Cooper S for 7 months, and it's already been to the dealer twice to fix broken stuff. And the original owner has already had the HPFP replaced once. And now it's about to be out of factory warranty...

There are many sporty cars available today that offer above average reliability to go along with driving fun. The turbocharged MINI is not one of them IMHO.

There are many good reasons to buy a MINI. They are fun, practical cars with great aftermarket support that are becoming very affordable in the used car market. But reliability is just not one of its selling points. If you can get past that one major drawback, buy a MCS and enjoy it!

 

Hello all -

New to this site and in need of advice.

My new 2010 mini Cooper has 1.100 miles after 5 months. I have had to tow 2x-once for a failed Servo motor 2nd time for a blown vacum pump which in turn killed the timing belt = toasted engine.

Dealer has offered to replace engine--do I accept this car back?

I love the car and would prefer a new one--do I have any options?

Many thanks--eg

 

LOL.

 

If you are worrying about the fuel pump giving out. It is warrantied for 100,000 miles.

The issue with the cold start rattle has been addressed and there is a repair for that problem.

Either one of these problems are not on all of the Mini's ever made. They are only on the Turbo models and really not a whole lot of them out of the millions of Mini S's made since the turbo model came out.

I don't think any car made today is going to be 100% perfect. The Mini Cooper is no better or no worse then any car out there. At least if new you have a four year 50,000 mile warrenty with three years of roadside assistence & Maintenance.

I have never met anybody driving their Mini that did not "Love" their car.

 

Are you retarded?

Probably so, but you're much more ignorant.

Go on any forums where a car is having frequent serious problems, like the Mini Cooper S and you'd hesitate spending between $15-35,000 on one.

Believe me, I did. I was terrified of what I was getting myself into, and guess what. I had problems with my Mini for the first month of ownership.

It didn't really make me a very proud owner.

Spending that amount of money on something and knowing issues with the product is very disheartening.

But oh, nose! A person that talked bad about Mini/BMW! They must be wrong! Because we all know, driving one of these cars with totally worth putting up with the constant issues and poor build quality!

 

If you like the car, buy one and make the decision for yourself. There are tons of Mini's out there and if they were truly a horrible car, you would hear more about it.

I had the same issue before I bought an E46 M3. Everyone was freaking about how the rod bearings were a huge issue. Mine never had a single problem. I've had several Porsches new and old, a few BMW's, Lexus, Toyota, etc. The least reliable car I've ever owned was a Toyota Tacoma which gets accolades for reliability.

 

To answer your questions directly....

I think you'd be able to get MINI to give you a new car after having an engine replaced at only 1200 miles, and two major failures.

However, the chances of something like this happening are so small as to be statistically insignificant, so I'd feel pretty good that this one will be fine from here on out, but I can understand someone feeling like the car might be snakebit.

If you're uncomfortable with this car, get ahold of MINI and tell them so, start the process right away, cause the longer you wait the less chance they'll consider your claim.

Good luck with whichever way you go!

 

Jumping onto this thread as it was originally about the IPNA software, I'm curious to know how much more useful would this be than a simple bluetooth/wireless obd2 and an app, how much more useful is IPNA and what all can be done with it. I'm thinking of making an order but want to make sure it'll be useful.

 

07 MCS that I bought with 98k on it. HPFP went after two weeks, PCV valve went after a few months. Was told by a mechanic that I should do a chain replacement because of the mileage (didn’t have the rattle yet) which I should’ve listened to because a couple monthly’s later I (presumably) skipped timing and blew a valve and caused a bunch of issues. Had someone get it running again but have been chasing issues since and it doesn’t seem like it’ll end. That being said I LOVE my mini and have, debatably, too much sentiment to get rid of it even though it’s a money pit atm.

also, the guy who did my valve cover told me he’s seen minis that were well taken car of and maintained properly that hit 400k+ miles without and serious issues (had to have timing chains in and such but always before the issues were serious)

 

DO NOT buy from the street corner "Buy Here Pay Here" dealer, as they purchase auction cars THAT HAVE PROBLEMS and have NO SERVICE RECORDS.
Do not buy MINIs that HAVE BEEN MODDED OR REMAPPED, as they are most likely beaten badly and/or so screwed up the owner has given up getting them right or has run out of money.
Having said this, unmodified, lightly used, winter stored MINIs bought from PRIVATE OWNERs who can show you all service receipts are your best bet. Of EXTREME IMPORTANCE are receipts of REGULAR OIL CHANGES. MINIs use oil and Americans in general are accustomed to and for the most part get away with never checking, adding or changing the oil. NOT with this car.
Lastly, forums serve a good purpose, as long as you understand that almost nobody having a great, fun experience with their MINI takes the time to sit down and say so.
I love my MINI. I drive it and enjoy it in every way intended, all summer ONLY. It is PLENTY fun just the way it was designed, I don't neglect it, beat it or mod it.

'09 Cooper S Convertible, second owner, 8K miles driven since purchased with 74K miles on it. NOT my daily driver.