This is my first posting here.
I have always found this style forum to be the best place for info.
For the longest time my wife has wanted a Mini, I found a 2007 Mini Copper S with about 7,000 miles on it. I thought it was strange why would it only have that few miles on it but the situation and car fax makes it very believable.
The car is a 6speed manual
This is going to be her daily driver , it needs to be very reliable.
How reliable is a 2007 ? What are the common problems?
Thanks

 

Hey Philcsag1

Welcome to the forum

The 2007 is a decent car, but mind you it does have its share of problems.
But in light of that, it is very powerful compared to most <2.0 engines.
And as long as you keep up with the maintenance you shouldn't have any usual problems.

I know there are a lot of horror stories about water pump failures, high pressure fuel pump failures, thermostat housing cracks, timing chain tensioner issues, valves that need walnut blasting, and a few others.

But these are all issues that have well known fixes.
A few of them are even covered by MINI either by recall or at the very least, a tech bulletin.

The first thing to take a look is the maintenance history.
How often were oil changes? and what type of oil was used?
How does the coolant look? Is it blue? or is it a dirty purple/brown color?
Second thing to look is recall history.
There could be some outstanding recalls.
Since barely driven sounds to me like barely maintained.
AFAIK I count 4 recalls for the MCS from MINI during the last half a decade.

I drive my 2007 MCS daily, for minimum 50km per day.
I've put over 10,000km on it since I got it last summer.
And so far I haven't had any problems with it.

Granted I change my oil every 4000km, because I'm heavy footed and WOT is unadulterated fun.
I also did a transmission flush as well as coolant flush the day I drove it away.
This will help you assess the health of the internals in the future.
After a lot of reading from what other people post I realized that 10 minute short commutes, sub-par quality gasoline, and infrequent fluid changes really kills this car and harms its components in more than a few ways.

Other than that, your wife is welcome to drive it like she stole it.

By the way, the brakes on these cars are engineered to stop cars easily twice its size.
So your wife will be able to stop the car on a dime. Almost literally.
But that could also mean you will be going through brake pads and rotors faster than, say, a Mazda 3.
At the end of the day, it depends on the driving habits of your wife.

 

Thanks for the input, I have always been accused of over maintaining a car, so it would not be neglected.
Looking for my wife to take the Mini out on track at VIR or Road America this summer if we purchase it. It has been a while since she ran on track.

 

Well said cranker625

I know you're looking at a 2007 but I have some input on my models. I can only assume that if mine are having issues then I would think a 2007 would have similar issues. I currently have 2 mini cooper s, one is 2009 (45k miles) and the other is 2011 (30k miles). Don't get me wrong, these cars are beautiful and very fun to drive but... they have been giving me a few issues each, especially with what I would consider to be very low miles. Both have had the water pump leaking fixed, "timing chain recall" on the 2009, replaced high pressure pump and coolant temperature sensor on the 2011. I know there were more issues that were fixed but I can't remember it off the top of my head. Don't let my input steer you away from your mini but just make sure to thoroughly check and ask a lot of questions before you purchase one. I know there are others with similar issues but there are a lot of useful information and good people on this forum. Thanks

 

My advice about buying an R56 MINI?
-Don't. That's the best advice you can get. It's fun when it works, but it's a POS more often than not.

Want something reliable for the wife, look elsewhere. Buying an 07 means you will have as much in repairs after a couple years of ownership, as you paid for the vehicle.

 

Really? Walnut blasting is a demon of the design. The jumped on DI as quick as they could without researching such things, and now you may get 10K, you may get 50K miles, but walnut blasting WILL be part of the maintenance regime. (From this point out I assume the buyer is not a mechanic or DIY'er, so shop rates are taken into account).

-Walnut blasting, being a requirement from time to time, will run between $500 and $1100 at a dealership. Some Independent shops charge as little as $300 but you would have to be lucky enough to be near one of those.

-Water pumps and aux water pumps are NOT just "horror stories". They're a common "story" because they're a known common problem. Warranty on the aux pump or not, it's still down time.

-High Pressure Injection Pump. Another thing covered under an extended warranty. But if you don't get the signs early enough in it's failure and take the initiative to bring it in ASAP, it will leave you stranded.

-Timing tensioner and timing chain cassette. Again, should be 100% free if yours goes bad, but it's still downtime. The kicker for me on this is that a timing chain engine should NOT require timing set maintenance. There is no 60-100k mile interval in changing it like a rubber belt. But as sure s the night is dark, MINI found a way to **** that up too just for our "fun" cars. (The common excuse made for high maintenance and abnormal common issues that us MINI owners use. I even made that excuse once....once.)

-Turbo oil feed line. An absolute bear to change for such a small part, a very common failure, and NOT covered under any warranty or recall. Expect to pay a premium for the part at a dealership and 5-6 hours of labor at their shop rates. Some say the leaking at the banjo bolt are is caused by excessive heat so MINI has now been installing(for free), a janky little heat shield that clips onto the feed line at the turbo connection. I personally doubt this heat shield cures the leaking feed line.

-Hood scoops melting. Yup, in all of their engineering genius, they put inadequate insulation on the under side of the hood and an inadequate heat shield on the hot side of the turbo, AND put the turbo insanely close to the hood in an engine bay with minimal air movement. So your plastic scoop will warp. Most likely sooner than later. It is NOT covered by MINI, so it will be all out of pocket to replace. They know it's a common issue so the newer models come with an opened up hood scoop and a heat shield on the bottom of the hood. Neither of which MINI or your dealership will give you for free. If you have an 07-10 R56, you're SOL. Even though they know it's a problem.

-Live in a cold climate? Between the intake manifold design (which they have a new part for, but you have to pay full price for it), and the PCV system's over-complication, you might end up with condensation and frozen water issues in your intake. It will cause a running/starting issue in or after cold weather. The PCV-integrated valve cover is a few hundred, as is the intake manifold and if you don't work on cars yourself, add some good shop labor to that.

-Tire wear. These cars come with FAR too aggressive rear camber for a regular commuter car. If you are not at a track or hammering around tight curvy mountain roads on a regular basis, you are going to get majorly cupped inside tire wear. You will have plenty of outside tread, tires will not be near their life expectancy, but you'll be needing new ones because the camber is not set for flat, comfortable driving, it's set for handling. Which is all fine and dandy, but it's so aggressive that you need a savings account for new tires each year just to drive it to and from work all week.

-Windshield damage. This one hasn't come up a lot lately in light of all the other, bigger issues. But the fact stands, we have tall windshields with a very steep slope and BMW's glass seems to be paper thin. Add in that the cars are quite low and you have a major rock chip, pit, crack factory. Another thing that isn't uncommon to need once a year.

-One last one? Oh yeah, the one that grenades your motor. The brake booster vacuum pump. It is keyed to your exhaust cam and there is no "weak link" engineered in. It's a very stout connection. The vacuum pump seizing up is a common issue and there are no warnings. Could be fine and then all of the sudden you're on the side of the road needing a new engine or major rebuild. Because it's keyed to the cam and there is no shear point built in, when it seizes, it locks the cam in place, tearing up your timing set, valves, pistons, etc.

"You pay more maintenance for a fun car" only get's you so far. MAJOR parts failures being COMMON issues is NOT part of the "pay to play" BS. Expensive oil changes, the engine design eating a bit of oil between oil changes, slightly faster brake wear, maybe even the camber/tire wear issue can all be washed away with "It's a vehicle designed for performance". HPFP, Vacuum pump, aux water pump, the timing BS, etc... no, no way. It's just a shitty car.

 

I have a 2007 and have fixed all of the "common" (+ expensive) problems.

I have also had to rebuild the bottom end and replace the manual gearbox. Put at least 10k into it just keeping it running, mods are extra.

Hard for me to recommend a 2007 when there are folks who have a lot better luck with the later model years. Research N14 vs N18.

 

Do not believe everything CARFAX tells you. It only reports when the VIN is recorded while the vehicle is getting serviced. I think it may only get reported at the dealer and nowhere else.

What i'm getting at is you should have the car independently inspected by someone that really knows BMW/MINIs regardless of what the CARFAX says.

When I bought my other car, it had a clean CARFAX. However, once I got it home and started working on it over the winter I can see evidence of dings, repaired paint, and other service done by someone that had turds for brains. Things that wouldn't be reported at the dealer. This is all stuff that a independent shop can identify for you.

My guess is that it was a fair weather summer fun toy for some kind of executive.

I will add that the N14 engine that's in the 2007-2010 model years gets a lot of crap on these forums. When I still had my '09, it had all the typical issues you'll read about there. The bottom line is, BMW fixed them at no cost to me and beyond that it was a ridiculously fun car that was for the most part reliable. It's a game of probability of course. Make sure you see all the service that was done on it at the BMW dealer. You're not in warranty anymore so be VERY careful.

 

InjectedGT you have some good points.
I'm just a little more lenient when it comes to problems on cars.
Every car has its share of quirks, especially when we are looking back into the past for 5+ years.
If you want a performance turbo car, there will be some issues here and there if maintenance is not done on the dot.
Look no further than the BMW 335i, or even the more "reliable" WRX.
Skimp on oil changes on those cars, or drive like an ****** first thing in the morning, and it will die on you in a couple of years, if not sooner.

I change my oil every 4000km, change other fluids in 1/2 the time recommended by BMW/MINI.
I drive the car responsibly, knowing I have to pay for maintenance as well as repairs should I skimp on maintenance.
After 70,000km on the odo, the intake valves on my car is barely charred, far from begging for walnut blast like some of the other owners.
With all of the recalls up to date, there really isn't much wrong with the car.
There are plenty of solutions for the issues you brought up.
And they are all valid issues that OP should take into consideration.

Walnut blasting
To reduce the chance of collecting burnt oil on your intake valves, always get the car up to operating temperatures between drives.
Don't start the car, then immediately gun it like a bat out of hell to the grocery store 5 blocks away, then turn off the car to go shopping for a couple of hours.
Do drive gently for the first few minutes in the morning to get oil warmed up, then feel free to drive at whatever speed you desire.

Tip: Frequent full synthetic oil changes will also increase the time between walnut blast trips.

Water pumps and aux water pumps
Over time coolant can coagulate and gunk up your radiator and pumps.
Which will lead to pump failures.
Do change your coolant more often than the owners manual suggests. MINI is unrealistically optimistic in their owners manual when it comes to maintenance.
Don't change your coolant once every five years. Or wait until the coolant is a purple brown instead of the crystal blue it's supposed to be.

Tip: Make sure to use the proper coolant for BMW/Audi. Mixing coolant will result in catastrophic failure within the cooling system. Beware.

High Pressure Injection Pump
One of the main reasons the HPFP fails is poor gasoline quality.
Avoid filling up at stations that look like they don't do a lot of business.
If you fill up gas at a station out in the sticks, then chances are it will be "older" than gas from a station in the middle of the city.
Don't fill up with anything less than 91 at the bait-and-tackle plus gas station kwik grocery mart in the boonies.
Do fill up the highest grade you can afford, with additives, at the busiest station you can find.

Tip: If high quality fuel is not common where you live, invest in some chevron techron additives or equivalent chemicals.

Timing tensioner and timing chain cassette
This is downtime, but is 99% of the time covered under the recall.
Just watch out for signs for premature timing chain wear.
There will be noises that are very audible. Especially if you live in colder climates.
Many sound clips can be found for your reference.
And while the car is in for the recall you could also opt for a loaner, which will most likely be a 2010+ Mini S :D

Turbo oil feed line
This is a common failure, but the parts required for this repair is in the double digits. Labour will depend on the shop you go to.
And again, the turbo line failure is also the result of the car running too hot too fast too often.

Hood scoops melting
The worst you'll get from this is a slight warped dimple on your hood scoop.
If you have it already, there are numerous fixes for it.
You can treat it with a heatgun, new cover, JCW replacement, M7 replacement, lots of options out there.
Do put a heatshield on between your turbo and hood scoop. They can range from $20 to $200.
Also, you can remove the mesh shaped baffle to increase air flow into your engine compartment.

Live in a cold climate
I haven't heard of too many of these, maybe because I'm on the west coast.
But it's been a very rough winter for them.
So I can't speak for our east coast brothers and sisters with this issue.

Tire wear
The rear camber is easily adjusted with the proper parts and alignment.
With an 2007 MCS, chances are you still have the original Dunlop runflat tires.

Don't keep the oem runflat tires, they are now 5+ years old. So they will not only be hard as a rock, but also weathered and old.
Do get a set of proper regular tires, there will be a world of difference in handling as well as ride comfort.

Windshield damage
This stands for all MINIs, and will most likely happen to the new MINI too.
The design for the body and chassis requires the windshield to be more "vertical" than most cars. And I agree BMW/MINI uses paper thin windshields.
But this can be easily replaced depending on your insurance coverage.

The brake booster vacuum pump
This one is more on the uncommon side, it does happen, and when it does it is one expensive PITA ****.
This is due to poor engine oil changes and not doing them frequently enough.
The vacuum pump seizes due to bearing failure, which locks the pump, snaps the camshaft sprocket off, which in turn grenades the engines due to out-of-sequence engine time failure.
And boy you will go boom.
Do change your oil often, use the correct oil as well as oil filters.

 

I love your outlook on maintenance and really wish more people had that thought process. Cars would last a lot longer if people maintained them like you and I.

However, I can't accept some of those things for some of those problems. Simply because there are such major, common failures in the MINI community, there's no way you can blame things like bad gas and poor maintenance.

The HPFP is flat out a bad part. They wouldn't have put the extended warranty on it if it was simply owners neglecting to get quality gasoline. And if anyone who owns these cars and puts anything less than 91 in it, they can't read, they don't care, and they deserve whatever outcome results from doing so.

The camber issue eating tires with the FACTORY CAMBER SETTING is my issue. I should not need to adjust anything or especially buy parts to correct that. It's a fuel efficient little car brand new off the dealer lot, why no earth would the camber be so aggressive that driving it mainly on the highway would cause increased inner tire wear? That's just stupid.

 

And I'm not on OEM run flats either btw. God no no no no no to run flats lol.

 

^ I agree, there are some parts that BMW/MINI engineering that could have opted for better.
Some of these faults really make you wonder why people are so gun-ho about German engineering.
And to add insult to injury, these parts are also usually ludicrously expensive to replace, making them deal breakers for some people.
My advice for OP (Philcsag1) is to understand thoroughly what he is getting himself, and his wife, into.

These cars lacked by nature what we consider to be common sense in engineering.
And to make up for that, we have to pour in an extra bit of nurture that those BMW/MINI engineers and accountants left out.
With proper maintenance, these cars are actually half decently reliable.
And NAM is a great place for this type of info.
The cost to maintain may be equal to (or slightly higher) than, say, Honda Civic SI, Scion TC, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Honda CRZ, Impreza WRX, Fiat 500 Turbo.
But for a car that is worth <$13000, and THIS fun to drive?
You're not going to find any of the above for this price.
Especially at only 7,000 miles which the OP found.

Would I buy another N14 R56?
Maybe, it really depends on the condition of the car.

Would I buy an N18 R56?
Hell yeah! who do I pay and where do I sign?

 

My only two cents is to be very careful about the extreme low mileage car. Driving a car regularly is good for it, having it sit for long periods of inactivity is bad for it. Most times a well maintained example with higher mileage is better than a garage queen that's still got its OEM tires, fluids, etc.

 

7,000 miles? On a 2007 in 2014? If you like it, grab it quick, all the issues listed above can be dealt with and you will have essentially a brand new roller coaster ride!

 

Rubber knows no mileage... What 7k miles on an 07 tells me is this:
You have 7 years of drying out on your accessory belt and all hoses. Mileage not withstanding, rubber ages and cracks etc.
You have 7 year old tires because at 7K miles, they didn't wear out and I doubt the owner changed them with perfectly good tread wear.
The car has not been driven enough to wear out all the common things. This means you buy a used car, out of warranty, that has not had the timing set checked, HPFP replaced(and it will go out, but you are now 7 years into the 10 year warranty with the HPFP hardly getting wear on it so you might end up passing the warranty period on it before it goes out. and it will)
7k miles in 7 years tells me that the car has been driven very short drives. Even at such a low mileage, with so much sitting, I bet there's already a decent build up of carbon.
How are the fluids? I mean, they haven't gotten hardly any mileage on them so I'm sure the owner hasn't flushed any of them. So you have 7 year old brake fluid, coolant, oil sitting in that thing. I would be weary.

 

^ ditto

 

^ Yup.

 

So your wife is into doing some track time, well if she is anything like my wife she'll absolutely love the MINI and will put it to good use. Do these cars have issues, yep you bet, but what car doesn't? As far as the mileage and what you'll need to replace it's a crapshoot. You don't list a location so it's hard to tell what will need to be replaced and I won't speculate, but I'd hazard to guess that you've done your due diligence and know why this 2007 has so few miles...perhaps the owner has a certain amount of disposable income and the ability to afford to maintain a number of vehicles...who knows?

If the price is right and this is the type of car your wife would enjoy I say you should go for it. I know that since my wife started driving our MINI as a daily driver since last September she's been having a great time...and BTW our other cars are all from BMW!

Oh, please remember that these forums can sometimes bring up the worst in everything and if you look hard enough you'll see the same people putting these cars down, just a few but they're out there, so take all of that with a grain of salt. If you do your research I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

And to put a final point on it, we bought our car "used" and have had the most excellent service from MINI of North Scottsdale!

 

You all need to learn the difference between reliable, and trouble free.

Reliable means it will start, and will get you where you're going. Something my first car, a 3 year old MG Midget, could never manage to do. Also something my MCS has never failed to do. Nor do I expect any change...

The real world odds are, that the car will be fine.

 

This has been a great thread for newbies like me. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

I am in the market for a used Cooper S and have a few questions:
--the one I am looking at is an '08 with 123k miles, does that seem high for the year (most people have been mentioning they only have about 60k on theirs, for the year)?
--what would be the most you'd pay for this model with this mileage?
--what are some bonus features/service records to look for that would indicate a well-maintained vehicle?
--of all the "common issues", are those all items I can breath easy with, as long as I got an extended warranty?

 

Doing this from my phone, as my PC is having issues. I would strongly suggest that you look for a 2011 or newer MINI with the n18 engine. Not that the n18 is problem-free, but much less prone to major issues that the n14 has become notorious for.

 

Thanks for your comment, renchjeep...but I am looking for the answer(s) to my actual question. Anyone else able to weigh in?