I have two Mini (MCS and CMS) and in the market for a convertible. We moved about 2 hours from the closest dealer and after all the warranty work the CMS and MCS have taken I am hesitant to get the Cooper Cabrio.

So the question is; Out of all 2012 Convertibles foreign or domestic....what is my next best choice if I do not get another Mini?

 

Closest thing I can think of is a BMW 128i Convertible. Fiat cabrio really isn't a convertible (more of a targa) and the dealer network is even worse.

 

At nearly $10k more, it would be a hard pill for me to swallow, but I agree it's otherwise a close fit.

 

Before settling on the Mini, we also test drove a VW Eos. I really wanted to like it, but it was boring and uncomfortable.

 

Almost 3 years (Apr 2009) and we still love our MINI Convertible. Very few, and all minor, problems. And I can't think of an alternative that would be as much FUN.

 

Yes the Mini is fun to drive, but not if the trip is to the dealer.

Mini build quality is declining, they are cutting corners. I do not want to reward their penny pinching at the expense of the customer by purchasing another Mini. If the dealer was closer to me I would probably give them one more chance, but the dealer network and the refusal to allow BMW dealerships to do warranty work is dumb.

I wish the Saturn Sky was still in production. I am considering a low mile used Sky Red Line or just putting the entire purchase on hold for another year. Any comments on the Sky compared to Mini Cabrio?

 

If you want a very engaging driving experience, I'd check out a Miata (new or used).... I had a '91 for almost 10 years and it was great!

 

My wife has a 2011 Cabrio and has had no issues with 8500 on the clock. Of course there is the recall but outside of that no issues.

 

+1...I can only fit in one with the top down (or hard top off). But there are some great deals on used Miata's out there.

 

41K miles and going strong. I have been to the dealer for a few things but no regrets here.

 

honda S2000

 

Wow... I'm not sure where this is coming from. My experience has been that the MINI continues to get better every year. I see no evidence of "penny pinching" - just great vehicles that outperform anything in their class year after year.

When I purchased my 1st MINI, I was nervous due to comments like this on this forum... and my dealer was 2 hours away. 5 years and 100,000 miles later, and literally only maintenance trips to the dealer for oil changes and normal maintenance, and I couldn't be happier.

I have a new 2012 coming in, and I fully expect it to be just as reliable as my current 2007!

Cheers!

 

Wow... I'm not sure where this is coming from. My experience has been that the MINI continues to get better every year. I see no evidence of "penny pinching" - just great vehicles that outperform anything in their class year after year.

When I purchased my 1st MINI, I was nervous due to comments like this on this forum... and my dealer was 2 hours away. 5 years and 100,000 miles later, and literally only maintenance trips to the dealer for oil changes and normal maintenance, and I couldn't be happier.

I have a new 2012 coming in, and I fully expect it to be just as reliable as my current 2007!

Cheers!

 

My Hardtop MCS 09 has needed two water pumps. This has not concerned me too much, it was a bad batch.

My Countryman has started my concern with Mini. Little things seem cheaply made and more flimsy. Rattles etc. Peeling Chrome tape is the new replacement for brushed alum etc...

Horrible response by Mini in acknowledging and taking corrective action to the peeling tape is even more troubling.

Reading about clutch and roof issues on the cabrio worry me enough to not want to trust Mini with multiple dealer trips; each way is a 2 hour drive.

The S2000 and the Sky both are getting my attention....but to find the perfect used one is going to be a challenge.

 

Sorry to hear about your issues. The other consideration, for me, was that this is the ONLY convertible in this class where I can fit 2 sets of golf clubs in the rear and have 2 people in the front seat. That was a deal breaker for me on the other cars you mention - although I think the Sky is absolutely gorgeous! For me, when I was looking, the Pontiac Solstice (same car as Sky, built on the same line) had a much higher end well finished interior. The Sky interior seemed very base.

 

My decision on my 2009 Mini Convertible centered on the fact that I could seat 4 (maybe 4 if my wife is driving -- shorter legs), had a fold-down rear seat, and wasn't nearly as expensive as a BMW, Mustang, or even a Sebring, the latter of which is a Chrysler and let's not get into build quality there.

 

Oh, and also a ton of fun to drive.

 

If not MINI, then...Miata?

We still have ours, '96 M-edition with 180k+ miles. It's been a rock for us, just routine things-wear-out replacements plus one ignition-crank-sensor that came loose at 128,000 miles (and probably wasn't retightened properly at the timing belt replacement service done a few thousand before that). Replaced the top in 2007, went to a glass back window at that time; 11 years of mostly outdoors parking I thought was pretty good durability for the original top.

New ones are still the bomb, fun to drive factor very high. I'd considered a new one, but...really wanted FWD for snow days. Not to say our current one hasn't handled snow: we mount a pair of snows and put the bag o' cement in the trunk, and with LSD it goes pretty well. It's had to live a real life with us, daily commuting and even the occasional UHaul trailer pull.

New ones can have the steel retractable roof, if you choose.

They make great used car purchases too: one owners have often been a third or "fun" car, gently used and not often the target of modders/tuners. I bought mine off someone's lease in '99 with 36k on the clock, perfect in every way.

 

Really? I think you have it backwards - the Sky interior was much nicer than that in the Solstice, to me the Solstice interior was plain, boring, bland and cheap looking. OTOH while I liked the interior of the Sky, I thought the exterior was overdone, with too many vents and tacked on furbellows, the Solstice body was clean and well designed by contrast. So, my ideal would be a Solstice with a Sky interior!





To the OP, would a Mustang be out of the question? V6 with over 300 hp, capable of getting over 30 mpg with an automatic on the hiway, big enough for a tall buy to fit comfortably and plenty of room for the clubs with a fold down back seat....plenty of dealer support everywhere, too.

 

I had a Saturn Sky Redline before the Mini. It was a FUN car! I loved it...but.... I found it very hard to get certain parts for it after they went out of business. Also, from day one it was constantly in the shop for one reason or another. Top was replaced twice, water pump, rear differential twice, and a host of other problems. Oh, and this was just an inconvenience but to replace the battery required taking off the entire front passenger side fender.

Also, the car was designed in such a way that if it wasn't lifted properly when working on it, the front body panels would crack.

On the other hand, it was a blast to drive. It was fast as hell, looks like it should cost 3 or 4 times what it really does cost, and was my favorite car out of all the cars I've owned.

Another downside is no storage space. It doesn't have any kind of trunk because the gas tank is actually in the trunk. And the little bit of space it does have, which is just enough for about two duffel bags, is taken up by the top which stows in there when you fold it down.

Anyway, once Saturn went out of business, my warranty was up, and I started having trouble finding parts, I decided to trade it for my next favorite choice, a Mini Cabrio. Not as much power but it's infinitely more practical and has a lot more cargo space. Another thing that comes to mind is that the Sky's top is manual so you have to get out of the car to put it up or down. Can kind of suck if you find yourself stuck in a rainstorm at a traffic light or in very slow moving traffic or something like that. I love the Mini's push-button top.

I miss a lot of things about the Sky but I like the Mini too and couldn't see myself ever going back to such an impractical car like the Sky unless it ended up being nothing more than a weekend toy and not my only/daily driver.

Believe it or not, what I'm really disappointed about is that Hyundai doesn't make a convertible. They are coming out with some very nice cars lately and I'd love to see them put out a convertible.

 

Excellent insight, good stuff to know! I agree, I would consider a Hyundai Convertible too.

 

Ford Mustang V6 (2011+), New Beetle?

 

I was in an '03 Hardtop, then an '05 Convertible for 3 years and had to sell high performance for high capacity... after 4 years I have just returned to MINI and bought a '12 Convertible a week ago, very similar to the one still pictured in my sig,.
Couldn't be happier!!!

 

I just checked out latest reliability ratings for MINI in Consumer Reports and it shows improved reliability in later model years. There is no denying that MINIs can be frustrating, but it is still the most fun car I have ever had. Any rumors of a new dealer that is closer in the near future?