Not all MINIs are problematic
#51
11-27-2008 | 09:16 PM
Some perspective here....
I have owned a total of 4 MINIs..... First one brought brand new in August of 2002. Kept that car for 6 years and almost 50K miles ('02 R50 CVT). Only few minor annoyances that affected first year models of the previous generation MINI. Otherwise the car was a solid daily driver. Never left us stranded anywhere. I sold the car here to another fellow NAMer that has been enjoying it since February and now lives in California.
I have also owned a 2004 R53 MCS that I kept for 17K troublefree miles. After that I got a 2005 R53 MCS hardtop 6-speed, which I still have, and drives and feels LIKE NEW. I have a hair over 50K troublefree miles on it. I take care of my cars but I don't baby them excessively. They are family cars, vacation cars, works cars, you name it. My '05 still ticks like the finest piece of Swiss watch machinery.
MINI #4 is a 2008 Clubman S that we took home this past February. Almost 7K miles and not a single problem. No melted hoodscoop, no failures of any kind. Solid reliable car that gets USED day and day out. No garage/detail queen there either.
So in all and all, we have had nearly 100K total miles combined under of belts for the past 7 years. I can say with confidence (and this goes to prospect buyers) that these are very well made, high quality vehicles. Indeed there are bad apples, but this is true of every other mass produced car manufacturer in the world. If you think the grass is greener in Japan, inc (I owned nothing but Hondas and Acuras for 12 years and well over $100K worth of their products on my driveway), think again. If you go and read Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus boards...Guess what? They all have their own problems too. In fact, if you read too much into internet message boards, you will come to the conclusion that no car in the market today is 100% guaranteed to perform problem free during its service life.
Unhappy/disgruntled owners tend to be more vocal in internet message boards and they have all their right to be. But like a hospital ward, you only here about problems and complaints. How many troublefree MINI owners come here and post that their car worked just fine today, yesterday, the day before and last month?
It is good to educate yourself in potential problem areas of a car, but that doesn't mean IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!
When you buy a MINI make sure you are purchasing from a dealer with a decent reputation to stand behind the product and address issues effectively and timely when these arise. If you marry yourself into a lousy dealer, you will eventually grow to HATE the car because minor problems become big problems when dealing with an incompetent and uncaring service department. Make a top priority to find out how the service dept deals with problems before buying. This will save you many headaches down the road.
I hope owners of troubled MINIs can have their issues solved of move onto something else.
For the rest of us... Carry on enjoying our troublefree rides!
__________________
I have owned a total of 4 MINIs..... First one brought brand new in August of 2002. Kept that car for 6 years and almost 50K miles ('02 R50 CVT). Only few minor annoyances that affected first year models of the previous generation MINI. Otherwise the car was a solid daily driver. Never left us stranded anywhere. I sold the car here to another fellow NAMer that has been enjoying it since February and now lives in California.
I have also owned a 2004 R53 MCS that I kept for 17K troublefree miles. After that I got a 2005 R53 MCS hardtop 6-speed, which I still have, and drives and feels LIKE NEW. I have a hair over 50K troublefree miles on it. I take care of my cars but I don't baby them excessively. They are family cars, vacation cars, works cars, you name it. My '05 still ticks like the finest piece of Swiss watch machinery.
MINI #4 is a 2008 Clubman S that we took home this past February. Almost 7K miles and not a single problem. No melted hoodscoop, no failures of any kind. Solid reliable car that gets USED day and day out. No garage/detail queen there either.
So in all and all, we have had nearly 100K total miles combined under of belts for the past 7 years. I can say with confidence (and this goes to prospect buyers) that these are very well made, high quality vehicles. Indeed there are bad apples, but this is true of every other mass produced car manufacturer in the world. If you think the grass is greener in Japan, inc (I owned nothing but Hondas and Acuras for 12 years and well over $100K worth of their products on my driveway), think again. If you go and read Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus boards...Guess what? They all have their own problems too. In fact, if you read too much into internet message boards, you will come to the conclusion that no car in the market today is 100% guaranteed to perform problem free during its service life.
Unhappy/disgruntled owners tend to be more vocal in internet message boards and they have all their right to be. But like a hospital ward, you only here about problems and complaints. How many troublefree MINI owners come here and post that their car worked just fine today, yesterday, the day before and last month?
It is good to educate yourself in potential problem areas of a car, but that doesn't mean IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!
When you buy a MINI make sure you are purchasing from a dealer with a decent reputation to stand behind the product and address issues effectively and timely when these arise. If you marry yourself into a lousy dealer, you will eventually grow to HATE the car because minor problems become big problems when dealing with an incompetent and uncaring service department. Make a top priority to find out how the service dept deals with problems before buying. This will save you many headaches down the road.
I hope owners of troubled MINIs can have their issues solved of move onto something else.
For the rest of us... Carry on enjoying our troublefree rides!
__________________
I'm on my third MINI now(with fourth in production) that has been great for over 60k since I picked her up last October. Prior to my current MINI I've also owned an '03 R50 CVT(purchased new) that gave me over 120k trouble free miles and my last '05 R53(purchased new) that I put over 158k with NO problems.
#54
11-30-2008 | 12:59 PM
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,326
Likes: 6
From: PA
#55
11-30-2008 | 07:06 PM
I was considering buying a new vacuum. We seem to need a new one every three years. This time my wife said "Let's look at one of those real expensive Dysons. It might be worth paying twice the usual price if it lasts three times as long." So then I decided to do some research on the internet. After Googling "Dyson Animal" vacuums I was left with the impression that these $500 vacuums were the biggest POS in the world. I then sought out info from Consumer Reports, CNET and other reviewers where I got an entirely different story. I've had similar experiences with other items I thought about buying: MP3 players, headphones, computers, furniture and even cars. It seems that the people that feel like taking the time to post a personal review of a product are primarily those that have had problems. Peruse your favorite sports team's website. I guarantee that the forums are busiest whenever that team loses. People are more motivated to express dissatisfaction than to post positive vibes. That's what has been happening here on NAM.
I am grateful that someone started a thread exalting the many many virtues of this excellent vehicle. Sometimes we need to hear something positive instead of just negativity. I'd venture to say that even the Ferrari and Lambo forums are also full of stories about the owners' problems.
I am grateful that someone started a thread exalting the many many virtues of this excellent vehicle. Sometimes we need to hear something positive instead of just negativity. I'd venture to say that even the Ferrari and Lambo forums are also full of stories about the owners' problems.
#57
12-01-2008 | 07:42 AM
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: NE FL
#59
12-01-2008 | 03:35 PM
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,972
Likes: 1
From: South Florida
#61
12-02-2008 | 09:37 AM
Neutral
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Does Mini Care?
I do not expect every car produced to be trouble free or without design defects, what I do expect is that the manufacturer will correct defects and keep its customers satisfied, in or out of warranty. I had a Mercedes C320 (not a trouble free vehicle) but the Mercedes dealership (Devon,PA) was excellent, they pick up the car and leave the loaner and after servicing bring back my car and picked up the loaner. After reading your post and some of the others I am more concerned that BMW does not provide adequate support (which is the reason I bought a Yamaha motorcycle instead of a BMW- at least I am not paying an extra $5k for support that I am not getting).
My question is simple: Has Mini and the dealership been responsive and corrected problems without making you fight for the service and repairs that you are entitled to?
My question is simple: Has Mini and the dealership been responsive and corrected problems without making you fight for the service and repairs that you are entitled to?
#63
12-02-2008 | 10:22 AM
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
After reading "the problem" threads..It makes me just want to lease. If i was a rich guy i would buy. since i would have other resources when the car breaks down.. I have been a member of a few other forums in the past, The Mini makes Mustang and Jeep Wranglers look like the most reliable cars on the road. IF you drive a mustang your problems are like.. I broke the axle because i bolted on a 250 shot of NOS and tried to do a Holeshot.
Jeep problem I snapped an axle when i was trying to climb some rocks in MOAB... the Mini i turn left alot and the power steering pump went out...thats $600 Oh I was racing a SUpra and my transmission exploded...thats $8000 ...My car has less then 10,000 miles on it and during cold weather when it starts it sounds like metal on metal... Price unknown ..
The Mini can have many expensive little problems. However fun to drive
However I said this already somewhere... Its alotta technology in a small package so it will have Gremlins... Its either that or their engineers couldnt build the car the way they really wanted and had to use inferior parts to keep the price down...
I will still get one though... just a few more months ...it wont be my daily driver though
Jeep problem I snapped an axle when i was trying to climb some rocks in MOAB... the Mini i turn left alot and the power steering pump went out...thats $600 Oh I was racing a SUpra and my transmission exploded...thats $8000 ...My car has less then 10,000 miles on it and during cold weather when it starts it sounds like metal on metal... Price unknown ..
The Mini can have many expensive little problems. However fun to drive
However I said this already somewhere... Its alotta technology in a small package so it will have Gremlins... Its either that or their engineers couldnt build the car the way they really wanted and had to use inferior parts to keep the price down...
I will still get one though... just a few more months ...it wont be my daily driver though
Last edited by guywhomaybuyamini; 12-02-2008 at 01:29 PM. Reason: proofreading
#64
12-02-2008 | 12:55 PM
6th Gear
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,007
Likes: 9
From: Houston
Something as simple as painting may void a warranty if the original product was not intended to be painted by the manufacturer.
Just some thoughts, and I don't have any experience with the dealerships and warranty issues as far as MINIs are concerned, and I don't have any reason to believe they would be difficult if an issue came up during my warranty period.
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