my 2004 cooper s has 60k on it and i think my clutch went. The past week my car felt more sluggish, i thought maybe it was the gas or oil. Then today as i was driving my 1-3rd gears when engaged just revved the engine and the car would barely roll then i was able to make it move more in 4th even though i was barely going 20 mph. The reverse barely worked as well as i parallel parked. When i tried leaving the spot reverse would not work at all. I think it is the clutch, but my buddy said it should last for at least 80k. He said it could be he throw out bearing....any thoughts?

 

that definitely sounds like clutch issues... how long has it been sluggish? usually clutches slowly wear out, not all of a sudden.
as for life expectancy on a clutch, 90% dependent on driver to be honest. that other 10% is overall wear and tear and/or a defective/worn clutch part (slave cylinder, master cylinder, etc)

 

I have a 2005 that I bought August 2009 and at 87K plus miles the clutch peddle hit the floor and the the slipping of the clutch was dominate. The throughout bearing was broken, the pressure plate broke, etc. Had the clutch replaced by a non mini shop for almost $1500 and it works great. Mini dealership wanted $1800 to $2400 and said that they expect it to be $2400 when done. I advise that you make sure that who you choose knows how to install the mini clutch. I also advise that you have the slave cylinder changed at the same time due to no labor cost, just cylinder cost ($75). Otherwise when the slave cylinder goes you will have 3-4 hours of labor to get this done plus misc. costs.

I was very surprised at how quick my clutch failed. Had no problem the night before and then the next day it was gone.

I hope this gives you some insites.

Doug