MINI Cooper

Arickosmo

Member
Apr 10, 2012
307
Middle Coast
Boat Info
2003 400DB
Engines
Mercruiser 8.1L
I'm possibly starting a new job which requires me to travel the city at my expense. I love driving and when able only drive what is fun. That said, since it's only city driving does anyone have any input on a MINI? I think I want to buy an older supercharged car but my wife had a 335i that I hated due to maintenance. Since MINI is basically BMW I'm a bit leery.
 
Find a small Japanese sedan or SUV that you like. Most of them are good for 200k miles. I hate German cars for the reason you stated.
 
Honda Civic Si. Or if you have a lot of money, Honda Type R.

I personally wouldn't touch a Mini. Several family members have had them and lots of problems. Plus there is that whole no spare tire thing (they have run flats).
 
I had a Mini convertible for 6 years. Only at the dealer once in that whole time. I found it reliable, fun, and economical to run. It was not supercharged.
 
The older Cooper S has a VERY HARSH ride. It's a blast to drive, but if the roads around you aren't perfect, you will probably regret the purchase.

As mentioned above, no spare tire, and finding a good mechanic may be difficult. Someone once said........If somebody gives you a 10 year old German car........It's because they Don't like you!

If you do get one, be advised that the hood release is on the passenger side kick panel. (Didn't want to you to look like a fool spending 10 minutes trying to figure out how to pop the hood!)
 
Ok, I'll hit you from a Euro shop owner perspective. If it's new, under warranty, go for it. They're a lot of fun. If used, with no warranty, don't even consider it. I tend to make about a full tank of boat gas on a typical older Mini visit.

If you do get one, be advised that the hood release is on the passenger side kick panel. (Didn't want to you to look like a fool spending 10 minutes trying to figure out how to pop the hood!)

This actually changed on the 07 and later R55/56/57 cars
 
Espos4 hit it right on the head. The older supercharged S was a blast to drive, the closest thing to a street legal go-kart you would find, however it rode like a track car. If the roads you're on each day aren't perfect be prepared to knock the fillings out of your teeth on a daily basis. For the maintenance reasons you mentioned, I'd steer clear unless buying new or leasing
 
We have 2 SUVs the reason is you will win in an accident with most cars. My wife pulled out in front of a transport. She lived without injury.
My daughter bought a Subaru WRX 2017 fast, powerful, rummy, and does not look like a sports car so police are not looking for you. It works in snow well when it has snow tires.
 
you can buy an older Porsche Boxster for reasonable money and they are REALLY fun to drive.....we have a 2004 model....

cliff
 
I’m with bracketracer.
Just had this conversation Tuesday with my neighbor.
I warned him about 2 years ago that the German cars are nice when they’re newer and under warranty but can quickly became a nightmare once out of warranty.
He didn’t listen.
His sister in law gave him a “great deal” on her very low mileage super clean BMW X5 that was just out of warranty. She bought herself a new one.
After 2 years of it sucking him dry in maintenance and repairs he traded it in on a new Japanese SUV.
As he was showing me his new car he mentioned several times that he should have taken my warning about the BMW seriously.
Another neighbor has an E series Mercedes that has been sucking him dry since it came out of warranty. He can’t wait to get rid of it.
 
No German cars out of warranty...especially Mercedes. Take the depreciation hit and run
 
My friend has a Type S Mini - 2004 and it has 219,000 miles. She had her first issue just last month. The Supercharger needed to be serviced/rebuilt. Still looks great. She has it serviced at a local shop not at the dealership.
 
you can buy an older Porsche Boxster for reasonable money and they are REALLY fun to drive.....we have a 2004 model....
cliff

Yep, agreed. I actually bought an '00 996 cabrio last year for under 10k.

His sister in law gave him a “great deal” on her very low mileage super clean BMW X5 that was just out of warranty. She bought herself a new one.
After 2 years of it sucking him dry in maintenance and repairs he traded it in on a new Japanese SUV.
We have an '11 in the shop. Tried to talk the owner (regular customer) out of it during the pre-purchase inspection we did 14 months ago. Since then, within 20k miles, he's sunk $11k into it.

No German cars out of warranty...especially Mercedes. Take the depreciation hit and run

Unless you work on them :) I love my CL600 but would never dream of owning it if I didn't own a shop.

Mazda MX-5
They really are the answer to everything. Had a '95 M edition for a while. Definitely slow, and definitely a LOT of fun to drive.
 
They really are the answer to everything. Had a '95 M edition for a while. Definitely slow, and definitely a LOT of fun to drive.[/QUOTE]

Not expensive. Easy to work on. Bullet proof. Fun to drive. Race it on weekends when your not on the boat. Hasn't happened to me but I wouldn't want to be in an accident :)
 
Unless you work on them :) I love my CL600 but would never dream of owning it if I didn't own a shop.

My wife is hooked on the GL/GLS 450... we keep them until the warranty is up which was my point earlier in this thread. The latest one ...a 2017 always has a part on back order. Right now its a piece of black wood on the drivers door its all cracked....we are now 10 weeks on BO.... All of the GL's we have had have been in for warranty repairs all the time... but she won't look at anything else...for her.. size - being narrow and not too long, 3rd row seating and sitting up high is the perfect combination. On the other hand my Lexus that I will never give up...has never been in for a warranty claim or any other repair... but my Lexus is not cool like this

Mercedes.JPG


My point is you can never tell someone one car is better than another .... its like art... you love it or you don't ... you will never convince someone other wise
 
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My 02 530I has 225K on it my k1200lt has 119K on it just bought 2013 x3 the juries still out on it so far so good.Only thing that would scare me about a mini is it's true front wheel drive car and that sucks when it comes to wrenching on them.
 
Timely thread. The lady who works the desk in my gym just told me she brought her Mercedes SUV to the dealer for her “free” oil change.
Dealer told her she needed front brakes. She green lighted it. Bill came to around 2k for what is essentially a routine front brake job.
The car is a lease! She has less than a year left on the lease.
Her husband wants to kill her.
 
Have had friends with Vets they seem to have liked them and the repairs if required are reasonable. Real old ones seem to be regular GM car newer ones seem to be different.
 
Timely thread. The lady who works the desk in my gym just told me she brought her Mercedes SUV to the dealer for her “free” oil change.
Dealer told her she needed front brakes. She green lighted it. Bill came to around 2k for what is essentially a routine front brake job.
The car is a lease! She has less than a year left on the lease.
Her husband wants to kill her.

A dealer oil change in Indy is $500.... I have it done for less than $200 at a NAPA store
 

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