Reliability of a Mini Cooper
 

Hi everyone... my wifes thinking of buying a used Mini Cooper (base engine) from 2007 to 2010.

Can anyone comment on it's reliability, and reasons to consider or skip the Cooper (besides how tiny it is)?

Thanks!

Sisters got a 09 S.. Fun to drive small footprint eats corners like crazy.. Maintenance wise its pretty much like owning a BMW.. Not to sure about the base though.

Reason to consider, great on gas, fun to drive, great resale value.
Reasons not to consider, driven both the S and the standard one, the engine lacks refinement IMO. If you have a family or planning to have kids the back seat isn't easy to access on the standard minis, the clubmans are great though. Also I find the interior is a little messy but might just be me.

For the family man/woman the GTI in a 5 door would be the obvious choice, but it's a pig compared to the mini.

they retain around 52% of the value in 5 years owning one

I've driven several versions of Coopers and Cooper S's and like they way they drive - they're a ton of fun and handle very well.

That said, I just came across this article not long ago:

http://autos.ca.msn.com/showroom/gal...entid=26463762

Only buy the manual trans as the autos are known to fail. My sis's mini had the tranny fail and Mini told her to f-off. It's a well known flaw so google: mini cooper, bad transmission

mini uses CVTs and yep theyre fail tranny

umm mine isnt that fuel efficient lols. but still pretty good on gas i guess
NO ROOM IN THE BACK.
only kids can fit comfortably in the back lol

love the interior.. only flaw about it is the speedo (in the middle of the dash) imo d:

The ones op is looking at don't use CVT

your car is barely driven and is a jcw (completely different motor altogether)... I wouldn't drive efficiently if that was the case either, it's not about the car it's how it's driven and the mini CAN be very efficient. Personally I don't really mind the rear seat for short distances, but IMO the clutch is a little light IIRC when I test drove the S

its like a BMW. so pure AWESOMENESS.

If you were to get a non-S MINI, I would look at the Clubman. The extra space would be welcome and you don't lose that much in terms of handling. I had one as a loaner for a couple of days and it's a great little daily driver and compared to my '02 MCS, it's ride is quite comfortable and I never found the motor lacking torque (it was a slushbox).

That being said, it's not the most reliable car in the market, however both MINI Yaletown and MINI Richmond are pretty good in terms of service and taking care of things. Get one with a manual transmission and make sure it's certified. Honestly, in the 5 years that I've had my MCS, I really haven't had to do much outside of regular maintainance. I love how it drives and you get addicted to the quick steering and great visibility of the car.

Personally i think clubman looks like a mini funeral car :( lol

The 2011 Countryman is AWD! but then again Vancouver isn't that bad when it snows so front wheel drive will do justice

a mini cooper is overpriced brand new IMO, and can be found for cheap if it is used.

But there are downfalls to it too

Reliability?

well after some miles, wear, and age they seem to have a typical electrical power steering problem which can cost a few thousand to fix.

Also there have been complaints that it is quite a pain to work on, so any work could be more labour intensive.

That being said i recommend the two options:

1) lease a brand new cooper - use it, abuse it, return it, get another one or another car
2) get a second hand one for a good deal - take a chance and hope nothing goes wrong with it. Also for this car, i'd suggest an extended warrenty.

just my $0.02

good luck!

some software problems - the mini's passenger window won't go all the way down or close all the way up.
common problems - windshield wipers are loud.

other than that, it's a good car for small-average sized people.

one pet peeve for the 08+ minis are that HID low beams are running as DRL, as well as the rear parking lights. the mini dealership refuses to turn it off.

thanks captain obvious for your advices.

Look clearly at the mini cooper's engine. (not the S) Engine is from Chrysler. Not sure if they changed that with the current ones, but the older gens are.

The engine of the current generation that is mentioned by the OP is NOT by Chrysler.

The current engine (S and non S) is a collaboration by PSA and BMW. BMW contributed some of the IP (eg Valvetronic, DI ECU code via Siemens) in order to get manufacturing efficiency from PSA in return. More information can be found here. I would say the engine feature set is more advanced than say a typical Japanese drivetrain.

The Gen one Mini's Tritec engines are now used by Fiat's product porfolio. That deal was done in the 90s when Chrysler was still independent.

As for electric steering.. all large volume manufacturers from Audi to VW use electric steering. There is no way around it because it saves gas and complexity having to run an extra hydraulic motor. I don't think it is fair to single out Mini will fail more just because it has electric steering.

Go to any shop with a BMW GT1 or equivalent module (eg people on BCBimmer.com) They should be able to help.

JCW is just a factory bolt on kit for the current engine. In non NA markets one can get the JCW kit retrofitted.. so they are essentially the same engine.

AWD is an option on the cooper S and not available on the regular cooper.

Mr know-it-all... Get me my cables hahaha
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Really?

Poll: MINI Power Steering Failures

It is a sampling issue. I am not saying that Mini doesn't have electric steering issues. I am saying that electric steering issues are in all mass production marques. The issues are EVERYWHERE. Your link is an example of biased induction.

PS I thought you were going to start your own website that will be superior to RevScene, that's why you deleted all your own posts.. why come back now?

Really? Where? How? I thought Countryman is the only one with AWD as an option, not Cooper models.

I am in the market to help my mom replace her 2002 Legacy GT Wagon. Our choices came down to:

1. 2007+ Mini Cooper (has to be auto) ; most likely the base model
2. 2010/1 VW Golf 2.5 Sportline (auto)
3. (possibly) New Fiat 500; but I don't want my mom to be Fiat's guinea pig on a first MY car

She only wants heated seats, and doesn't care about anything else.

-With my research, it appears that Mini is very happy with dishonoring warranty claims, even with service receipts provided. I also notice that Mini charges a 'premium' on servicing. Those with Minis that are out of warranty, where do you take it for servicing?

*sorry for thread hi-jack*