good i'm glad you didn't get the mini

i made the mistake of buying an 03 cooper s

during my 5 months of ownership so far i've never had more problems with this car than any of the other cars i've owned combined.

replacing clutch/flywheel = 1700 bucks yay

plus a list of many other things that i had to FIGHT with the dealership to fix.

i'm enthusiastically looking for an RSX-S or EP3 as a replacement right now.

can't wait to get into another honda

 

I don't think BMW will service a Mini unless there is no other realistic option within a certain distance. We haven't had any issues with our 09 Cooper S in the first year and about 15K miles. No rattles, no plastic pieces breaking, no engine or tranny issues. It's been rock solid, averaging 34 MPG and very fun to drive.

The Legacy is a good car though but feels like a family boat compared to the Mini. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2.5 GT when they came out but ended up with a E36 M3 instead.

 

I had 0 problems with my 2005 MINI S. I went to the dealer for routine maint. and they were always great. Maybe they're better in FL? I co-worker also had a 2006 MINI S and he only had a window regulator go out iirc. $1700 sounds ridiculous for a cluch/flywheel. If you went through the dealer for that, then shame on you. BMW will not service it, I had to drive about an hour to get to my dealer and there were 3 closer BMW dealerships.

 

april 2008 build cooper s here.
beating the shiet out of it all day everyday and no problem at all.

 

I'll jump on the unreliable band wagon.

I have an 02, and should have sold it long ago. I'm fixing it up for the last time and selling it.

Clutch squeels sometimes...bad. Can't open the door from the inside. The rad fan will run until the battery dies. I pull the fuse, but if I forget to put it back it overheats.

The latch for the hood is stuck, and I can't get it open now.

Brakes suck, rotors suck.

The trim around the stick shift is broken.

My exhaust has rotted out.. badly, then it fell on a long business trip where I spent the evening in a home depot parking lot tying it with wire.

Otherwise, its fun as hell, and I bet the engine is bulletproff, but everything around it sucks.

and yes, it is VERY expensive to repair. Hell, the cost of parts and labour for this thing is the same as my 70K X5 I traded in on it. Go figure.

 

Wow, just a year or two ago I asked about minis and back then everyone was saying they were rock solid. Glad my gf didn't end up liking it otherwise we're walk into a heap of problems, and we're very risk averse people btw so this woulda stressed us out.

 

LOL! My wife doesn't like it either, and to this date she still hasn't seen the car! I was pushing her towards the Mini because I know the car would be fun to drive. I am glad now that she doesn't like the Mini.

BTW, Mini USA responded to my email inquiry today:

[QUOTE]Thanks for contacting MINI.

 

The MPG out of that car is AMAZING.