GF wants a mini cooper and wants to spend under 15k because she wants to pay cash and have no financing.

Does anyone know anything about the dependability of the S class over the standard or have any personal experience. Probably not worth the extra money for her to have the S.

Also any particular years to stay away from or common problems I need to scope out while looking at them.

thanks

9/6/2007 9:56:16 AM

Quote :

"Probably not worth the extra money for her to have the S."

good cars though.

9/6/2007 10:25:46 AM

horrible on gas milage

9/6/2007 10:36:57 AM

the inside door handles are flaky on some 03-06 models. they just break off. they also cost and arm/leg to replace (parts wise).

have you seen the little fiat that should be coming here? it's much better on gas and interesting looks wise.

no on the s.

9/6/2007 10:39:31 AM

Quote :

"horrible on gas milage"

you can get a neon for cheaper too. its the same motor. just not as stylish

9/6/2007 12:40:01 PM

Mini engines are made by BMW/Peugot, not anywhere near the garbage in a Neon.

[Edited on September 6, 2007 at 3:24 PM. Reason : S model is overpriced btw]

9/6/2007 3:16:21 PM

It's even minier than I imagined!

9/6/2007 3:45:11 PM

the n/a 1.6l is the same motor used in the neon overseas. it's a BMW/Chrysler motor until the 2007 models, then it switchted to a BMW/Peugot engine. http://www.tritecmotors.com.br/english/tritec/whois.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_engine

[Edited on September 6, 2007 at 4:07 PM. Reason : ]

9/6/2007 4:07:06 PM

interesting about the engines...

yeah, the gas mileage is pretty crappy for a small car, the only reason to get one is if you like the styling... my GF wants a convertible Mini, but she won't be looking to get one until her Cabrio kicks it...

9/6/2007 4:14:42 PM

Good cars, probably hard to find a good one for less than 15k though.

9/6/2007 6:44:40 PM

wife has one, 54k miles so far, not an S, automatic. nice car, well made and runs good. averaging about 35mpg hwy. downside is needs premium gas. I personally would get the g/f to go finance one, establishing a credit history and the newer ones are getting more like 40mpg on regular. cost savings.

9/6/2007 8:13:04 PM

175bhp not bad out of the new turbo ones.

but i think its about 7 hours to do a pulley swap on the older s modles.

9/7/2007 5:02:48 AM

35mpg highway user measured gas mileage could be a lot worse. It isnt a valid reason to not buy the car.

9/7/2007 6:26:00 PM

That car is so fucking small it should get better gas mileage. Living in NYC I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it'd make a good car up here. And I hear the handling is pretty damn impressive.

9/7/2007 11:54:05 PM

They are pretty nice inside, I have ridden in the back of one.

9/8/2007 1:38:57 AM

followed a track preped s modle around vir once. wow the handling on that unit was fucking sweet. i was very impressed

9/8/2007 4:56:33 AM

Central Speedo = gay

9/10/2007 12:50:29 AM

Had an S model for a while.

Don't buy an '02. Notorious first year troubles.
Stay away from the automatics on the Base model. Its a CVT, and they just didn't have it down yet.

The S really is worth the extra money. Non-S is pretty weak. Gas mileage goes way down in the summer due to heat soak on the supercharger (Engine mounted intercooler), but its still not bad. Really good city mileage (about 28), but the highway wasn't great due to a pretty steep 6th gear. I imagine the non-S would be MUCH better on the highway. Super fun car to drive.

Should be able to find a relatively newish base model for $15k, but probably not an S unless she goes higher.

9/10/2007 5:46:31 PM

My only input is that you should be well aware your nearest MINI dealership is in Winston-Salem.

That alone detracted us.

9/11/2007 9:47:47 AM

[Edited on September 11, 2007 at 11:13 AM. Reason : nm, saw the newer ones were on regular gas]

9/11/2007 11:11:43 AM

Quote :

"My only input is that you should be well aware your nearest MINI dealership is in Winston-Salem. That alone detracted us. "

ummm.. yeah.. you know they're made by bmw right? Once you buy it, you can get it serviced locally.

[Edited on September 11, 2007 at 5:07 PM. Reason : quote]

9/11/2007 5:07:10 PM

think the new ones dropped the cvt for a manumatic like the VWs

9/11/2007 9:00:44 PM

well she is moving to dc so she thinks it will be an ideal car. I think we have settled for a non s 5 speed. going to look this weekend at some.

9/13/2007 1:29:46 PM

Make sure you put the correct oil filter in it when you service it! Switching the S for the non S oil filters results in oil pressure light going haywire.

9/13/2007 7:28:15 PM

Quote :

"ummm.. yeah.. you know they're made by bmw right? Once you buy it, you can get it serviced locally."

Just wanted to make 100% clear that MINIs *can not* be serviced by BMW dealerships.

Of course you can get local service by mechanics, but don't expect to roll into a BMW dealership for a 50,000 mile tune up.

9/13/2007 7:46:16 PM

^yeah, we live in central san diego but had to drive 30+ miles to a dealership that'd work on MINIs. that great handling isn't so great when your power steering goes out randomly though. had to take the car up 3 times before they finally were able to recreate the problem and fix it.

9/13/2007 8:34:28 PM

^ i keep hearing about that problem? what is with that?

9/14/2007 11:40:37 AM

the power steering pump cooling fan gets jammed or stops working and that blows the fuse = no power steering.

plus the electric hydraulic power steering pump in some models are just plain shitty and are being replaced as problems surface. dunno if it's being covered under warranty though.

[Edited on September 14, 2007 at 12:50 PM. Reason : the mini is just and awfully made car. the yugo of bmw's.]

9/14/2007 12:48:37 PM