Mini Cooper Questions...

[#1stangfreak]

So my wife and I really like the look of the car and how it handles but we are concerned with reliability. How reliable are these cars? We are looking at a 2007 Mini cooper (possibly the cooper s if we can find one) with about 30k miles. Will maintaining them be a pain?

Our second option is a 2007ish Toyota 4runner, four wheel drive, v6 and 70k-ish miles. This car will get much worse gas milage though, so I don't know what to do. I need help lol. Could somebody throw out some pro's and con's here and help me out? Thanks.

 

[ford_racer]

I don't know what your budget is, but if you can do it, look into the John Cooper Works Minis.

2009 MINI John Cooper Works Price, Specs & More | RSportsCars.com

I know a guy who owns the supercharged version and he loves it. He uses it as his DD and he autocrosses it.

 

[plkdb]

07 was first year of redesign and had some engine issues with ticking engines, and rough start ups. Personally I'd look for a 05 or 06, more mini like style, better interior quality, they had the better trannys, and the s was more fun as it was supercharged versus turbo.

 

[gt347mustang]

07 was first year of redesign and had some engine issues with ticking engines, and rough start ups. Personally I'd look for a 05 or 06, more mini like style, better interior quality, they had the better trannys, and the s was more fun as it was supercharged versus turbo.

my gf has an 05 S and its awesome! very fun to drive and has some balls.

the blower also kinda sounds like an eaton from a cobra.

the only thing i dont like is the lack of spare tire, therefore she has runflats and the ride quality kinda sucks.

 

[#1stangfreak]

I don't know what your budget is, but if you can do it, look into the John Cooper Works Minis.

2009 MINI John Cooper Works Price, Specs & More | RSportsCars.com

I know a guy who owns the supercharged version and he loves it. He uses it as his DD and he autocrosses it.

Right now our absolute max price is $19K, so I think the model you mention above is just a tad outside our range. I appreciate the link and information.

 

[#1stangfreak]

my gf has an 05 S and its awesome! very fun to drive and has some balls.

the blower also kinda sounds like an eaton from a cobra.

the only thing i dont like is the lack of spare tire, therefore she has runflats and the ride quality kinda sucks.

I found an '04 cooper s for $16k. What do you guys think about this one?

2004 MINI Cooper S, $15,958 - Cars.com

 

[SVTerror]

My friend wanted a Mini cooper S and I read the possible issues they have are transmission related. They are VERY fun cars to drive...their peak torque if I remember correctly with the supercharged ones are 1700rpms with 170tq with the supercharged one I test drove. Since they are so light, it felt like I was driving a go-kart.

 

[svtcop]

My friend wanted a Mini cooper S and I read the possible issues they have are transmission related. They are VERY fun cars to drive...their peak torque if I remember correctly with the supercharged ones are 1700rpms with 170tq with the supercharged one I test drove. Since they are so light, it felt like I was driving a go-kart.

You were driving a go-kart. :shrug:

 

[plkdb]

Link doesn't work. The only transmission issues I'm aware of was the early cars with cvt. You should be able to find a 05-06s with the jcw package for under 19.

 

[firebird1999us]

My friend wanted a Mini cooper S and I read the possible issues they have are transmission related. They are VERY fun cars to drive...their peak torque if I remember correctly with the supercharged ones are 1700rpms with 170tq with the supercharged one I test drove. Since they are so light, it felt like I was driving a go-kart.

I concur - Mini dealers usually have specific test drive cars and a few years back we were looking, took one out, and had a great time!:banana:

 

[CobraBob]

Heath, you mentioned two very different vehicle preferences. The Mini Cooper and the 4Runner. If you are just looking for a daily driver with pretty good gas mileage and don't care about utility (ie. storage space) then the Mini Cooper could be a nice choice. But if you need more space then the Mini Cooper isn't a great choice. If space is a factor there are other vehicles out there with a better blend of fun and utility. It just depend on what your real needs are. If it were me, I'd lead towards the 4Runner (SUV storage space can be very practical) but the gas mileage could be an issue, and that seems to be one of your concerns.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[#1stangfreak]

I appreciate the input guys. After doing a little research and watching a few reviews I believe we have decided against a mini for now. So, guess I'm gonna be spending more money on gas now lol. Thanks guys

 

[bigmoose]

I appreciate the input guys. After doing a little research and watching a few reviews I believe we have decided against a mini for now. So, guess I'm gonna be spending more money on gas now lol. Thanks guys

Good Choice. I used to own a 2004 Cooper S. It was a very fun car to drive, but build quality was crap.

I owned it for two years from 58k to 80k miles. while i owned it i had to replace the entire power steering rack and pump, my cost done as cheap as possible(send parts out to be rebuilt) was $1200. dealer quoted me ~$2500. The pump alone is very common to fail by 60k miles.

Right when i bought it the strut bushings had to be replaced to get rid of a very annoying squeak any time you turned the wheel. this cost $1000, luckily it was covered by my 30 day warranty.

both ebrake cables broke @70k.

Both sideview power mirrors broke @60k, it wasn't a fuse issue.

My favorite. The front suspension couldn't be aligned within factory specs because the struct towers warped due to poor design. your standard road wear over 70k miles warped the whole section of the frame/body where the strut bolted to. There are aftermarket brackets to bolt down to help reduce this common problem on all minis. The early '02-'03 coopers were so loose up front you could crack the windshield if you took a turn hard enough.

you can read up on its problems here: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues-9/

of course that section is dedicated to problems, so thats all you will get. I do understand that every manufacturer has their problems. But when i compare the mini to the other dozen cars i've owned, it had by far the highest repair costs to me. A few of my old rangers with 200k+ miles were more reliable than my 80k mini.

Lastly i will say that the technical knowledge on SVTP is 100x superior than the mini forum. Its amusing reading all the tech questions and responses on the mini forums. you just have to look at the demographics of who is driving the car i guess.