Mini Cooper reliability?

[harhar]

My wife and I bought a used '05 Mini Cooper S Auto, about 2 years ago. It has all the bells and whistles, HIDs, Auto Climate Control, an HK sound system all for half of what a new one would have cost.

However @77,000miles we've put in close to $1000 in repairs so far and I've even done most of the repairs myself.

Coolant Tank exploded - $25 - replaced myself
Radiator Fan went out - $50 - replaced myself
Leaks Oil even after a Valve and Oil Pan Gasket replacement - $700+
Car Antenna broke off - our fault - $80 - replaced myself
Serpentine Belt/Idler Pulley replacement - $350
Battery -$150 - Replaced myself

There are the aforementioned steering pump problems, dipsticks that can break off in the dipstick hole and other things here and there.

Oil Changes use synthetic and cost anywhere from $70-$100, and things like brake jobs cost an extra $50-$100 because of sensor replacements.

Things I need to do still: "tune-up" spark plugs, air filters/cabin/engine and fix the leak still.

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The some of the newer Turbo Minis have a propensity to burn even more oil, but I don't know about any other problems they might have.

As others have said, I would only buy new, or make sure to have some money saved up for repairs. @$600 a year that's $50+ a month you could put towards an extra payment.

The downside is that some of the problems can leave you stranded, and that's unacceptable.

Coming from Hondas all my life, it was a rude awakening. With those you're able to be "reactive" to problems. I've had Honda engines that "tell" me that they need a bit of oil and last for 150+k miles.

With Minis and BMWs you need to be very, very "proactive" if you're going to own one out of warranty.

In the end it is a fun car, but my wife is driving a lot more now and we'll probably switch it for a less fun, hopefully more reliable and economical, used Prius.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by HEATHER72

Not everyone has a horror story about the Mini Cooper. Hubby has a 2006 Mini Cooper. The only issues we have had outside of regular maintenance have been a mushroomed strut (I think that's what it was called) and just had to have an oil leak fixed (gasket). We didn't know about the oil leak since nothing was on the garage floor. It's a fun car to drive and still looks great 6 years later.

Mushroom strut caused by hitting pothole. Common on Minis due to their small size and expensive repair. I encountered this. Bad design.

[wuttuptae]

I'd think twice about buying an R56 MINI if reliability is a concern of yours. I own a 2007 MINI Cooper S (also R56), and I am the poster child of why not to buy a MINI. I would have thought my problems were because it was the first model year for the turbo, but considering the chain tensioner issue lingered for 3-4 years before it was really fixed (without a recall, btw), I'm pretty sure you'll find newer models having the same issues.

If you're dead-set on getting an R56 MINI, get one with plenty of warranty left. If you plan to keep the car, extend that warranty. Long story short, my chain tensioner was replaced three times, water pump replaced twice (and still need to do the recall), thermostat replaced, turbo replaced, and actually, the entire engine replaced this last go-round. I'm still under 50k miles. Good news is it was all done under warranty/goodwill. You'll find similar stories from other owners, as well.

For what it's worth the MINI tech told me the R53 MINI Cooper S is rock solid, though (the one using a supercharger, last year was 2006). The transmission is bulletproof, too (same in the R56). The base MINI is pretty reliable from what I hear. Have they finally worked out all the problems with the turbo engine? Maybe? You should still expect rattling and other minor nuisances... but also one hell of a fun car to drive around. When it's running, of course.