How's Mini reliability?

"Khalbali" (khalbali2) 01/29/2019 at 19:40 • Filed to: None

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What should I look out for? Specific years/gens/engines to avoid? Looking for a cheap DD that doesn’t suck to drive, I’m not crazy about the interiors but I’ve driven a first gen Cooper S and it was fun, but also would consider a base Cooper. Also found a 2009 Clubman S that I may go check out becuz barn doors. So what say you oppo? Supercharged vs turbocharged? I can wrench a bit myself but need something that won’t be a complete money pit, thanks!

Monkey B > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 19:58

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I think the question is which one is least problematic...I’m also interested in the results.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 19:58

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I wouldn’t touch one, they scare me. 

-VW owner

CaptDale - is secretly British > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:00

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I believe TFritch said the CVTs are a hard pass. 

HammerheadFistpunch > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:01

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Not...great. Expensive parts, difficult to work on and maddening failure modes.  I mean, mushrooming shock towers?  What year is this?

dogisbadob > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:01

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Get an Echo :o)

Pretty fun with a manual. There’s also the Scion xA and xB, and the later Yaris. There’s also the Matrix and Vibe, and those were even available with the 2ZZ. Toyota makes the best cars

Here’s an echo with only 72k , although it is a 2-door.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:03

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They are pretty much the emodiment of unreliability.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:04

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“How’s Mini reliability?”

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:10

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Crap

GTiceman > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:16

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so we own a 2011 cooper and he has been fairly reliable in my opinion. he just got his original battery replaced, original belt replacement, and needs an o2 sensor. i have done most of the work myself for brakes, oil changes etc. but i wouldnt say they are unreliable as a blanket statement. you do pay bmw prices for service items, well close to it, as we also have a bmw.

i would get a ppi done and warn that some years the turbos had issues, i think less with the superchargers, but dont quote me.

also, apologies about the poor punctuation and case as i am typing this on my mobile device  

aqualungdarmah > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:21

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Had a 2008 R56 Cooper S. Loved it.

Pros: Engine was a corker. Torque was almost instantaneous. Clutch was velvet smooth. Steering was almost as good as my 997.1 911. You get used to the interior.   Never had a problem, but...

Cons: Turbo is placed tood close to the front of the hood. Had 2 hood scoops (fake) melt. Replace under warranty and finally popp ed for a MiniNA GF replacement. The direct inject is pretty noisy. As was the interior of the car at speed. The front strut towers can be fragile. I preemptive this with braces. Tire wear can be an issue and the runflats were harsh. I got rid of them and carried a seal flat container.        

MUSASHI66 > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:30

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I recently read a comment from a car dealership guy regarding mini reliability. It went like “we don’t even stock Cooper S from year xx-xx” because they suck so much. Yeah, no used minis for me. 

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:33

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German level of complexity with En glish build reliability . Sounds like a dream come true.

Seriously though, I had an 06 S, it was great aside from a failed seat sensor that tripped the airbag light.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > dogisbadob 01/29/2019 at 20:34

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Plus with a decent header, a junkyard-sourced  Scion xB twist beam and Tei n coilovers they actually rip

cluelessk > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:36

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Don’t do it.

I work in a Mini body shop and they’re awful vehicles.

Way too stiff, super numb, start to clunk and rattle quickly, engine vibrates the whole car at idle, some of the worst fit and finish I’ve seen.

I wouldn’t ever recommend one to anyone unless I was sure they understood what they were getting into.

Edit: If you want something similar but just better look at a Volvo C30 or Golf.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > cluelessk 01/29/2019 at 20:38

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Super numb?

Mine is pretty alive (04 S)

Tripper > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:40

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First gen s’s are easily the most fun to drive but also the most crude. My wife’s was great until it wasn’t, then it was one thing after another. 24k to 105k miles was great . 105k to 115k was a nightmare. Still we both miss the car.

As others have mentioned they aren’t great to work on, even simple things require a complete front end taredown.

My mom’s 13' s has been pretty much trouble free but it’s only got 40 k miles and is much “softer” when it comes to driving.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:40

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Friend of mine had a supercharged Cooper S. Drove amazing. Cornered like a go-kart, like they say. Wonderful car. In a one year period, it broke down and had to be towed no less than 5 times. He bought a Focus RS to replace it, and it’s more reliable.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:42

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my ‘04 cooper s has 126k on it I bought it with 116k on it as my DD and at one point i was driving 120 miles a day. Owned it for almost a year now and I’ve only put a cam position sensor on it which I’m pretty sure was already mildly broken when i bought it.

cluelessk > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 01/29/2019 at 20:47

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No steering feel and it’s super heavy for no reason.

04 might be different. He said was interested in an 09 Clubman which I was referring too.

glemon > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:50

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My brother’s brother in law has a first generation Cooper S he has had since new. First or second year of production. Driven quite a bit, but had other cars to daily as well. He is the only mini owner I know fairly well and says it is very reliable, no significant problems in all the years of ownership.

Until I started reading more about them on the interwebs I didn't realize that was not the typical experience.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 20:53

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Avoid 1st generation Coopers with the CVT as it fails like clockwork every 60-80k requiring a 7k+ replacement. 2007-2011 S models with the N14 are also to be avoided as the N14 is an abomination of an engine that gives nothing but trouble. Beyond that if they are cared for they are generally ok. They aren’t Toyotas but they aren’t the reliability nightmares the internet makes them out to be (except the CVT and the N14, those deserve all the hate they get).

You have to remember that they are cheap BMWs and parts cost BMW money. My 2004 Cooper with almost 160k has probably cost me about 1 k in normal maintainance over the almost 3 years and 25k miles I have owned it. It’s worth noting that I additionally paid 1k to rebuild and upgrade my brakes after destroying the factory setup at a track day, and $900 after I cracked my oil pan. My car lives a hard life, last year included 2 track days, 200+ autocross passes, and 4 ice time trials.

glemon > dogisbadob 01/29/2019 at 20:55

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There was a time I was seriously looking for a Matrix XR-S. Never found the right car at the right time. Drove a few garden variety M atrices with manuals, think a 2zz with a six speed would be a hoot, fun in a practical package.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 21:01

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I have 202k miles on my 04 S. I bought it at 163k miles. It has needed LCA busings, a coolant tank (common issue with these), both outer tie rod ends, 1 bearing, water pump, radiator foam stuff.

Imo it ain’t too bad but you can be the judge of that.

I’ve gone to the tail 4 times and did an autox in the Mini so there is that as well.

Imo this is one of the most fun cars I’ve driven and I’ve driven a 94 viper, C5Z06, 06 Cayman S, 99 boxter, 15 GTI, NA NB ND miatas in various states of tune among other thingies . The engine is torqey and sound amazing. The handling is properly good, as agile as a NB miata. Steering feel is second only to the Porsches.

The interior is meh and it does rattle a lot. Also, it is not comfortable if you have live anywhere with bad roads.

I would say go drive one, it's certainly less reliable and comfortable than say a Miata but it is completely worth it for that engine and handling.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > cluelessk 01/29/2019 at 21:02

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04 is really good, read my comment above. I’ve also been running summer tires so that may account for it.

It is a bit heavy tho but nothing to discount it as an option imo.

Khalbali > dogisbadob 01/29/2019 at 21:07

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Em ailed about that echo thanks!

Levitas > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 21:09

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I owned an R50 (first gen of the BMW ones, 2002-2006 MYs, R53 refers to the S variants ) for a few years.

Off the top, most people agree that the R53 (Cooper S) from 05/06 are the most reliable, and 02/03 as well as the first years of the turbo gen (R56) are commonly unreliable. The R50s had a 5 speed Midlands transmission which fails a lot, I actually had 2 failures in a matter of a few years. the R53s have a much better Getrag 6 speed, and is also much more common. In almost all circumstances you’ll want to avoid the automatics in the early years, the CVT fails -a lot-. On Craigslist and others you’ll find a lot of cheap 02-04 automatics, these almost always will have failed transmissions which cost more to replace at a dealer than the car is worth.

The other major common failure is in the power steering pump, its an electrohydraulic unit. Mine failed, and I actually drove ~15k miles without any power steering. The pump is somewhere in the $400-800 range depending on where you get. The bigger issue is safety, because the pump can fail unexpectedly causing very significant changes in steering effort in order to control the car.

Other common failures are mushrooming strut towers, failed engine mounts, and sometimes on the S models some issues with the super chargers and their oil. I would also recommend looking at the body metal below the tail lights, it’s common for it to rust there and end up with lots of water in the trunk. Related to this, I would feel the rear carpet and look under it for evidence of water (somewhat common for the rear hatch handle seal to leak, easy fix) and the footwells if it has a sunroof.

MINIs really aren’t bad to work on, you’ll hear the term “service position” which sounds horrible but once you’ve done it once/twice it only takes a few minutes to get to each time.

And, most importantly, in my experience, you’ll fall in love with the MINI and won’t really care about any of these.

OmerCarrothers333 > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 21:13

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It’s a weird BMW?

dogisbadob > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 21:18

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Good luck!

Cash Rewards > Khalbali 01/29/2019 at 21:44

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I had an 05 S, and I drove the shirt out of it. Regular autocross, took it up pikes peak, sold it with 96k and not one single problem. No unexpected repair, only check engine light was for 02 sensor at pi kes peak,which wasn’t a failure so much as a lack of o2.

I think those cars had to be driven  hard to be reliable. I remember something similar from other bmw cars. I think the m5 of that vintage had batteries that failed often, as most m5s weren’t driven as hard as the engineers anticipated so they didn’t charge properly. Mini seems to be similar. Every one I knew through autocross had zero problems.

PartyPooper2012 > Khalbali 01/30/2019 at 09:00

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I’ve had a Mini Cooper S 2005 for about 5 years now.

Nothing major. Regular maintenance - tires, brakes, battery. I have very low miles on mine. 50K or so.

Weird things - To change oil, remove oil filter container. That requires a 36mm socket or wrench. Seems out of place for a Mini where everything else is tiny. That damn wrench is hanging in garage and is more of a conversation starter.

Some Minis have Blue tooth and others don’t. In this day and age, having blue tooth connectivity is very nice but can live without.

I am considering selling my mini. In snow storm wife slid into the back of someone. Small minor damage - bent hood and punctured radiator. New hood is on and radiator replaced. LMK if interested. 

Nibby > Khalbali 01/30/2019 at 09:07

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it’ll be a money pit

Dru > Khalbali 01/30/2019 at 09:37

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My dad still has his 2002 Cooper S he bought new. Absolute joy to drive, not ruinously expensive to run. I wouldn’t touch a regular Cooper (R50) with a 39.5 foot pole. We got a manual one as a loaner once and it was miserable slow with the weirdest clutch.

Caper > Khalbali 01/30/2019 at 13:53

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Have clocked over 350,000 miles on early gen 2 minis (both turbo and non- turbo) including autocrosses, HPDEs , and SCCA B-Spec . A fun and reliable daily driver would be a well maintained non-turbo (N12 or N16) with either a manual or automatic. 120 hp, so not real quick, but not a lot of complexity that comes with the turbo. Check out North American Motoring.

Ilike_cougars > Khalbali 01/30/2019 at 14:37

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I used to have a 09 Mini C lubman S.. a lot of fun to drive, but will need a lot of maintenance work. these will b urn a lot of oil, so you need to check it every month and top off if necessary, expect atleast half a quart per month, more if the weather where you are gets to above 95 degrees.

Valve cover can warp due to heat, but is simple to replace. If yo u need to do any work with the waterpump/altenator, you will need to pretty much take the engine out. there is absolutely no space to do this with the engine in.

Oh and they are very rattly during the winter, and a lot of wind and tire drone in the cabin, on long drives. We literally had to shout to hear each other.

The good bits - Bloddy awesome to drive, Barn doors, glass panoramic roof, and pissing off Bro trucks on the highway..