Not for me, for my younger brother. He's looking at this:

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/barrie/2003-mini-mini-cooper-s-coupe-2-door/1013672500?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

From a quick search they don't seem to be overly reliable to say the least. Anyone have any actual experience with them?

A few of my friends in high school had them, and despite how faggoty I think the car is, none of them ever had any complaints about them. If you don't care about how the car looks then I'm sure it will make for a great daily

I dig mini coopers. I think they look unique, in a good way.

That looks very clean, has very low mileage for the year and is at a reasonable price.

This post was edited by stupidkid282 on Sep 10 2014 10:47am

my friends wife has one, she likes it, the down side is.... its one of the top 10 "normal" cars to avoid buying used


"The MINI Cooper S may be a fun, stylish compact car, but is also one to avoid purchasing used. There’s no denying its popularity on the market, but the Cooper S isn’t free of troubles. In its current form, the Cooper S is powered by a turbocharged, 1.6-liter engine with 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque.

The Cooper S, according to Consumer Reports, has reliability issues with its engine, engine cooling, transmission, and fuel system. Other categories that received poor marks over the years include Climate System (2003), Suspension, Exhaust, Paint and Trim (2008), Squeaks and Rattles, and Body Hardware."




its like telling some one to buy a pt cruiser, but a little less bad

Buy two. Cut holes in roof for feet

Tada! Roller skates.

Friends gf got one - hole in tyranny case and clutch replacement within a month

Best friends cousin got one - currently up for sale with bad clutch

Idk if coincidence or not. Both 6 speeds.

nope nope nope

with that being said my next car is defiantly going to have some leg room being 6.4 sucks some times.

This post was edited by justin_618 on Sep 10 2014 12:05pm

I own a 2005 r53 Mini Cooper S

I love the car, perfect for zipping around town. I have not had any problems with mine, in 80,000.... But like Koj said, these cars are not known for their stellar reliability.

I've heard nothing but horror stories from people when I tell them I drive one...I dunno, maybe they are hard on their vehicles?


Moral of the story. I own one. Drive it almost every day, and although I am good about maintaining the vehicle, nothing catastrophic has happened to me....(yet?)

This post was edited by OldAndyAndTheSea on Sep 10 2014 12:28pm

I used to WORK for Mini Cooper dealer in service... Avoid them at all costs. ESPECIALLY USED 2006 OR OLDER. I wouldn't even buy a new one... They're extremely costly to maintain for such a little car and so much better options out there.

To give an example of costs (From dealer)
oil change $105
Brakes $700/AXLE (CAN NOT re-surface the rotors of a Mini)
engine filter $85
cabin $65
spark plugs $375
Brake flush $150+

thats for basic crap..

Tires.. Cooper S come with NO spare, so they use run flats.. which from factory are $240-280 each installed.

If the turbo goes out (07+), 6500 repair.
Needs new engine? 10500...

Stupid shit (I had 3 engine jobs and 2 turbo)

AMAZING on gas, amazing handling.. good for nothing else. Always needs to be fixed.

Had a lady with a brand new countryman S, only 4200 miles.. Her CEL was on, she ended up needing a new thermostat housing. Came back 600 miles later.. CEL on, housing cracked again, AND she was misfiring.. needed new spark plugs. (All under warranty at least but still)
She traded it in for another brand new one.. Cause shes stupid.


So theres some of my personal experience on these.