Is MINI Cooper any good?

[andy04]

Wife is in the market for a compact SUV and has zeroed in on Countryman. We have never owned luxury brand before, always stuck with Ford and Honda and stuff, wondering about the pros and cons, is maintenance way too expensive, do they need more maintenance than just oil change? How about post 75k reliability? do they last 100k? any other pros/cons? any reason to avoid altogether? Any other work of advise?

Footnote - She is pretty much stuck on that make/model, in no mood for looking at alternatives in that class.

 

[herm0016]

It's a BMW that requires more and more expensive maintenance.

 

[Insomniator]

Not sure if the new ones are better but my gen (first gen, 04) were rated the least reliable cars on the road + have the maintenance costs of BMW's.

I would not buy another if I were worried about everyday and long term reliability. Get a good warranty. I'm not sure the point of the mini's that aren't small (which is basically all of them now). Wouldn't a Forester or AWD Mazda CX-3 would be better? Hell why not an X1 over a Mini?

I bought mine because its actually mini and drives like a go kart - not really anything else quite like it. If it were the size and weight of a normal of 3 series though I would... always take the 3 series for example.

 

[andy04]

@ Insomniator - X1 is way more expensive than a Countryman and she does not like BMW brand, MINI is unique... She feels Clubman and Cooper are too small.

I have been trying to convince her to buy a TLX, awesome incentives going on right now, test drove one last weekend, she likes it but her heart is set on MINI. Inventory in LOW everywhere for the Countryman, we are not able to the right color and package combo, so it might get dropped anyways, lets see...

 

[WelshBloke]

I bought a Cooper convertible for the summer and it's great fun on the country lanes around here.

It's not exactly practical though, there's hardly any boot space and any friends you put in the back seats probably won't remain friends for very long!

It is a great looking car though (mines all brown leather inside.) and loads of fun but I really don't see the point of the non mini Minis apart from if you're only after the look of them.

Get a mini Mini for tooling around in and a practical car for doing practical things in. Getting one car for both of those things is going to leave you with a subpar experience with both of those things.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If you're in the market for a compact SUV and look at a Mini, I think something is wrong with your working definitions of... something.

Your Ford/Honda instinct is probably the right one. (Escape, CR-V, Element.)

Or a Civic/Corolla/Focus hatchback.

If you just want something offbeat, what about a Nissan Cube?

 

[XavierMace]

@ Insomniator - X1 is way more expensive than a Countryman and she does not like BMW brand, MINI is unique... She feels Clubman and Cooper are too small.

I have been trying to convince her to buy a TLX, awesome incentives going on right now, test drove one last weekend, she likes it but her heart is set on MINI. Inventory in LOW everywhere for the Countryman, we are not able to the right color and package combo, so it might get dropped anyways, lets see...

Have you explained to her that Mini's ARE BMW's? Assuming you are talking about a new one, it's build on the same UKL platform that the BMW X1 and BMW 2 series Tourer's are built on and it's powered by a BMW B series engine (B37/B38/B47/B48). If all she cares about is the Mini logo, buy a few badges off ebay and replace the BMW badges with Mini. Problem solved. LOL.

 

[Demo24]

C&d didn't exactly have the best time with their lon-term mini s. Granted not the same model, and the countryman may be more reliable just because it's closest to the next bmw model (X1). However, I'd never own a mini outside of warranty unless it was very cheap.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-mini-cooper-s-hardtop-long-term-test-wrap-up

 

[Yuriman]

Mini ties for the worst / least reliable make on Dashboard Light's long-term quality index:

 

[Ns1]

not all mini years were created equal

 

[bruceb]

I would not want one. Way too small and if you get in a crash with almost anything, lots of damage to both the car and probably the occupants. That car is so small, a 2 really large men could put it in the bed of a full size pickup truck. Some photos here ... a lot of them look survivable, but if a truck hits you, you might not make it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wre...AhVozFQKHahpDy4Q9C8IGw&biw=1366&bih=525&dpr=1

Tree 1, Mini Cooper 0

Train 1, Mini Cooper 0

 

[NutBucket]

Really, a train? That's a horrible comparison. What car wins against a train? A Panzer tank perhaps? Probably not since the train is still heavier.

Wait, isn't the tree photo Paul Walker's Carrera GT? You really are that daft.

 

[Insomniator]

Well, a Countryman is not a very small car. And LOL to the train comparison... I don't know where you shop for cars if you need them to stand up to being hit by trains.

As for overall safety - I think they received decent ratings (even my little one) http://www.autoblog.com/buy/2006-MINI-Cooper/safety-ratings/

Besides, the fact that I out swerve, stop, and squeeze by just about anything else on the road improves its safety to me.

 

[bruceb]

All those pictures are from the link I posted above. It was all about wrecked mini coopers.
I don't expect any vehicle to stand up to a train, but I do want them to hold up decently against a full size SUV / Pickup or maybe a moderate sized truck.

 

[Fardringle]

Driving a Mini Cooper is like dating the self-centered, stuck up, petty cheerleader in high school. It's really cute and a very fun ride while it lasts, but is EXTREMELY high maintenance and will leave you stranded at some point, usually without any warning at all.

 

[NutBucket]

All those pictures are from the link I posted above. It was all about wrecked mini coopers.
I don't expect any vehicle to stand up to a train, but I do want them to hold up decently against a full size SUV / Pickup or maybe a moderate sized truck.

No, they're not. The middle photo is Paul Walker's Carrera GT...the one he died in.

 

[WelshBloke]

Driving a Mini Cooper is like dating the self-centered, stuck up, petty cheerleader in high school. It's really cute and a very fun ride while it lasts, but is EXTREMELY high maintenance and will leave you stranded at some point, usually without any warning at all.

So what you're saying is that everyone should do it at least once?

 

[sdifox]

Countryman is huge.

 

[Fardringle]

So what you're saying is that everyone should do it at least once?

Definitely take it for a test drive, but don't get financially or emotionally invested in it.

 

[bruceb]

Sorry to say, but all new cars, with all the electronics controlling the Engine, Transmission and other items can all leave you stranded without any warning. Things were more reliable before computers took over. But drivability, engine power emissions and fuel economy have got better with them.

 

[bruceb]

Well if it is, they put that photo on the wrong web site page.

 

[NutBucket]

#fakenews

But in all seriousness, car vs tree is always going to favor the tree.

 

[bruceb]

Especially if the car goes into the tree sideways. It usually folds up like an accordion if that happens.

 

[Insomniator]

Only the AT garage could turn a discussion into what would happen if a different car than the OP was asking about, collided with a train.

 

[jlee]

Sorry to say, but all new cars, with all the electronics controlling the Engine, Transmission and other items can all leave you stranded without any warning. Things were more reliable before computers took over. But drivability, engine power emissions and fuel economy have got better with them.

ROFL.

No....no, they were not.