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Mini Next premium used cars- what on Earth?????

JulesMaximus said:
Do they rebuild it into something more reliable?
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Minis are actually pretty reliable. They just had a few years where they had bad components, and those have been taken care of. Just avoid the CVT transmission and if you get an '07-'10, make sure you have your timing chain tensioner bolt checked (it's like a $50 part). Otherwise, 200K miles on those suckers is not uncommon.
 
Fritzo said:
Minis are actually pretty reliable. They just had a few years where they had bad components, and those have been taken care of. Just avoid the CVT transmission and if you get an '07-'10, make sure you have your timing chain tensioner bolt checked (it's like a $50 part). Otherwise, 200K miles on those suckers is not uncommon.
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Is that 200K with or without major work?
 
Wow, all that $$ spent to let us know they've done a basic safety check, topped off some fluids, detailed it and put it on the lot. Pretty much what ANY reputable car dealer would do. toy car is toy car, nice to maneuver in tight spots downtown, road-kill out on the interstate.
 
pcgeek11 said:
Is that 200K with or without major work?
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Yah, i know a few people with mini's and while they love the cars despite there flaws, they have all had to deal with lots of repairs. One friend has a 2011 and it has left him stranded 3-4 times. Another with older models has had to put thousands into repairs and eventually replaced with a newer one which was a hand me down from his parents.

They are fun little cars, but i would not buy one expecting above average reliability.
 
I'll never own one. My buddy has an 07 Cooper S w/ 6 speed. Took immaculate care of it. Never modded or raced. Only had 38,000 miles on it. Lost power pulling into his subdivision. #3 piston ended up with a hole in it. He tried to sell it as is but couldn't get anything for it. Ended up putting a new engine in it.

I bought my GTI at the same time. Put more than double the miles on it, including several thousand on a racetrack and I think my most expensive repair out of pocket was a door lock actuator.
 
Fritzo said:
Minis are actually pretty reliable. They just had a few years where they had bad components, and those have been taken care of. Just avoid the CVT transmission and if you get an '07-'10, make sure you have your timing chain tensioner bolt checked (it's like a $50 part). Otherwise, 200K miles on those suckers is not uncommon.
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Got a 10 MCS, and I done lots of reading. As far as I know you can't just pull out the old tensioner and plug in the new one right? You have to replace the rail as well. And that is a $1000 dollar job at most shop.
 
That's what you get with a Peugeot motor.

I'm unlikely getting another one, but now that they have a proper BMW mill under the hood, I think its image will only go up.
 
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I have warned every person who has ever asked me about Mini. Only own one under warranty which is what I would say about most modern bmws and mbs as well. The complexity and cost of repair of even the most basic systems has balooned to the point diy isnt easy or possible without a damn star tool...



I think a bunch of us warned fritzo didnt we?

🙁
 
Denly said:
Got a 10 MCS, and I done lots of reading. As far as I know you can't just pull out the old tensioner and plug in the new one right? You have to replace the rail as well. And that is a $1000 dollar job at most shop.
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My tensioner seems to be fine, but from what people are saying, it's just a spring loaded bolt on the upper right rear of the engine, and it's accessible by removing the air ducts around that area. Other than a water pump that the original owner replaced under warranty at 50K miles, mines been working fine. We have 38 people in our local Mini club and of them 2 have had major issues in the last 2 years. One was a clutch issue that Mini fixed despite being a year out of warranty.

manimal said:
I have warned every person who has ever asked me about Mini. Only own one under warranty which is what I would say about most modern bmws and mbs as well. The complexity and cost of repair of even the most basic systems has balooned to the point diy isnt easy or possible without a damn star tool...



I think a bunch of us warned fritzo didnt we?

🙁
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And yet I'm having no issues and lots of fun. Weird, huh?
 
Fritzo said:
Minis are actually pretty reliable. They just had a few years where they had bad components, and those have been taken care of. Just avoid the CVT transmission and if you get an '07-'10, make sure you have your timing chain tensioner bolt checked (it's like a $50 part). Otherwise, 200K miles on those suckers is not uncommon.
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They always seem to rate very poorly in most of the reliability ratings I've read.
 
Fritzo said:
It depends on the option pack you get. Non-S version automatic = problems. S version with manual transmission = not so bad.
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I would agree with this, but also add convertibles. There are a LOT of issues with repairs and maintenance on those, and they are $$$.
 
Fritzo said:
My tensioner seems to be fine, but from what people are saying, it's just a spring loaded bolt on the upper right rear of the engine, and it's accessible by removing the air ducts around that area. Other than a water pump that the original owner replaced under warranty at 50K miles, mines been working fine. We have 38 people in our local Mini club and of them 2 have had major issues in the last 2 years. One was a clutch issue that Mini fixed despite being a year out of warranty.



And yet I'm having no issues and lots of fun. Weird, huh?
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give it time bro 🙂



I really do hope it doesnt poop on you.
 
I have an '07 6 spd S that I got in May. It's great and I love it, but it has needed some repair which I expected. Kinda have to know what to expect, cuz I read all that stuff as well. So far so good though
 
I've wanted a Mini since early 2000's and was debating getting a used one as a toy car - ya'll are scaring me off that idea 🙁
 
Ns1 said:
I've wanted a Mini since early 2000's and was debating getting a used one as a toy car - ya'll are scaring me off that idea 🙁
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Don't listen to them. It's a great car and tons of fun. I can give anecdotal stories about my neighbor's Lexus that left his stranded twice and cost $3000 to repair too.

What's cool about Minis is they have such a big community that they'll tell you how to properly care for, mod, and fix just about anything you can think of. I hit this place up every day to see what people are up to: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/
 
Fritzo said:
Don't listen to them. It's a great car and tons of fun. I can give anecdotal stories about my neighbor's Lexus that left his stranded twice and cost $3000 to repair too.

What's cool about Minis is they have such a big community that they'll tell you how to properly care for, mod, and fix just about anything you can think of. I hit this place up every day to see what people are up to: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/
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Eh it greatly depends on which one you get, and getting lucky at the same time. These cars have multiple notorious failure points that are expensive fixes. The R53 (1st gen S) have bad steering pumps (warranty extended), main cooling fans, oil pans, strut mounts etc... Newer models are better, but I still don't think they'd be considered a reliable car by any means. Don't forget about the BMW tax on everything you need done.
 
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