Any Mini Cooper owners here?

The only thing you need to know is that real Cooper's only came as a 4 speed ...

 

And 10 inch wheels

 

Great cars....

i owned an S

now have a standard..

only thing too know is repairs are BMW expensive!! When brakes wear out...no replacing pads only!! its pads and rotors!! about 800 from independent and 1300 from stealership!!

if you can get one still within the service program 3 years 36000 miles all is covered...

never had any issues with either car...both take premium fuel

 

This man knows his Minis !

 

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I own a '05 R53 MCS 6-sp, 2005 to 2006 have less problems than the early 2002 to 2004 models. They can be great cars as long as you keep up with the maintenance. I do some of it myself due to being an fairly easy layout. Lots of mods to improve the performance with these cars, just be careful what you blow your money on.

Avoid automatic transmissions at all costs, nothing but problems due to poor design.
The power steering fan must be kept an eye on, once it fails, replace it ASAP or risk possible damage to the power steering.
The master & slave cylinder have a habit to fail, I know other mini owners that travel with spare parts when on long trips when these go.
Most people get rid of the run-flat tires due to replacement costs & road noise, you will learn to carry two cans of fix-a-flat in the boot.
Watch your engine oil level, with a supercharger you will burn more oil under hard driving.

The best thing to do is research these MINI sites for more information or attend a local Mini owners club meet in your area to learn more about them, this is also a great resource for DIY days if you need help fixing something. If you do buy one that can be very fast when modified correctly & corner like nothing else.


www.northamericanmotoring.com

www.motoringalliance.com
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LOVE MY MINI!

Had an 06, 07 now an 09. Great cars. Never a dime in maintenance whatsoever.

 

I have never owned one, but I have heard that if the battery is removed (it's in the back), DO NOT close the hatch until the battery is re-installed, due to the solenoid-operated hatch release mechanism.

 

I have a 2003 mini s that I upgraded to a "works".

I found the performance of the s to be a bit anemic. 5th gear was rather useless because at less than 3 grand, the car bogs down in that gear. So you have to go at least 70 before it was really useable. In city freeways, you're alway downshifting if traffic slows a bit.

The works package really fixed the power and torque problem. The three downsides are the initial cost ($6000), some increased supercharger whine, and fuel economy ( honestly this is the biggest disappoint of the car for it's size and weight).

I've had mine since new. The steering wheel plastic is pealing but everything else in the car has held up. I got the leather interior and it's still in perfect shape.

It's fairly reliable. The electric fans went out and I understand that it's fairly common. It's not cheap to fix

I had a complete brake job and that ran $1100!

The pluses:

Fun to drive, easy to park, practical (I use it like a little truck), holds up well

The minus: back seats very small, more expensive to repair that you would think for an economy car, rather harsh ride, front seats are not good for long drives, gearbox ok but reverse is easy to shift into by accident, you forget to pay attention to the center gauges.

I would avoid run flat tires. I have them and when they go down you need to replace them. They are very expensive. The tires for my Maserati are slightly cheaper.

 

Definitely improved the car a lot. Crazy expensive and poor fuel economy.

Tough call. I really enjoy the car. 225hp in that little thing really makes it hum. But the increase in torque was the biggest advantage.

I always felt that the way the works feels is what the standard S should have been like.

I'll put it this way. I'm not sorry I made the change but I forgot a long time ago how much I spent to get it.

The only car I would change it fit possibly is the Fiat 500 Abarth if it ever gets here.

I got a loaner 2010 S auto and it seemed pretty peppy. I thought it would be a dog. But it did move ok although i hate automatic and their passing gear. Awful. Minis with autos are strictly for females.

I've looked at the new models and they are too expensive for me to consider trading in such a great car. Works cars have some balls.

 

With the works you must use premium fuel. If you don't it runs lousy and knocks.

 

I agree about the premium fuel. And yes the S is now run with a turbo and not the supercharger. I had an 05 S and now run an 09 standard. Had to make the switch for fuel economy purposes. I am averaging 43 miles per gallon right now.
I lost 4 windscreens on my S mainly due to the very stiff ride and run flats and perhaps some glass not appropriately thick enough. All cracks started at the top or at the base. My 09 cooper uses standard no run flats.

 

I race a 2005 Mini Cooper S in SCCA Showroom Stock B.

I am one of 3-4 factory supported drivers in the U.S. The car has been a race car since day 1. It has over 3k miles on it - all of it race miles. The car is really a strong car. It has the original motor in it, it has never been touched except for maintenance.

The car is really strong. I have been in a few hits with the car and it has held together with little damage.

Regarding the battery in the back and opening the trunk - there is a release cable pull under the rear seat.

Great car!

Fred

 

The CVT gearbox have been plagued with issues on the first generation BMW R50/R52/R53. Anything from getting stuck in gear to total failure.

 

You should look at http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/ It is a great source of Mini info and they have a marketplace section with lots of cars for sale, I have my 09 listed there. Good luck!

 

And SUs, for heaven's sake! What are these people talking about? ;-)

 

Any year cooper S or an 07 and up Cooper should not have problems with the autogear box. It is a very strong unit.

 

Bought an 07 Cooper S for the wife new. Great little car with plenty of umph! Ours is a 6 speed (Wife does not like autos! Bless her little heart!) Gets in the mid to high 30s for gas mileage. Very few issues, all covered with the warranty. Must admit I'm not a fan of the run flats, too harsh of a ride. Probably will go conventional when we replace the tires. I'm surprised by the comments on brake servicing prices others have mentioned. When I had the car in last, the service rep said a brake job ran around $400.00. Where are you guys getting the stratosphere pricing? Reminds me of when I had my Land Robber!

 

real minis have ...sliding windows..