| My Cooper S '03 has been no problem so far, but a new more reliable gearbox was introduced with the '04 facelift which many go for.
Referring to the '07 model, there's a lot of comments on the forum about people having problems. Some have had so many issues they are now rejecting them, and refusing to take them back from the garages !
You don't mention whether hard-top or soft-top, but the soft-tops do wear/crack pretty quickly and also have a habit of leaking water, effecting the electrics.
So in short, an '04/'05/'06 hardtop S is your best bet. | 
