I have an S with 23k miles on it that I beat to death on a weekly basis on the backroads around my house. It always comes back for more. The build quality is about the same as any of the BMWs. I expect to have a coolant issue (waterpump, thermostat, aux fan) and some kind of electrical issue (window regulator, lock pin actuator) and a set of shocks and brakes more often than usual becuase of the way I drive. Other than that, things should go pretty well with the car. BTW, there's no precendent that I've seen for any of these issues in the MINI, but from what I've seen in the BMW lineup over time, these are some common issues amongst BMWs suppliers (many of whom are MINI suppliers). I don't know that there's an easy way to fix any of these items, as well as the fact that they are some of the top suppliers of auto components in the world (Bosch, Behr, Valeo, NGK, AT). And, as long as you don't operate the car with a stuck thermostat or spun waterpump (in an overheat condition) there's no reason that the car shouldn't give any problems for quite a long time. |