We bought my wife a 2005 Mini Cooper S last week. After driving hers, I traded in my Jeep and purchased my first Mini yesterday. A 2007 MCS. While searching for graphics, I stumbled upon this Forum. I see many 2007 owners talking about recalls and engines blowing up and timing chain issues. Holy SH*T, did I just finance a car for six years that is going to die in a few months? There is no way in hell I could afford four grand for a new engine.

Can someone also be kind enough for me to tell how I figure out my number, ie. R56 R56N R53 etc? I saw on a website for decals it had a chart but it didn't have any that had a N after the number.
I am trying to order a replacement emblem that goes on my hatch. the blackin the circle is gone. Someone said I could order a sticker that fits in it but haven't seen any.

I really hope this isn't a decision that I don't regret.

Your wife's 2005 MCS is a R53. Your 2007 (model year) MCS is a R56. The "N" designates a LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) or "facelift car ... 2011 model year or later.

Identifying a MINI by VIN (http://minicooper.wikia.com/wiki/Identifying_a_MINI_by_VIN)

Whoa mate, chill out. Please remember that most people who write on forums like this do so because they have a problem or issue with their car.
Just take a chill pill and relax. Enjoy driving your mini knowing that you have a great community resource in mini2 if you ever need any help.

You'll probably be fine. However I guess if you'd done more research beforehand you'd have know about the potential timing chain issues and been able to check whether it had been done.

As mentioned above people generally post the bad stuff on internet forums. Although you might find a few positive stories on here. Enjoy your car :)

Did the same, bought a 2007 MCS with 40k miles and almost fully spec'ed 8 weeks ago.

I was scared to hell, too, after reading all issues here.

I had annoying misfiring and loss of power for first days which was down to a faulty spark plug. Was sorted under warranty. Fixing this seems to have broken the coil as I broke down the day after. BMW Emergency service sorted me out within 90 minutes.

Since then I am the happiest car owner alive. Power and handling is simply amazing.

The timing chain rattle seems to be avoidable by checking oil levels regularely and if you have a clean service history fixing should be FOC even outside of warranty.

An annual oil change rather than sticking to the long BMW service cycles may also be a good idea. If engine performance drops, consider requesting a warranty covered decoking.

The recall is a water pump that is not actively engaged when driving. It was done as there were some rare fire cases. I had this done as part of my spark plugs fix.

So don't worry and enjoy the car.

I think the MCS is a fantastic car and even though it wasn't cheap I am sure I wouldn't have that much fun with any other car I could have bought for my money.