Possible Future Owner

[rphox2003]

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a used 2004 to 2008 Mini Cooper (approx. 60k miles) and have seen many sites where owners complain about the build quality. I'd appreciate it if somebody could help me with the following questions:

1. How do these older models hold up?
2. Are automatics more troublesome than manuals?
3. Do Minis have more problems than other cars of the same age?
4. Is there anything that I should specifically look for when checking out a used car?

Thanks.

[mab01uk]

Avoid pre-June 2004 Mk1 MINI One/Cooper, the 'face lift' MINI from this date has a stronger 5-speed Getrag gearbox rather than the more troublesome Rover Midland 5-speed.......while all Cooper S have a strong 6-speed Getrag.

If you want Auto I would avoid Mk1 MINI's with CVT and stick to Mk2 MINI's with conventional automatic transmission.

Steering pumps can fail early on Mk1 MINI's but are not a big job to fix although the pump can cost around £300 depending on new or reconditioned.

[phil mcglassup]

It's just a shame that there are so many good pre June 2004 first generation minis out there for sale that would suit me. Most seem to be in good condition and there's loads of them about.

If one comes up with a full service history with gearbox oil changes etc would it still be worth considering if the gearbox behaved itself on a test drive? I suppose most minis of this age have got 80-100k+ miles on them which doesn't help.

Even though there were changes to the June 04 on minis, does that necessarily rule out the earlier ones? Or are the repair costs and lower MPG not make it worth it?

What d'ya think?

[mab01uk]

If you can find a good early Mini go for it......even the common failures are not as expensive to fix as they once were now many independent garages are familiar with them. You only tend to hear the bad stuff on the internet sites but many owners have no reason to complain therefore you don't hear from them.

I have a 2002 MINI One on 60,000 miles with no major issues but I know others who have had problems at only 20,000 miles and one on here has driven 400,000+ miles in the USA over 10+ years!

I would however still avoid automatic CVT early MINI's as few independent garages or mechanics know or are interested in fixing them should the auto fail......but of course some cvt Mini owners have also achieved mega miles with no problems at all!