[DrGonzo]

I am thinking of buying a year old mini cooper, blue with a white roof and many other wonderful wonderful things inside it . I love this car and have always wanted to buy a mini. However my mother in law, god bless her, was talking to a used car dealer (who was not actually trying to sell her anything at the time, if you beleive that) and he said that there are lots of problems with them (this was about an hour ago and I have been searching for something to refute this charge levelled against the best car ever). I do not want to beleive him but I wanted some inputs from all you mini lovers out there. I realise this sort of thread has been started many times, but I can´t find anyhting on this forum which give me immediate relief. I see lots of people with specific problems and so forth but I want to know how they are genrally.

Basically I want somebody to give me arguments which I can use to convince these people that I am not totally insane and that driving a polo is really not an option.

Please helpA man who does not want to drive a polo.

Dr Gonzo

[ladysully]

The mini is a wonderful car. It is made by BMW...need I say more..Yes this site has people on it who have had problems with their minis..however how many Polo owners (including my sister) have had these problems and then some...

It is an amazing car and once you have one you will not regret it I have one for sale actually if your interseted...

[DrGonzo]

Thanks max and lady sully. I appreciate what you have said. The funny thing is I get on really well with my mother in law, all she wants is her daugter in a safe car. I tried to piont out that no car is perfect and that things can go wrong even with a VW or a toyota, but she still needs the reassurance.

Actually the best thing I could do is get her in one and then she will be converted.

I would love to buy a mini from you ladysully, but I live in holland and so the steerig wheel is probably on the wrong side ;-)

[Hat]

i used to have a polo, in fact i had 2 & thought they were ok. but now i know bettter

[ladysully]

Oh never mind.... Will no one love my mini????And mother in-laws are important so much so that you would want her in a safe car... The mini has a bad reputation because of the old ones, my friend wrote his off at 15mph! But the new ones are beefier with more airbags than a polo!! Very safe and extremely sexy!

[Nic D]

New car, expect teething problems but your's should all be sorted out by now.

[mikeoconnor1]

I was nervous about my new MCS before I got it. I had read and heard all of the worst horror stories. Well, 10,000 miles and no probles later, all I can say is, get this car. Do your homework on any used car, and if the deal is right, go for it.

[dmholmes]

Fair chunk of problems and the build quality seems to be up to Kia type standards. However, I love the car and am hoping that everything gets straightened out during the warranty period. If it is I'm sure I'll keep it, if not, well let's just say $90 an hour labor rates could be a little disheartening if the problems don't get resolved.

[moorlockx]

If you were buying a new one, I'd say go for it, with no hesitation. However, when you're talking about a year old MINI, I'd say be wary, as the early builds did have their fair share of teething problems. Sadly, that's a fact of life with just about any new design. Even the newer ones aren't totally fault free, for the most part (but no car type is). If you can, try to find out the service history of the car in question. That may answer your question.

As far as safety goes, you can't go wrong with the MINI in most situations. Not only do you have a strong body with a lot of safety features around you, but the car is nimble enough to get out of situations other cars can't.

[NED]

If it's only a year old it'll have most of it's TLC pack left over, so you should have another couple of years of no-cost servcing (depending on mileage of course).

Go for it I say

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Quote:

Originally posted by DrGonzo
Thanks max and lady sully. I appreciate what you have said. The funny thing is I get on really well with my mother in law, all she wants is her daugter in a safe car. I tried to piont out that no car is perfect and that things can go wrong even with a VW or a toyota, but she still needs the reassurance.

Actually the best thing I could do is get her in one and then she will be converted.

I would love to buy a mini from you ladysully, but I live in holland and so the steerig wheel is probably on the wrong side ;-)

I've seen a written off MINI and the driver walked away with just cuts ( from flying glass) and bruises - they are very safe these days

I don't think the TLC is on offer in Holland - someone may be able to confirm that though

[DrGonzo]

quote "I don't think the TLC is on offer in Holland - someone may be able to confirm that though"

I shall find out tommorow when I go to the dealer.