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Hello and Help!

1K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  rowbos 
#1 ·
Hi there, first post and I don't yet have a Mini but do have some questions if I may?

After giving back my company car last week I need to get a new daily driver for myself. I also have access to my wife's Citroen C1 and my weekend/fun car is a Porsche Boxster 987.2 Black Edition so I will spread my annual mileage between the three.

I have a hankering for 5 doors, 4WD, petrol and an automatic gearbox so I'm thinking Cooper S Countryman, looking to spend around £12K - £13K at this stage to hopefully get something that will be reliable and fun to drive.

I have rather rashly organised a couple of test drives tomorrow without spending any time investigating common issues, what to look for etc so I'm hoping the forum might have some input please, then hopefully I can report back on progress and get some photos up once I have taken the plunge!

The two cars I am seeing tomorrow are 2013/14 with around 30K on the clock. One has more options than the other - Satnav, leather, Chilli pack and is a slightly higher price, the other has a few options including Chilli pack, does this seem the right ballpark?

Some of the questions that spring to mind are...

1) What common issues should I look for and/or ask about?
2) How good is the 4WD system and do any of you use winter tyres to enhance performance through the colder months? (I live on Exmoor and we always get snow - so the ability to drive in it will be fun)
3) What should I check in the service history and what specific components might be ready for change at this mileage level? (I'm thinking cambelts/water pumps/whatever else needs replacing commonly/at intervals)
4) What sort of service cost should I expect per year to run around 10K miles per year?
5) What should I listen/look for/test on my test drives?
6) How comfortable are these beasts in real world scenarios? (drive 200 miles for example)
7) What real world mpg do you get from these cars? (probably 75% Motorway and 25% country lanes, not too much town driving)
8) Are there any recommended Mini independent specialists in Somerset/Devon that I should look to use for my service needs?
9) What is the recommended service interval/annual service items to undertake?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated - I am a complete Mini novice, though I did drive one for a day or two some years back when my BMW 5 Series was in for service :)

Thanks and I'm looking forward to taking part in the forum in the future.

R.
 
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Discussion starter · #4 ·
I should pick up my new to me 2014 Countryman Cooper S All4 next week and wondered if anyone has a link for a decent rubber boot liner to keep it clean and tidy? I have found lots on eBay and Amazon but it's tricky to see if they are any good and have mixed reviews generally.

Also I have a set of 16" spare wheels coming with the car (it's running on 18" wheels as supplied), I intend to use the 16" with winter tyres and wonder if anyone has a recent recommendation for a suitable tyre Do you use non-runflat generally when swapping in winter tyres?

Thanks, photos to follow...
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
I put 18" Vrederstein Wintrac Xtreme non-runflat on my JCW four years ago and have left them on all year, excellent tyre.
I don't agree about 4wd not being necessary, If you travel on narrow country lanes you can get pushed off into the deep snow at the edge (usually by a Rangerover hogging the middle) and one spinning front wheel doesn't get you out.
Thanks. Agreed on the 4WD scenario above - that's happened to me in the past (mud rather than snow) and I needed to be dragged back onto the road again.

Anyway I will seek out some winter rubber to fit my 16" wheels in anticipation of this year's wintry weather.
 
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