Convince Me Not to Buy a Mini Cooper S

idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:26

I want a Mini Cooper S. Can't afford the latest 3rd gen, currently looking at the 2nd gen. Budget would be approximately 15k. Have heard countless horror stories from Australia and abroad of their unreliability. Supposedly the earlier supercharged engines are more reliable than the more recent turbocharged engines.

It's my wife's dream car and seeing some of them modded tastefully has infected me with the Mini bug as well. I'm coming from a JDM scene so this would be my first BMW/European car. Maybe I should just get one and enjoy it for a few years before selling it off to someone else.

Talk me out of getting a Mini Cooper S.

Automotive

Comments

  • altomic on 15/11/2017 - 14:28
    +4

    It will match your iPhone

    • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:32

      My 3yo Lg G3 disagrees.

      • ausdday on 15/11/2017 - 14:36
        +4

        Then get an iPhone first

        • try2bhelpful on 15/11/2017 - 16:18
          -1

          You guys really are obsessed by iPhones aren't you?

  • pyramid on 15/11/2017 - 14:28
    +4

    Read here -> Convince Me Not to Buy an Audi A3 and replace "Audi A3" with "Mini Cooper S"

    • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:31

      Still want one.

    • smashed on 15/11/2017 - 14:53
      +2

      Call me Shirley but I think he already knew that existed..

      • pyramid on 15/11/2017 - 15:10
        -1

        Hi Shirley…

    • GetOffMyUnicorn on 15/11/2017 - 16:52
      +1

      The next exciting thread.

      'Convince me not to jump off a cliff'

  • dcep on 15/11/2017 - 14:28
    +5

    get her a miata

  • HighAndDry on 15/11/2017 - 14:33
    +2

    JDM -> Mini Cooper…. you'll have a lot of opportunities to get to know your mechanic. And get to know duct tape. It's not just the engine reliability that's the issue, you'll have bits and pieces rattling and falling off the interior trim too, especially if you're buying second-hand, out of factory warranty period, and for $15k budget.

    Anyways, if you've got time for some light reading:

    https://hausofminis.com/2015/06/7-common-problems-mini-coope…

    https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/mini.html

  • myusername on 15/11/2017 - 14:41

    $400 to replace a tyre

    my mrs had to get one replaced from a puncture

    • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:44

      Who did you go to?

      • myusername on 15/11/2017 - 14:46
        +1

        she took it back to bmw/mini where she got it from.

        when she initially got the flat she called their 24 hours roadside assistance, the mechaninc drove out, told her just to drive to a servo put more air in it and then come in the next day to get it replaced. apparently they're fitted with 'run-flat' tyres hence the expensive cost.

        • casho on 16/11/2017 - 08:10

          Most people replace them with non run flats, so as he is buying second gen I'd say he'd be OK. But worth checking

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2017 - 14:44
    +1

    If it's your wife's dream car, assume a meh, whatever attitude and blame her if it's lemon.

    • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:48
      +1

      I probably want the car more than she does.

    • myusername on 15/11/2017 - 14:49
      +1

      pretty much what i did.

      explained to her the cost of maintaining the vehicle, but it's her dream car so let her have it and make her happy

      • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:53

        which model? How long have you owned it and what other issues have you had?

        • myusername on 15/11/2017 - 15:43

          not sure of the top of my head.

          its cooper s maybe 2015

          the other issue she had was when the car stops at the lights and the engine turns off, this 'switch' became intermittent and when stopped at lights it would turn off turn on turn off etc. had to wait 6 weeks to get the part sent from overseas

  • smashed on 15/11/2017 - 14:53
    +7

    Attention seeking thread starter wants attention seeking car :D

    • idonteven on 15/11/2017 - 14:53
      -5

      Well it worked

  • daydream on 15/11/2017 - 14:57
    +5

    Research indicates that everyone that buys a Mini Cooper S will die. Did that work? ;-)

    • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2017 - 15:00

      That was the 60s model with the combined legroom crumple zone.

      • daydream on 15/11/2017 - 15:52
        +2

        Pretty sure the current Mini owners will still die. Maybe just not in the car ;-)

  • Heracles26 on 15/11/2017 - 15:15
    +1

    Spend it on travel instead!!!

  • onetwothreefour on 15/11/2017 - 15:22
    +5

    Get a new wife

  • GetOffMyUnicorn on 15/11/2017 - 15:33
    +2

    Don't buy a Mini Cooper S, there, all done.

  • wolfazrael123 on 15/11/2017 - 15:54
    +1

    if you don't buy that car, this world will be destroyed by furious car dealer who happens to be an alien. So please buy it, and you can save the world with just some money and it will give you a car in return. Imagine how great it is that you only need to purchase a car to be a real super hero.

  • bobbified on 15/11/2017 - 16:00
    +2

    Have heard countless horror stories from Australia and abroad of their unreliability

    Isn't this enough?

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2017 - 16:22
    +2

    Are you a midget?
    Yes. Buy it
    No. Don’t buy it

    • GetOffMyUnicorn on 15/11/2017 - 16:49
      +1

      Stop discriminating against dwarfs and elves.

      • Oz8argain on 16/11/2017 - 11:14

        they prefer to be called Little People

  • dogboy on 15/11/2017 - 16:27

    If it is for a girl then yes. For a guy, then no.

  • pantsparty on 15/11/2017 - 16:28
    +2

    I am sick of these posts about talking you out of buying something. Do you want it? Buy it. Do you have any real questions about the car? Ask them. If you can afford to piss money away on a used car and then modify it, and you want to do it, why are you asking us? This is not how a true Ozbargainer lives and I feel dirty having these type questions on a money saving forum, so so dirty

  • Looking4Bargians on 15/11/2017 - 16:31
    +2

    Don't buy it, there, all done

  • PAOK11 on 15/11/2017 - 16:34
    +2

    Chicks Car - next !!!!!

  • Curiouscat on 15/11/2017 - 16:40

    Mate you ain't no idiot.

  • edwardcr on 15/11/2017 - 18:12
    +1

    For God's sake just buy it!

    Better still, buy an original one from the 1960's - much more fun, and it will create much more of an impression!

    I used to rally one back in those days in the UK, and they were a wonderful car.

    And that one definitely wasn't a chicks car - 210kph on a good day.

    • try2bhelpful on 15/11/2017 - 19:19
      +2

      We had an original one, the sports model with the fat tires. Really fun car but had the turning circle of a truck.

      They had a number of inherent design flaws, including the fact you needed to take out the engine to fix the thing that stopped it leaking oil. Ours, quite literally, became a bomb waiting to happen. The fuel tank kept puncturing itself. My brother had one of the real originals and he turned it into a convertable under a truck when the steering arm failed. he was OK.

  • diceman99 on 15/11/2017 - 18:33

    Its a hairdressers car

  • Pecan on 15/11/2017 - 20:52
    +1

    Get it, they are so much fun to drive.

  • casho on 16/11/2017 - 08:11
    +1

    Great handling, great noise, cool interior. Yes buy it

  • Quantumcat on 16/11/2017 - 08:21

    Darn it, my dream car was a 60s VW bug but decided that would be too expensive to maintain. Settled on a modern Mini. Now you're telling they're unreliable and expensive to maintain too :-( Are the modern VW bugs expensive to maintain too? Is there any cool, pretty car that is inexpensive to maintain?

    • Darron65 on 16/11/2017 - 12:52
      +1

      Corolla LOL

      And yes VWs are more expensive to maintain than the Japanese and Korean brands. I'm in the industry and see these costs every day.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/11/2017 - 19:22
      +1

      Is there any cool, pretty car that is inexpensive to maintain?

      88-91 CRX. I have one.
      Convince me to sell it!

  • Birchy on 16/11/2017 - 10:26

    Buy it and we will send bikies.(Yeah I am one a roll now two for two).

  • grog on 16/11/2017 - 13:11

    Insurance…… is insurance costly?

    The letter S might lead insurance mob to think "boy racer" etc like some companies do when you say "4 wheel drive" they think "off road" AND "DAMAGE"

  • Speckled Jim on 16/11/2017 - 20:26

    According to a special retrospective/shootout between the original Morris, the squared-off Leyland, the 2000 BMC reboot, the BMW 2002 Cooper and Cooper S, the pick of the lot is the weedy ~85kW Cooper.
    Skinny tyres and just enough power capture the feel, balance and spirit of the originals.

    Forget which mag. Wheels or Top Gear.

  • tank17 on 18/11/2017 - 15:39

    It is unreliable ugly and expensive. Please change your wife's dream or crush it!

  • Kapinny on 19/11/2017 - 12:06

    waste of money bro, stick to jdm
    you could make lemonade with all the mini lemons

  • MAKAMAKA on 29/11/2017 - 14:41

    Good looking for women (and sometimes men), great handling, BMW anyway, not expensive..
    I'm sorry the title is NOT to..

  • Lukeae93 on 30/11/2017 - 12:04

    I used to own an r53 cooper S , these are the supercharged 1’s. easily the most fun car I have owned. Sounded awesome with the cold air intake.

    Here is a list of all the bad things you may not like
    Rock hard suspension (but awesome handling)
    Terrible air conditioner
    Superchargers don’t last very long
    Dip stick will snap and fall down into the oil pan
    Run flat tyres expensive
    If water pump leaks or fails the entire supercharger has to come out
    Steering pump failure is common

    In my 12 months of ownership I did 30,000kms starting at 100,000kms I replaced:
    Dipstick from cravenspeed in the usa
    Front rotors and pads
    Coolant overflow bottle
    4 tyres
    Top right engine mount

    I would recommend 1 for a second or weekend fun car but don’t rely on 1 for everyday use

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