Anyone here own a MINI Cooper?

well out West that's not a long car trip. we have different standards....say LA to SF

xpost - right now the Cooper is available in automatic, and beginning in January they're going to offer the Cooper S in auto as well.

; )

I am completely obsessed with the MINI Cooper

I didn't read through it though, so I have no idea if any owners weighed in...

FWIW, there are like three of them in my neighborhood. I'll try to flag down one of the owners sometime and ask 'em about them for you.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger tomorrow night and put my order in. My car now is just too unreliable; it's died 3 times in the last 2 months...

"Is this like the Beetlemania of four-five years ago?"

I can't buy one now. I worry that when I can buy one someday, it will have become some tired, played-out automotive fad. But actually, I don't care, I'll still buy it.

But the MINI is exceptional in it's handling, price, dimensions, etc.

The cabriolets look cute though. But back to the Mini. It's a bimmer so one must assume it's well packed.

Yeah, but in terms of safety I'd stick clear of hybrids for now. Most are made of a lighter-weight aluminum that crumples easily, even in low-speed collisions. Hopefully this can be fixed soon as hybrids become more popular.

Has no-one mentioned that the manual ("stick", hee) is 6-speed? That's cool enough in itself.

I also heard that they're going to start making lower-spec ones, though to be honest that'd take away most of the fun. I'm thinking of waiting another couple of years, then getting one second hand. Apart from anything else, Sarah said she'd be tempted to learn to drive UK-style if we got a mini...

My wife is under the impression that BMWs are extremely unreliable, but I don't know where she got that impression, since we've certainly never had one.

Now I'm daydreaming about the 2005 Mustang.

Those are fugly. Even worse than the current all angular model.

Worst drop-off between body styles/generations - the BMW Z3. Went from being a beautiful little old-school Euro roadster to some new-age edgy crap.

I took an instant dislike to them when they were launched, but after driving my mum's for a week and my friend's convertible, I've decided that it's not the car I hate but the fact that they've called it a mini.

There's not much to dislike at all, all the mod cons of a modern car. There was a tiny blindspot in my mum's, which turned out to be rather a big blind spot in the convertible, but I guess that goes with the territory. It's quite a hard ride, but the two I drove went like the clappers, which suited me well ;0) In the uk, at least, they've held their value incredibly well, and at least you'll get the BMW quality, along with the prices.

i kind of want one? i'm in the market for a car right now. there are some certified pre-owned ones that are just a little bit out of my budget

i want a fun car. i had an entry-level toyota hatchback for 11 years and i loved that thing, but i'm older now and i have a shitty commute so i want something fun. i could get another toyota hatchback or a honda fit or something but if im gonna spend that kind of money on a new or newish car i may as well spend the same amount for something nicer that's used

Fun car of the moment imo is the Fiat 500

those are fun! i need a 4-door car though

> I've had mine for a little more than a year. I love it. It's so fun and zoomy.

Now I've had mine for 14 years and it's time to get a new car. Like maybe a toyota hatchback :(

I've had very good luck with mine, maintenance-wise, over the years but others haven't... My model year has a legendary defect with the automatic transmission that I (fortunately) have not encountered.

fiat panda is the best, like a more useful 500, but not avaibs in the US afaik

i test drove a green countryman this morning, it was so dope. little too pricey for me tho, idk if they will come down much

Sorry--thought this had something to do with Twin Peaks.

7-12 year old Countryman models are kind of in my budget now, but the only person I know well with Mini experience had mechanical problems with hers more often than seems tolerable.

Was hers an exception, or are they money pits?

We had two Mini Coopers and neither one made it to $75k miles before I gave up and sold them.

Super fun car to drive, but reliability is extremely suspect.

We briefly entertained the notion of buying a used one but all the research I did said no, don’t do that unless you have money to burn.

My mom has had hers for 20+ years and is very happy! But my dad does all the work on it.

It's even a year-round car for the Michigan winters with a good set of snow tires on it.

my buddy had a Fiat 500 and he came outside to go somewhere and one of the wheels had fallen off

My wife has one (2018?). Seems like an OK car, haven't had a problem with it yet (we got it used). Easy to park. I think there is a span of models that are notoriously unreliable, but then after a certain year things get more reliable?

Actually, this past winter we had a coolant leak, that's the only bigger thing we've had to fix.

Easy to park.

lmao my mom can't parallel park but the joke is that the car is so small you can just pull in nose-first and never have to technically know how to parallel park at all.

The latest generation of Minis are rated pretty well for reliability but when something breaks you’re paying BMW prices for repairs.

Johnny, my wife recently bought a 2019 Countryman. It is a perfectly adequate machine for the tootling about that we do.

One thing to note is that it is not especially small. It is a four-door SUV type thingy, not a tiny European dreamscooter.

We do a lot of parking in underground garages in the city (the ones all bestrewn with enormous columns at bizarre angles). The Countryman is no better or worse at those than a sedan like an Accord or Camry or whatever.

Perhaps in future I can get something smaller and nimbler. Fortunately most of my getting about is walking/biking at present.

here you go https://www.crookedrivergarage.com/single-post/2018/01/21/decoding-the-mini-market-1

seems like later year models with the N18 engine are what you want

ooh thanks for that link

I've had a 2012 Jetta for ten years that's been completely trouble-free other than a few cosmetic things, but I sometimes need just a little more room and I don't want to own an "SUV." Something like the Countryman seems like a good compromise, plus it looks cool.

I may not do anything at all. Only an idiot would get rid of a car that gives them no trouble, but in case I'm an idiot one day, I appreciate the information.

let me just be one extra person to encourage you to hold on to the Jetta for as long as humanly possible

Interesting link!!

2005-2008 MINI COOPER Convertible R52 Cooper

Recommended to purchase the S model in Manual.

Not Recommended to purchase the Base model in Automatic due to the CVT Transmission.

Well whaddya know she has a 2007 S model in Manual. Sweet spot.