Mini cooper

Looks like the started making them around 2004? Daughter is convinced she wants one, I'd prefer a jappa, but what's the new mini really like? Cheers

The BMW Mini started in late 2000, they are a fun drive and capture a fair bit of the spirit of the original without most of the downsides. They are not really much different to other small Euro cars in terms of running costs, take that any way you like. BMW have progressively bloated it and ruined it as the years have gone past, adding 4x4 and 4 door options for goodness sake. Its more Maxi than Mini these days. You don't have to go Cooper, the Mini One is a cheaper option.

The people I know with them love them, which I think is more important than what it is (you are more likely to look after a car you love than an A to B machine). The top spec manuals tend to hold their value best, so some form of Cooper wouldn't be a bad idea if that's what she is after.

Having always had a Mini of one sort or another, since February 1967, firstly, 'MINI' today is nothing more than a brand name, henc ethe bloated creations of today. When the BMW Cooper first came out I went for a test drive - albeit a short one. Loved it

When asked if I wanted to buy, I said no, as I was waiting for the Cooper S.

The 'S' at the time was only about $5,000 more for about 40 or 50% more power. It was a no brainer. The S represented good value then and even second-hand, it is hard to justify the base Mini or the Cooper against an early S.

The S changed from Supercharger to Turbo quite early on. Having owned an early, 2002 'S', from brand new, it is still like brand new, but unlike the early or original Minis, you don't ever need to drive 'pedal to the metal' yet there is a performance aplenty when you need it. As you don't need it most of the time, they tend to be very economical - especially with the six speed manual gearbox. I have heard that some of the other gearboxes can be a weak spot, but ask a trained Mini mechanic about what to look for.

Although the original Cooper S - especially a 1300cc modified one - gave you more smiles per mile than any car I have ever driven, the BMW Mini - especially the S, is better built, stops on a sixpence, has ABS - and will not dissolve into a pile of rust and oil after about 8 years.

My wife loves her Mini One but it feels a bit like a roller skate to me. Interior looks pretty spacey but is all painted plastic. They don't have much of a boot for your groceries and it is fairly cramped in the back- hard to get out too- for old geezers like me anyway. We have had no issues mechanically, however lots of electrical issues. There are a few control modules that are horrendously expensive if they fail and we have had issues with the door locking mechanisms, central locking etc. The BMW dealers didn't really seem to have a handle on a lot of the stuff either, and they have told us they don't know why our boot won't open. I wish she had bought something like a Swift or a Demio, but she fell in love with the Mini look!

Many earlier ones used a cvt auto that isn't well thought of, apart from that general opinion is they are good fun cars.
There's many different engines over the years but I've not read of any being duds.

We own a 2006 Cooper S, powered by Chrysler 1.6. We were a bit worried about the Chrysler power plant but it seems to go really well and it also has a proper 6 speed auto and not a CVT like some have. Love it.

Had a Mini Cooper for a week as a rental, bad points - small, cramped, harsh ride, tiny boot space, road noise, tricky clutch. Good points - very quick around town, handling great, lots of nooks for small items.
But it's a car bought heart over head. Too expensive for a small run about. There are far cheaper and probably more reliable "mini's" for the price e.g. Swift, jazz, Yaris etc

Check out the depreciation. I guarantee that my 13 year old S would fetch a better price than an equivalent aged Swift, Jazz, Yaris etc.

Regardless of what the doubters may think and say about the Mini, rarely do you come across anyone saying they'd really like a Yaris. Agree, the heart may dictate a certain amount, but for my money, that says a lot!

Thanks for the advice. Bought her a 2006 Cooper, done 60k today. A bit gimmicky for my liking inside, but it goes really well. Neat little car to drive, the princess is fair chuffed.