Mini cooper

aggy3, Apr 28, 4:40pm
Hi my daughter likes the mini coopers from 2010 to 2014. how do these
rate mechanically ?
msigg, Apr 28, 5:21pm
They are OK , nothing to write home about. Do some online research or talk to your local service manager who will be looking after it.
intrade, Apr 28, 5:23pm
i dont know if they changed but i only recall blowen up engines. its a bmw if you think bmw is bad then this will be the bottom of that brand.
cjohnw, Apr 28, 6:22pm
We found this is to be exactly the problem for us.
The Mini Cooper appeals to young women and sadly they can only afford the older variants.
Unfortunately in our case, the young woman involved didn’t have sufficient income to keep the thing on the road and it fell on Mum and Dad (us) to sustain its life.
That wore pretty thin quite quickly.
Make sure you get a mechanical inspection before you buy.
Best of luck.
apollo11, Apr 28, 6:42pm
They seem to be OK mechanically if you maintain them. Ours is a 2002, problems we have had are common to higher milage minis. Thermistor failed, replaced myself for $27, boot latch burned out, $48 replacement. The head linings sag eventually. The fan that cools the power steering pump needs to be kept clean and clear of crud. Not sure if the same issues persist for newer models. BMW's I've had seem to suffer from failure of plastic parts, clips etc if older than 10 years.
kazbanz, Apr 28, 7:39pm
Lets put it this way. My sister wanted one a couple of years back. So she wanted me to bring one in from Japan for her. I point blank refused.
I wouldn't touch one with a fourty foot barge pole.
socram, Apr 28, 9:48pm
Having had the Cooper S for 18 years (2002 to 2020) and now my wife is on her second Mini Cooper, the only issues on both the Coopers we have experienced is an appetite for brake pads.

95% of our travel is local and a lot of stop start, so even though not stopping from high speed, pad wear as evidenced by dust on the wheels, is an ongoing annoyance for me.

Mechanically, no issues but always regularly serviced. I'd be tempted to go to a brake specialist (Race Brakes?) and take their advice on pads, rather than stick to the standard items.
kam04, Apr 28, 10:03pm
My wife drives a mini paceman Cooper S (2014). Has had it for about 5yrs. Absolutely loves the thing. We haven't had any problems with it at this stage. Goes like a rocket. This is her third mini. The Paceman is more of an SUV it sits a lot higher off the ground than the standard mini. Name any car that doesn't have problems, they all have them. Ideal car for a female.
wasgonna, Apr 29, 1:27am
Some time ago I fancied a Cooper S, did the usual research and found that the computer needed replacing (much money) around the 100,000 mark. I not mechanically minded but noted that most minis for sale were around the 80-90,000 area as if people knew of this problem.
joanie32, Apr 29, 2:15am
Daughter had an 05 cooper for 5 years and sold it recently.

I replaced r/f window regulator and lower control arm bushes, but otherwise it was awesome

She bought the last mini against all my advise

Now she’s regretting selling it, and I am very happy about her buying another.
franc123, Apr 29, 3:05am
Don't buy one over 10 years old and certainly not with highish kms. I was discussing these cars just the other day with a friend whose daughter bought an 08 Cooper with a clean sheet PPI, and what its cost her to keep it on the road for a year would have bought her a Vitz Demio or Jazz etc a few years older outright and most likely not cost anything else other than basic maintenance. This isnt normal wear and tear stuff that a 12yo car normally suffers from, this is niggly rubbish that reflects a low standard of quality that BMW thinks is quite acceptable on an allegedly premium product that you would never have to put up with on one of the above cars. Post 2010's seem to be better as they bloody well should be given how long they've had to get these things right. But hey apparantly shes in love with how it looks and drives, at least when all the warning lights are staying off.
wasgonna, Apr 29, 3:21am
If I remember correctly the modern minis were made in Mexico up until 2008 when they moved back to England for construction along with locally built motors.
gumboot999, Apr 29, 4:11am
You're paying ( a lot ) for the name. A more level headed choice for a small sporty vehicle might be simply a Suzuki Swift Sports. Doesn't have the 'prestige' or 'cool factor' but much more likely to be trouble free and less expensive to maintain. For another opinion google . Auto Expert, John Cadogan. a blunt talking opioniated Aussie who doesn't hold back from praising or rubbishing any car.
djrandomguy, Apr 29, 7:05am
207GTi is the same engine [ mid range boosted vs HP as per agreement with BMW/Mini ]. For a lot less money. If you can get past the looks you have the same go kart with the same donk in the front and thousands in your back pocket
socram, Aug 16, 5:15am
I went around the Mini assembly plant (Oxford) in 2016 and came away extremely impressed by all aspects of assembly, the robots, the attitude of the workers, the ability of R & D to investigate any aspect of construction without the restrictions of accountants. Also impressive was the minimal end of line failures though QC - most of those failures were computer/software issues.