Hi all, was wondering if you could offer any tips/feedback for me on something;

In short, I'm considering a R56 Cooper S to replace my rapidly falling apart Astra 1.9 CDti (what a terrible car btw!)

Im torn between a couple of cars in actual fact, though the big kid inside is pining for the "S" before I have to settle down with a sensible 320d or
similar.

I do 30-40,000 miles a year with my job so this car will clock up the mileage.

I am doing the usual rounds of research etc etc and have promised myself (and the "boss") that if I can prove that the "S" isn't going to cut it for 40k/year without being overly expensive to run then the diesel corporate car (ie 3-series or A4) is my choice.

I have also agreed with myself that this will be the car I start getting dirty with - so Haines manual (or similar) will be purchased and I will be attempting every job I can on it.

So far its looking good, with plenty of people on several forums running at 100k+ miles on the clock with relatively little heartache (im rocking 80k with a hefty 12 month bill on the current Astra) - though I have picked up on a couple of things;

1) Death rattle - is this really a concern with a SH Cooper S? Will I know (if I drive several) the noise?
2) Supercharger - I read this needs replacing every 100-120k miles (which is fine) - is it self-doable and how much will a supercharger cost?
3) Run Flats - Anything (bar a little cornering) lost by swapping to none-run flats? Am I likely to notice any cost difference? Can I happily attain 20-30k on a set of Run Flats (given that 80% of that is motorway driving)

So there we have it, in short would a "S" be suitable for my needs, and if so does anyone have answers to the above questions (or any other tips/things to consider).

Thanks a bunch, time to go look at insurance :'(

 

Don't buy a mini.

I have replaced all four tired (run flats) twice in only 30K miles. My dealer and service have been horrible and now I've had a mysterious accident that I believe was due to a car failure.

Do yourself a favor and spend the money on ANYTHING else.

 

I'm not much of a 'gear head', but I have a 2011 base model MINI and absolutely love it. I have the reg tires, not run-flats, and the car performs incredibly well on corners. Not sure if there is a great difference between the two choices, so I hope someone else on this site can offer a more informed response on that. My next MINI will be an S - with regular tires.

If, by "death rattle" you are referring to the timing chain rattling problem, I believe that issue has been resolved on the newer MINIs (2010's built from spring 2011 on, and the 2011's).

Best, JMBL

 

1) Death rattle - is this really a concern with a SH Cooper S? Will I know (if I drive several) the noise?
This was a timing change tensioner, and mostly cold start

2) Supercharger - I read this needs replacing every 100-120k miles (which is fine) - is it self-doable and how much will a supercharger cost?
the 56 uses a TURBO not a S/C

3) Run Flats - Anything (bar a little cornering) lost by swapping to none-run flats? Am I likely to notice any cost difference? Can I happily attain 20-30k on a set of Run Flats (given that 80% of that is motorway driving)

Actually non runflats corner BETTER and the non runflats are far cheaper
20/25k is attainable with runflats with proper maintenance/rotation