Considering buying a mini, help a guy out?
 

So I'm highly debating whether or not I want to buy a Mini Cooper and I need help deciding, and I figured the best place to ask would be on a forum. Currently I own two vehicles, a highly modified 2013 Subaru BRZ and a slightly modified 2006 WRX. The BRZ is my baby, my ongoing project some-day-to-be dedicated track car and is currently my daily. My WRX I bought because I had money burning in my pocket and I was being stupid (keep in mind that I am a poor 20 year old college student working part time and recently enlisted in the Army) but it turned out to be a life saver in multiple situations because of its AWD and having better ground clearance than the BRZ. I've never really cared for the WRX though quite the way I do about my BRZ. I'm all about light, nimble, quick cars; rather than cars with a ridiculous amount of horsepower. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having 400whp and AWD below the sole of my foot, but I don't enjoy how heavy the car feels, how much body roll it has through corners, and lastly: 12mpg on a good day.

So I have come to the decision to sell the WRX and replacing it with a mini, so here are the questions I have:

-Maintenance costs? I've owned two Bimmers prior to making the switch to Subaru, and if I remember correctly the Minis are made using lots of BMW parts and in BMW factories (please correct me if I'm wrong) I can do all preventative maintenance on any vehicle, so if the cost would be from regular dealer checkups and can be avoided and cost-slashed that shouldn't be an issue. ...or is it?

-Utility? Surprisngly the WRX does not have all that much rear sear space. It has a lot of room in the trunk, but the seats don't fold down so it I've found myself more often than not driving my BRZ to transport things (like wood and other larger items, I've even fit a 50 inch television in the rear). I know that trunk is almost non-existent in the Mini, but when the seats are folded down is there a large amount of usable room?

-Insurance costs? About how much do you spend on average insuring your Mini?

-What years to buy and what to look out for? I'm leaning towards 2005-2006, but no newer than 2009. I will be buying the vehicle used, so I would appreciate any knowledge on what to look for when buying a used Mini.

-Somewhat similar to the previous question, but what major faults? Which catastrophic failures have Minis been notorious for?

Those are my main questions. And I should have placed this near the top but the model I am most interested in is the Cooper S or John Cooper Works models. What are the main differences between these? (I know Subaru's STI line and BMW's M line like the back of my hand, but the sport packages and performance line of Minis I am not at all familiar with)

Thank you in advanced, I'm sure some people will retort with "Did you search the forums?" I will just put it bluntly: No. I figured I'd like to start a conversation and get a little bit involved so that I could hopefully get a better understanding of the potential vehicle I am buying. Again, thank you in advanced.

Also, just to add to the above, this car would become my new DD while the BRZ sits and I continue to mod it. I will more than likely mod the Mini as well, but I would be keeping it relatively tame compared to the BRZ.

If staying older than 2011...replace timing chain assy. (recall on my 2010 S)....Bought mine 3 yrs old with 23,000 miles...TC done before my purchase. Mine's a Limited Edition Mayfair S. Added JCW Tuning Kit. Fast, fun, handles well with stock Sport Suspension. 37 mpg on the open road from Orange County Ca to Phoenix... 704 miles round trip. Happy Happy