planning to buy a mini!!! mechanical issues??
 

hey im planning to buy a mini but beforehand i just want to find out if they give out any troubles like VW would. any mechanical problems that happen a lot? does it drive well and is it reliable? i would look this up but this is what a forum is for! getting first hand experienced owners to tell me =D so please! tell me about your MINI

you might be better to say what year/model your looking at as certain ones have different troubles

nn
 

well im thinking about 2003 or higher. just basically which one do you think is the best year for mini and how reliable they are

I traded a very troublesome 2006 VW Jetta GLI with 44000 miles in for a 2009 Mini Cooper Hardtop last January. I have 15000 trouble-free miles on my Mini already. I drive about 22000 miles per year. I agree with the previous post stating 2003 or newer. My brother's 2004 Mini Cooper S has been trouble free for 45000 miles. The one recurring complaint I hear about the new Mini concerns run-flat tires. Everyone seems to loathe them. Lousy wear, stiff ride, great handling, though. The solution is to buy a wheel/tire package in the same size as the run flat tires on the Mini from Tirerack.com. A nice non run-flat wheel/tire package will cost about the same amount as 4 new run-flat tires.

early 02/04 autos were problematic ($7/8K for replacement)... the sticks seem better

thank you
 

thanks guys i will probably go for at least a 2006 and newer if possible.

I've got an 05 s with 48k of troublefree motoring

I recently purchased an 06 S and had spoken with two mini mechanics in the area before I did.

-I heard that the S models tend to have less problems than the base models.
-There were issues with the 03 manual transmission that was fixed in later years.
-It is common to have to replace the control arm bushings every 40k miles. There is an after market bushing (I don't have the info on it) instead of OEM part that should last the life of the car.
-One of the engine mounts can leak hydraulic fluid but that should be covered under warranty.
-I had a leak in my oil pan gasket that was replaced at time of purchase.

tritec vs prince
 

i need some opinions, which do u think is better? the tritec motor from the r53 mini's or the prince from the r56 mini's? i have been looking into turbocharging either one, trying to get at least 250 whp, and how much boost should i use with the garrett gt28r turbo?