Clubman or Countryman
 

I am waiting for the new Countryman to come out and I am also considering the Clubman. I love everything I read about the Minis, took a test drive and was very impressed with the handling, interior room, fit and finish. I am concerned about the reliability and problems that some owners are having. Currently and in the past, I have had Japanese cars and I am afraid that I will be trading fun for reliability and trips to the dealer. Another thing that worries me is the run flat tires. I have read that those last much less than regular tires, are more expensive, many tire shops don't carry them, they can't be fixed if punctured and that only can go flat for 155 miles at 50MPH. I do a lot of long distance traveling, sometimes at night and weekends. Without a spare, that can be a nightmare.

My wife is dying for a Mini. Any owner's out there that can help me with my concerns.

Thanks in advance

I get around 25K in the runflats and have been getting 30K in non runflat tires with regular rotation. Wifes Clubman has 15K and still has 6/32nds left. The clubman has room to carry a compact spare or even a full size spare if you want.
I run non runflats and carry a tire plugging kit/ Slime and compressor. I've never had a flat I couldn't fix roadside with this set up
I just bought runflat snows tires for the wifes clubman were only $120 each
Tirerack carries runflats and can overnight

Thanks for your input. Having room for spare seems like a solution to my tire dilemma.