Hello Everyone,

It's finally time to replace my 2006 Corolla, which has 278,000 miles on it. It has obviously been a good reliable car, and of course, it would be an easy choice to replace it with another Toyota.

But I am looking for something with a little more character now. The Corolla was great when the kids were young and we needed multiple car seats, and a fun car was not the highest prioirty. But they are older, and we do still have a Honda Pilot for big family trips.

I commute in to Boston every day. The first 20 miles are highway, and the last 10 miles are usually slow stop and go traffic. I do occasionally have a passenger or two and a moderate amount of things to carry around, so I want a 4 door.

The MINI has of course caught me eye. But I know it will be a major change from a Corolla, and perhaps a bumpier ride in terms of maintenance and reliability.

Ideally, I would buy slightly a used (like 2014-2015) vehicle, as I usually do. But I put a lot of miles on the car (25-26 K per year), so maybe new is a better long term investment.

I'm thinking about a Clubman or Countryman. Thoughts on the differences/advantages between them? Should I save up for the new 2016 Clubman?

AWD sounds like a nice option, but can anyone speak about how reliable it has been in MINI's?

Does anyone have experience with the MINI extended warranty? Do they tend to honor claims easily (Toyota has for me, but Honda does not, for example)? Will is cover the most common failures?

Does anyone have an opinion of the MINI dealers in the greater Boston area?

Thanks for your help. My heart really wants to join the MINI club, but the head is a bit reluctant.

 

Welcome to MINI Cooper Forums. It will be a very different change from your Toyota. Not just in overall driving feel, but in reliability as well. I'd recommend getting a '15+ with a good warranty. Although the gen 3 MINI's are so new, we still don't know about long term reliability. So, having a warranty to fall back on will give you ease of mind. I'd highly recommend driving the Clubman and the Countryman. We could give you our input, but at the end of the day it's going to depend on how you prefer each one drives. The AWD system doesn't seem to have an issue, from what has been seen from the earlier Countryman All4's. With extended warranties, just make sure to ask a lot of questions and ask if specific things are covered to the full extent if they fail. If they say yes, make sure they show you where it says this in writing. Just be sure to cover your basis so that you know exactly what you're getting. It seems like you have done your research, good luck!