"Ground Truth"
 

Hi all,
I'm a new member and contemplating purchase of a Mini. I drove two for the first time today - one 2006 base hatchback and one 2005 supercharged hatchback. I'm considered a decent "gearhead" but I realized today while driving the cars I don't know what to expect. Both (base+26K miles, "S"+32k miles). Both were noisy - more than I anticipated and the "S" car had Khumo tires which were really loud. A lot of the posts scared the heck out of me re.reliability issues. I'm 72 physically but young in heart. At this stage of my life, I'd rather be driving than in the garage with my head under the hood (sorry - I meant "bonnet"). The "S" car was a blast but how long will the supercharger last and what else can I expect to happen with a 2005 "S" model? I'm driving a 2006 base convertible next week with 19k miles on the clock. I was surprised at how peppy the normally aspirated base car is, but will it too be riddled with problems? There are only a couple of months and 2k miles of warranty on the used cars, then the party's over. Any advice will be appreciated.
Achilles

I know numerous S's over 100k with original superchargers ...
As for warranty if you are worried look at an extended warranty...

Thanks for the reply. An extended Warranty is good advice - given what
I'm reading about reliability issues. I guess the Mini dealer is the best place
for a warranty even though I'll get the proverbial "soaking". Maybe I'll forego an "S" for the first go around and stay with something more simple until I
learn my way around the car. Thanks again for the advice.

There are numerous sources of extended warrantys other then the dealer most will allow you to take it to any repair shop dealer or otherwise