I have had LOTS of cars over the last 35years but never a mini ... what you say !..

anyway we are looking for a r56 mini cooper for my wife as a general go to work car and once or twice a month long run to wales..so probably 8-10k miles a year

Obviously I have 'googled' for hours looking for opinions and this is what I have got so far... tell me what you think

1.6D better than 1.6 petrol due to torque and general drive
6 speed better than 5 speed
dont touch an auto

I know they may be right or wrong to thats why I have joined the forum

by the way we are not going to spend more than around £2500.

Let me know if I should be posting this question elsewhere

cheers

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome, I am from the US so I can't comment on the Diesel options (I wish they sold them here), however I will say the 2011+ petrol engines have several key revisions that make them more reliable in general. As to the transmissions, it is my understanding that not only does the six speed stick benefit from the extra gear, it is also a more robust design. As for the automatics, all of the automatics offered in the R56 coopers are sourced from Aisin (Toyota) and are very reliable if you service the fluid and filter in a timely manor. I have had a petrol 2007 1.6 Cooper S with the automatic trans-axle, and I tell you that was the most intuitive best shifting A/T equipped vehicle I had ever driven. Looking forward to see what you end up choosing, best of luck!