I've had my 06 cooper S for about 3 and a half years now and i will be the first to say i've had my problems with it. Not even a month after i bought it with 80K on it i had to replace the supercharger (thankfully i had an extended warranty that covered that) i've now broken a camshaft for the second time in less than a year and a half. (mini is actually covering the camshaft on warranty which im excited about) (the extended warranty is covering some rocker arms) but i am still being left with the bill for a harmonic balancer, spark plugs, gaskets, valves and a couple other things to the tune of over $3000.

I love my mini and im sure you all know how much it would pain me to have to get rid of this car. my siblings are pressuring me to do so after i would get it back (heaven knows if they knew how much i have spent on fixing it how fast they would want it gone)

I'm at a point where i just dont know what to do anymore. I love the car but i can't keep flooding my paychecks into it. I'm working 2nd shift full time to pay off student loans while trying to finish college and paying my rent.

so i doubt anyone has likely read this far but if you have. im asking for help. advice, a $20, information, anything that could help me figure out what to do. i sincerely don't want to be forced to drive a ford focus around and sell the mini.

 

Honestly, I would sell the Mini. Get your loans down, find the job you love that pays well and get settled. You can always buy a Mini. You can even buy one that you've always wanted like a JCW or GP. You shouldn't be dumping all your money just for a car. You gotta be realistic about it. Hope this helps.

 

yea, i've been dreading this moment for a while now. looks more and more likely every day. once i do get it back from the shop im getting it cleaned up one last time and i think it will be time to sell. hopefully i can get enough to cover what it could cost me for this trip to the shop and then ill have to figure out what to do for a car for the next few years.

any suggestions on something still somewhat fun to drive yet affordable and reliable?