Buying a mini

[Thisisnotahotel]

Thinking of buying a mini car but heard mixed opinions, anyone got experience good or bad ,thanks.

I had a mini for eight years.
Only changed car last week. I have bad arthritis in my hands and needed an automatic and something higher up because of long term back pain.
I will miss it .
So easy to park and very economical.
Never had any problems with it.
Would so recommend one.

I had one for five years. Loved driving it. There were a few negatives though, it had the well documented mini oil leak, it started losing coolant and it became really tricky to drive in wet weather as the bushes were on the way out. It had done 45k miles 😥.My friend had one and spent nearly 2k on an engine rebuild. It still leaked oil and she ended up scrapping it

I wouldn’t consider buying another one but I’d be happy to lease one.

I drove a petrol Mini for 5 years until I had DC. I loved it. Great fun, but not massively economical. My friend has an electric Clubman. It's fab!! Still fun, but bigger and cheaper to run.

I drive a One D, love it and would quite happily have one again.

Loved mine, and kept it much longer than I probably should have.

Good car (I had a long commute), it was relatively good on fuel. Great for parking, heated seats, funky looking.

Not so great was the “common problems” so it felt at when things started to go wrong it spiralled quite quickly. Nothing major but when my headlamps needed changing the bulbs were “stuck” and the whole casing needed to be replaced - common problem because their low cars and I was told this caused corrosion.

I also had a leaking thermostat and spark plugs changed twice in three years.

I'm on my second and will be getting a new one next year.
Absolutely love them.
*disclaimer, it's a motability car so cost isn't an issue.

I've had my Mini Cooper S for 7 years (it was one of the last made) and I haven't had a single problem. I love it. Drives beautifully, is incredibly comfy and gets lots of compliments (usually from men!).

Prior to that I had a 'regular' Mini Cooper S for 5 years. Also problem free.

My father's partner has a Countryman (John Cooper Works version) and she loves it. My father finds all the parking sensor beeps very annoying though.

However, if you like a softer drive then a Mini might not be for you. They have a very hard chassis so it tends to feel a bit like driving a go-kart on more bumpy English roads. I like that as I like to feel like I'm actually driving rather than sitting in a big comfy armchair (I'm looking at you BMW 5 series!) but it's not for everyone.

Mine have both been automatics, I appreciate needing something higher up though, I will eventually due to the nature of my disability, but until then, I'm sticking with my Minis!

I had a Mini Cooper S for about 5 years 10 years ago and I loved everything about it. Had to buy a bigger car to accommodate a golden retriever. Still miss the mini, still look wistfully at them, may buy another one day.

I had a Cooper S but had to get rid as was a 3 door with very little boot space and we have a baby on the way. I miss it, it was so much fun to drive. And like PP said, economical and easy to park

I have a Mini Cooper S (my second) and love it. When the Mini brand first came back they were badly built but now they're owned by BMW and the build quality is fantastic. I literally can't fault it. The Cooper S is so much fun to drive.

I had a Cooper S and adored it, but my god the suspension nearly killed me. We live rurally, and I test drove it in town at the local dealers but the moment I drove it home down pot hole laden country lanes, I realised my rookie error. I kept it for 3 years but swapped for a very dull VW T Roc as the ride is so much more comfortable. Never had an issue in 3 years though, and our local Mini dealer was superb in terms of servicing/updating (Cheltenham).

Had a mini 1.4 One, the R56 model. Nothing but trouble, always some issue with it. Fixed every issue and sold it.

I had a mini clubman on lease and loved it.

i’m not a car person though but I can deffinately tell the difference comoared to my sensible Mokka X!!

I had a Cooper S convertible and a Countryman.

The convertible was very cramped in the back and not a very comfortable ride, but it was fun to drive. The Countryman was more comfortable, but there were some annoying quirks with it. Customer service was excellent and they were very thorough and informative. I don’t think I’d buy another.

I’ve got a Mini Clubman… 20 plate .. I absolutely love it! It’s the best thing ever 😁. Makes me smile every time I drive it . It’s so much fun! A couple of things took a tiny while to get used to. The windscreen seemed very small compared to my previous car (like driving a postbox 😂) and the seat seemed to be really deep. After 2 weeks I never noticed either. I’ve got an automatic as I have tiny feet and my foot didn’t rest on the floor which makes clutch work a bit tiring in traffic. Did I mention how much I love it? 😁

I have a countryman and yes they are a bit rigid love mine though, the a/c smells a bit rank though but so far so good
@Bluevelvetsofa what were your annoying quirks? Haven’t found any yet but only had it since last November.

Love,mine, I’m on my 3rd, well 4th if you include by beige old mini of the early 90’s🤣

We have had a clubman and more recently 5 door hatch cooper s. The last 2 have been automatic and I love them, easy to park, nippy to drive.

Weve managed to get ds1 and all his crap to university and back regularly so although they aren’t big cars, with the seat down, you can fit a lot in.

Oh I loved mine. I had two. One brand new, the other pre-owned.

I can't add any technical or practical advice though, sorry. Just great fun and they look good.

Sadly I got two Labradors and a caravan.

It really depends on what you’re looking at buying, some have notorious issues. If a new or nearly new one though it should be reliable.

It kept going back to the garage with some fault with the entertainment system. Not the most important thing, but annoying and time wasting. I thought the servicing was expensive, as were parts. I also had to change the tyres almost immediately because they were run flats and so uncomfortable.

I have had an automatic Cooper S for 4 years and love it.

However I have had a few problems. Needed new tyres, discs and pads after 20k miles (on previous cars they have all lasted 30k miles plus) and have now had 3 windscreens. Autoglass told me it is something to do with the angle of the screen, although living rurally doesn’t help.

Would have another in a heartbeat !!

I’ve got a 20 plate auto 5 door cooper sport, have had it for nearly 2 years, and I still love driving it. It’s a great car for town driving but is also well built enough to feel safe and comfortable for long motorway journeys.

I love mine !

I have an automatic Mini Clubman, I do love mine, however getting new parts has been an issue. It was recently at the Williams garage for almost 2 months while they waited for a new brake light to arrive from Germany. I did try a local garage first, the one that they fitted stopped working after a week so had to go to Mini for the part. I've read that other people had similar issues sourcing parts.

I do like the added extras, heated seats, rear view camera, sensors, the internal lights that change colours, the light up "Mini" logo on the drivers side wing mirror that reflects onto the pavement etc. It also feels like a safe car, alerts if you get close to the car in front, automatic breaking system etc.