Buying a mini

[Thisisnotahotel]

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

I had an old old Y reg one ... when the Y was at the end . No help to you whatsoever but I bloody loved that car!

I have an auto Mini One second hand, its my first car and i love it! Feels safe and sturdy and has survived me driving it, there have been a few bashes. I can fit both my kids husband and a pram in though that is most of the car taken up and a bit tight! 😂
With the seats down is surprising how much you can fit in. And while the boot is small i was still able to fit a weekly shop in (sometimes had to but a seat down but still!)

Mines an old one so the tax is quite high, emissions are high, i believe.
Im on maternity leave at the moment but when i was commuting to work it did seem to need a lot of petrol. I spent about £200 a month in petrol (my commute is 20miles each way). But as i have nothing to compare it too i dont know if thats good or not

I dont know if its my driving or not but it doesnt like going up hills (like its owner 😂)
The way the lights are made they are a bit of a faff to change the bulbs and you need like 4 per light or something silly but im lazy and get halfords to do it so not overly an issue.
I have had a wire in one of my break lights go twice, something plastic melted, which is apparently common for Minis so i have been told.

But apart from that i love it and am very happy with it being my first car. We will have to get a bigger car soon because of space but i am thinking about getting the countryman as i love my Mini and am sad to give it up but will have to see what happens.

As someone who knows nothing about cars i would recommend it.

Love minis!
Current car is an 11 year old Countryman SD that I’ve had from new. It’s done 156k and has been superbly reliable. It has excellent acceleration, but does seem to eat bearings, tyres and brake discs - probably due to my ‘robust’ driving style coupled with living very rurally (think living a mile up a farm track).
I’m in the process of looking for a replacement, and having test driven most of the current crop of superminis, will be sticking with Mini.

Marvellous name, I love it. ❤️

I'm on my second Mini Cooper (this one is John Cooper Works). It's a 5 door and I absolutely love it. I love how you feel so cocooned in the cab! I also prefer to be low in a car so the go-kart element of the mini suits me.
I should also mention that I put off buying a mini again because I planned to have a child. But, the pram fit in the boot no bother and no issues with the isofix / car seat etc... so I'm kicking myself for not getting one sooner!
I didn't know (until I read this thread) that there's some well known problems with minis. I've not experienced any issues so far 🤞🏻

I love my Mini. You need to get one at least post 2014 for the latest engine and build. Earlier models were almost a different car. The Cooper 1.5 engine is very economical (I get at least 50 mpg average) but also quick. The suspension is quite hard but other than that I have no complaints. It’s essentially a BMW so comes with the quality. I have had few issues with mine despite it being almost 9 years old.

I love how nippy mine is, I can dart in and out of traffic in cities, but also comfy for distance driving for me and easily holds a decent speed in the outside lane.

What I will say is that mine is a one person car, whilst I'm sure you can make them work for more than one, they are small.

Same. Mine is far too easy to speed in (during the rare moments of a clear motorway) and fantastic in central London for making the most of any gaps in traffic.

The downside is that it used to be a bit of a boy racer magnet (or man old enough to know better magnet) at traffic lights. They all wanted to race me. 🙄 It doesn't seem to happen any more so I think they've got used to seeing the car (I drive the coupe so there are a lot less of them around and they look quite sporty).

I love how cosy they are inside. My coupe only has 2 (lovely leather) seats and it's quite a bit lower than a regular Mini (and the roof has about 2cm clearance). I've had some quite intense moments driving back late at night after a day out with a hot man in the passenger seat. Some very happy memories there!

This is what the coupe looks like (photo isn't my car - if I posted my own, I would be easily identified by anyone who knows me!)

I've got a Countryman and love it, it's fun to drive as it holds the road well so you can whizz around the country lanes, it's been very reliable and I love how they're all different with the various customisations.

I can't think of a downside.

I rented a posh mini for a week and was shocked by how much I hated it. It looked great but the suspension was way worse than my usual Ford and something about the steering made me travel sick.

Pretty but I’d never buy one. Get a golf they don’t look as cool but they wonderful to drive.

Longest I've ever kept a car - 7yrs I've had my Mini Cooper. It's a 2L automatic and is incredibly nippy - also get great mpg.
I've fortunately had no issues at all.
I absolutely love my car and would get another without hesitation.

That is beautiful 😍

Thank you for your feedback just went in and got one

I'm liking this thread. I need a new car, like a small car and cannot get my desired mx5 because I can't fit 2 cars in my drive and still need to fit 3 of us in.

Maybe a convertible mini is the way to go.......

I'm on my second Mini Cooper (this one is John Cooper Works). It's a 5 door and I absolutely love it.

They don’t make a 5 door JCW, unless it’s a Countryman?

Mini Cooper S. Had mine for years. Great fun to bomb around in and absolutely love it.

@Thisisnotahotel ooh! Which one did you get?

I'm on my second mini one and they've both been great. I get mine serviced and the mot at the mini garage so it's expensive.

I've never had any big problems. I live in a city so it's fairly economical on gas. I've also gone distances and it's been great.

But the boot is tiny, it only fits 4 people at a push. It suits me though because it's usually just me in it!

How much is everyone spending in those cars!

40 grand new??

If you want a JCW then yeah, £40k+

I had a Mini Cooper from brand new for 17 years, then bought a Polo & couldn't stand it! So dull.

I now have a Mini Cooper convertible, not new but I bloody love it!