need info on a mini

[blacksheep-1]

Diane is approaching a major birthday (I won't say which one) and she always checks out the mini coopers as wed rive around. since I have no idea about them whatsoever, (I used to race spridgets against the originals). What can you tell me about them, no verts, maybe an "S"? what are the prices and what should I look out for? Thanks, and let's keep this between us

[Jamie]

My wife owned a supercharged S for a couple of years -- they've since switched over to a turbo. Fun to drive -- they really do handle like a kart right out of the box. All the S models are equipped with run-flat tires (no spare), so they ride similar to one at times, too. Ditch the run-flats in favor of a can of Slime, an air pump, and towing coverage (just in case) and it's much better.

The interior's a bit wacky -- for all that the original was known for being space efficient, this one is just so-so in that respect. The door "pockets" aren't set up well to stuff anything in you want to reach -- the plastic bars on the door interfere with easy access. The glovebox isn't all that big (my wife tends to throw lots of stuff in her's). The instruments are workable, but it's style over function. The front seats are rather good -- the rear are typical coupe seats. Good space in the back if you flop the rear seats down and use it as a two-seater. As a four-seater, it's challenging, but still doable -- we stuffed the kids and overnight baggage for four in a couple of times...but the kids didn't like it!

The supercharged cars sounded great -- supercharger whine from the front, a bit of a rumble from the exhaust in the back. It wasn't obnoxious, but the dogs would pick up the supercharger note a block away...confused the hell out of them when she switched cars!

No mechanical problems for the two years we had it -- she had the BMW all-inclusive maintenance plan, so I wasn't allowed to touch it. The only reason she sold it was she was tired of having lots of cars in the driveway, so she coverted from the MINI and the Odyssey into a Honda Element. Sometimes, she wishes she'd kept it.

[Loren]

My wife just sold hers after owning it for 6 years. Hers was a base model with an automatic. She loved the car, never a complaint. I thought it handled great and was fun to drive on a curvy road, but with the base engine it was a slug... and the automatic (CVT) it was that much worse.

Stay away from the CVT. That's why we sold hers. Once the warranty was up, it scared me, and it would cost at least $4k to replace (with a used part) if it gave up. Even MINI only used it for a couple years before going back to a regular automatic transmission. They never used the CVT in the S, though, (it couldn't handle the torque) so if you go that route you won't have to worry about it. Of course, your best bet is just to get a manual.

The base model engine would be "adequate" with a manual transmission, and if your wife is like mine, she'd barely miss not having the power of the S. The fuel economy is definitely better on the base model... that said, as much as MINI has been pushed as a great "economy car", its economy isn't that great for as small as it is. (MINI = max 35mpg highway and an easy 25-26 city, Yaris = max 40+ highway and an easy 32-34 city)

Don't take it to the dealer if you don't have to! They like to give "complementary inspections" and come up with stupid work that "needs to be done". For instance, at about 31k (right out of warranty), they told us it needed control arm bushings, swaybar bushings and some other stuff that added up to over $1k. I looked, everything was fine. Next time we went in at about 45k it was cam cover, oil pan and some other stuff... interestingly NONE of the stuff they'd mentioned before! And, of course, the car never showed a hint of an oil leak anywhere, they were just trying to make money on a woman with a cute car.

You should be able to haggle an 05-07 with low mileage for around $10-12k. It was like pulling teeth to get $12k for ours with 45k on it. (and ultimately, it went for $11,800) Add about $2k for each year newer than that. Older ones can be had for less, of course.

One of the good things about buying a car like this used is that they are "enthusiast cars", so it's not hard to find on that's been well cared for. They do get driven, though, so a true "garage queen" is rare.

But, in the end, my advice is "don't surprise your wife with a car". She may very well think they're cute, but not really want one... or she may find something else that she likes better. When it came time to get rid of the MINI, Cathy was all ready to go buy another one. Until I made her test drive a new MX-5 with a power hard top. She'd never driven anything like it and instantly fell in love with it. She was ready to drop nearly $30k on on right then and there if they had the right color (they didn't). Ended up finding a low-mileage 2007 for $17k. She has driven it to work with the top down for all but about 3 days since buying it a few months ago! So, think outside the box and get her behind the wheel of some interesting and good cars.

Happy hunting!

[blacksheep-1]

" She has driven it to work with the top down for all but about 3 days since buying it a few months ago!"

Oh really


But seriously, that's good advice, she's torn between the mini and a jeep CJ, no middle ground for her!