witstu Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Anyone here running a mini as a second car? Wife has decided she needs her own transport, so have started looking at these.Been to see a private low mileage MINI S John Cooper Works which all seems to be in order. It is a 2006 model which is supercharged, but i have now seen an advert for a 2007 turbocharged version (facelift) which the seller is saying has no problems that the earlier supercharged versions have? Anyone here have any helpfull comments as i start to do my homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Dont know the in's and outs but the face lift is apparently a far superior car and engine. My mate had the newer one and he said they are supposed to be faster and more economical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Dont know the in's and outs but the face lift is apparently a far superior car and engine. My mate had the newer one and he said they are supposed to be faster and more economical +1 I know a few peeps that have/had them, never had any issues. As Ricey says face lift one is a better car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 i prefer the older supercharged version, but only for tuning reasons, but both are good runners, they hold their value pretty well. never owned one but took the old supercharged one out for a long test drive, and they are quiet a hoot to drive. good feel and feedback for a FWD. its BMW servicing and standards so a fairly reliable motor. have a look on one of the clubs for common issues and faults, personally i wouldn't go with the JCW but get a stock Cooper S as there are some really good tuning stuff out there. check out lohan for ideas i could have spent a small fortune at that place. if i had bought one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 My neighbour's wife has a 54 plate cooper S done 90,000 miles with no major problems. Just spoke to him and says: Look out for pulling to left (problem on some cars apparently) make sure it had the handbrake recall Tyre pressure sensors have a mind of their own. Climate control problems. hope this helps a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Gearboxes, gearboxes, gearboxes. Weakest link and huge expense if they fall to pieces. Other than that they're great little cars in whatever guise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRF4N Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Cragus on here, his mums got one and he used it thru the winter if u want another opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Gearboxes, gearboxes, gearboxes. Weakest link and huge expense if they fall to pieces. Other than that they're great little cars in whatever guise. +1 mate of mine had to change gear box after 2 years ownership - no warranty !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I used to have a facelift 54 plate Mini cooper S John Cooper Works, it had every option JCW bucket seats, JCW engine upgrade, JCW exhaust, JCW body kit, JCW alloys, Harman Kardan stereo and speakers etc. I I sold it at the end of last year after having it 5 months. I had a Zed before buying the mini and it just wasn't the same from build quality and engine sound, although the JCW exhaust does have a very nice popping sound to it The car was great fun to drive and extremely fast , i believe the JCW engine upgrade made it about 210bhp. I heard that the newer turbocharged versions suffer from turbo lag compared to the supercharged. sopmething you might want to consider. Models before the facelift 54 plate had quite a few problems, a problem with steering column was one of them and quite pricey to fix. They put all this right on the facelift 54 plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFF Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 We've got an early R56 Cooper S, now with 36k on it. It's good fun and nippy, I can't find any real noticeable turbo lag but then the only previous turbo'd cars I've driven recently were diesels! (That's not counting an Escort RS Turbo in 1986 which really did have lag - and massive torque steer...) I believe one gotcha is the power steering motor - it's normally noisy but can and does fail without notice. Ours hasn't exactly been the paragon of BMW build quality - one headlamp had to be replaced under warranty as the levelling device (it's a Xenon) had failed; it's had a failed crankshaft seal and last week an O2 sensor failed. If I'd paid BMW the going rate that lot adds up to nigh on £2k... The wife loves it though! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrh Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I would avoid the early turbo engines. There are some well known issues that BMW quietly fixed a couple of years after launch. The earlier supercharged engine was low-tech and thirsty but has way more character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philb1965 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Had a 54 plate Cooper S for 11 months, enjoyed it for the first month then hated it. Rock hard ride and uncomfortable. Went around corners on rails. Dashboard had more squeaks and rattles than a rattley squeaky thing. Drivers door power mirror broke. Tailgate release failed. Rust bubbled behind the drivers door wing (BMW confirmed it had not had a repair). 27mpg driving fairly sensibly. Bought from a BMW dealer with low mileage at the time. Had every whistle and bell but I was glad to see the back of it. Can't comment on the newer ones but have a look on the mini forums is my advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I had a cooper s works. It was a fun car. Gearbox got changed at 12k miles and again at 32k under warranty. Tyres are very expensive without runflat insurance policy. Powersteering pump went on fire twice. Then i crashed it sideways through a pole at around 50mph and it came back but was never the same so sold it for the zed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racinggreen Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I also had a Mini cooper. Chili pack with run flats etc. Ride was quite hard - my wife said it always made her want to go to the loo because of the ride quality. Hugged the camber of the road etc and could sometimes pull the steering. Had a problem with the window motor not working ( sounds familiar ). Did not like the position of the speedo. All said though it looked great and I really did like it a lot - sold it for the Z in the end as there were just too many of them on the road and having seen a Z my mind was set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I also had a Mini cooper. Chili pack with run flats etc.Ride was quite hard - my wife said it always made her want to go to the loo because of the ride quality. lol anyone else thinking that it wasnt the loo she was needing my speedo was up on the dash next to rev counter as i had the tv install in the centre. I did enjoy the mini for a bit but got bored quickly due to the bills. I had the full cooper works beast with all the big wheels and suspension etc It was very very uncomfortable but handled amazing until you hit gravel on roundabouts It was very expensive for what you got and i much prefer the swift sport to it. It has been flawless and great fun. The mini had about an extra 110bhp but for some reason it wasnt as fun. It was pretty heavy and not as nimble as it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Quads Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Had a 54 plate Cooper S for 11 months, enjoyed it for the first month then hated it. Rock hard ride and uncomfortable. Went around corners on rails. Dashboard had more squeaks and rattles than a rattley squeaky thing. Drivers door power mirror broke. Tailgate release failed. Rust bubbled behind the drivers door wing (BMW confirmed it had not had a repair). 27mpg driving fairly sensibly. Bought from a BMW dealer with low mileage at the time. Had every whistle and bell but I was glad to see the back of it. Can't comment on the newer ones but have a look on the mini forums is my advice. Glad i am not alone. The other half has a 06 Mini Cooper. Ride is very hard due to the run flats Creeks all over the place On the motorway at 80mph the 350z is only 2mpg worse than it!! We now take mine on the longer journeys as its so much more confortable Had a few warranty parts replaced Now got a clunk on the passenger side suspension to investigate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I had a clunking sound on my mini front end especially when going over uneven ground. turned out to be the drop links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I had a clunking sound on my mini front end especially when going over uneven ground. turned out to be the drop links. i forgot, i had a new steering rack fitted aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.