Mini Cooper

NUTLEY BOY · 05-09-2016 10:33am #1

Other half looking at new cars time....She fancies the look of the Mini Cooper.

What do people think of them generally ?

Offhand, I think that they are expensive for what you are getting.

I still love a spare wheel and tyre but that is just me. Do they come with a spare wheel and one of those get you home tyres ? I always prefer a spare wheel and tyre in the event of a side wall being taken out.

bazz26 · 05-09-2016 10:40am

They are fitted with run on flat tyres for a number of years now so no spare wheel.

meme74 · 05-09-2016 10:43am

Not all have run flats. They take away from the feel of the drive of the car so alot of owners have opted out of run flats. If they dont have run flats they have no spare wheel and have a puncture repair kit type thing in the boot to at least get you home/to a garage.

Definitely expensive cars for what you get but if you appreciate all that a mini is its money well spent! Is it new or second hand she is looking for? My OH has a 2013 cooper and absolutely loves it and I ahve to say I drive it a fair bit too and you cant beat it. Fantastic little car.

HeidiHeidi · 05-09-2016 10:44am

I have a 2015 Cooper, and love it! It's a premium price, no doubt - but it feels like a quality car and is great fun to drive (I drive a lot of different cars all the time via work, so have a fairly wide experience of them).

Mine doesn't have runflat tyres (I think - but can't remember for sure - that it was an option when ordering) but has one of those kits to blow foam or something in and get you as far as a garage. First time I've ever had that, and thankfully haven't had to use it yet.

I too would far prefer a spare wheel, or even a spacesaver - but when you see the size of the boot you'll realise why there isn't one!!

theteal · 05-09-2016 11:06am

MrsTeal got a new 1.5 diesel Cooper last year. I don't know what spec she ordered but I was surprised to see a 15 reg car with no steering wheel controls or bluetooth (I tell a lie, it had bluetooth phone, not for media though)

After 3 weeks she noticed that the bonnet wouldn't open - the bonnet had never been opened.

After 3 months, the housing around the handle on the back of the passenger seat (to enable people access the back seats) fell out of position.

Also it was around this time that the dash developed a rattle - which returned on and off until we got rid of it a month ago with just over 2000 miles on the clock.

All in all the build quality was poor.

The only good thing about it was the bit of poke.

Marcusm · 05-09-2016 11:15am

I'm on my 3rd Cooper S; initially a Clubman followed by a convertible and now a Paceman. Fun to drive, spacious for driver (I'm 6'5"), great in high spec, poor initial residuals - I picked each of mine up 6 months to 2 years old at large discounts (UK).

NUTLEY BOY · 05-09-2016 11:42am

theteal wrote: »

MrsTeal got a new 1.5 diesel Cooper last year. I don't know what spec she ordered but I was surprised to see a 15 reg car with no steering wheel controls or bluetooth.

After 3 weeks she noticed that the bonnet wouldn't open - the bonnet had never been opened.

After 3 months, the housing around the handle on the back of the passenger seat (to enable people access the back seats) fell out of position.

Also it was around this time that the dash developed a rattle - which returned on and off until we got rid of it a month ago with just over 2000 miles on the clock.

All in all the build quality was poor.

The only good thing about it was the bit of poke.

Yoiks :eek: The next question in my mind was going to be about the quality of the engineering !

HeidiHeidi · 05-09-2016 11:51am

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

Yoiks :eek: The next question in my mind was going to be about the quality of the engineering !

I have mine over18 months now, and the only problem so far has been the sunroof which wouldn't open - fixed immediately under warranty.

I've had the seats up and down like billy-o to fit dogs and luggage and it all feels very robust to me! (Have had the bonnet open fairly frequently as well - not because of any problems under there!!! - and no bother with it.)

The steering wheel controls are an optional extra when ordering new.

meme74 · 05-09-2016 12:01pm

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

Yoiks :eek: The next question in my mind was going to be about the quality of the engineering !

We've have no problems either in 2 years of owning a 2013 cooper. The car feel sturdy to drive and as above I adjust the seats regularly and no problems at all.

The one downside to the mini is that almost everything is an added extra. The base model and base price get you exactly as thy suggest - the basics! Any extras at costly when buying new but you can pick up a second hand one with a load of bells and whistles like I did and you don't know the cost of all these extras

AnnaStezia · 05-09-2016 12:15pm

Very interested in this thread as I might be in the market for a similar car next year.

I don't want to hijack the thread to another topic but what is the situation about spare wheels/tyres as distinct from repair kits ? Are there any makes/models that actually provide a proper spare wheel/tyre ? Is it possible to get a full size wheel (not one of those space savers) as an extra for any of the major makes ?

Oafley Jones · 05-09-2016 1:27pm

Love the look of the previous two new Mini Cooper S, but the new one just seems completely out of proportion to me. It's slightly better as a five door, but I'm guessing that's the issue. It was designed around too many styles and now just looks nose heavy and odd as a three door. Meant to be much better built though.

grogi · 05-09-2016 8:29pm

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Love the look of the previous two new Mini Cooper S, but the new one just seems completely out of proportion to me. It's slightly better as a five door, but I'm guessing that's the issue. It was designed around too many styles and now just looks nose heavy and odd as a three door. Meant to be much better built though.

But at least the new one has a manly 2.0 turbo engine...

meme74 · 06-09-2016 8:23am

not a huge fan of the shape of the new ones either, definitely look out of proportion and designed to acommodate the new 5 door model

grogi · 06-09-2016 9:16am

meme74 wrote: »

not a huge fan of the shape of the new ones either, definitely look out of proportion and designed to acommodate the new 5 door model

It is not mini anymore, you're right...

curly from cork · 16-09-2016 8:14pm

Thinking of buying a 2008 clubman. The only niggling doubt is the panoramic sunroof. Can anyone offer any advice on the reliability of the s/roof. The owner says there has been no problems with it ... but without seeming too paranoid I was hoping someone could offer their experiences. Thanks

HeidiHeidi · 16-09-2016 8:22pm

curly from cork wrote: »

Thinking of buying a 2008 clubman. The only niggling doubt is the panoramic sunroof. Can anyone offer any advice on the reliability of the s/roof. The owner says there has been no problems with it ... but without seeming too paranoid I was hoping someone could offer their experiences. Thanks

I have a Cooper from new in Jan 2015.... it's been back to the garage twice because the sunroof wouldn't open.

Both times the problem seemed to be more with the switch than the actual sunroof itself though.

Other than that, the car has been a model of good behaviour, and I'm delighted with it!

Marcusm · 16-09-2016 8:28pm

curly from cork wrote: »

Thinking of buying a 2008 clubman. The only niggling doubt is the panoramic sunroof. Can anyone offer any advice on the reliability of the s/roof. The owner says there has been no problems with it ... but without seeming too paranoid I was hoping someone could offer their experiences. Thanks

I had a 57 re launch model Clubman Cooper S with pano sunroof. Never had a problem with build quality etc. I kept it for 4 years; the only car I regret selling on.

Mini Cooper

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