BMW Mini

[jonela]

My daughter has informed me that she is looking for a BMW Mini for her next car.
I have no experience of these cars whatsoever.Has anyone on here had one ,or have any knowledge of what to look out for regards rust ,faults, good or bad models,etc any help appreciated
Cheers ,john:thumb2

 

[rustic]

When I was having my exhaust exchanged... recently, I was talking to a guy with a Mini Cooper, he said a bit thirsty, around 30 mpg... but really great to drive. I got the impression he was quite assertive... as he was having new tyres, at what I thought was quite a low mileage...:augie
So consumption probably depends more on model and driving style.

 

[daniel2609]

my mate has had a couple, (his dad works for bmw) both different models i went out in, ride is rather harsh, looks quite cheap on the inside considering its made by bmw, cant say id have one

 

[supergnome]

Make sure its been recalled and had the steering pump done. Google it!!
David.

 

[jonela]

Make sure its been recalled and had the steering pump done. Google it!!
David.

Cheers David, I had a look at this and as far as I can see it seems they didn't do a recall, as they said it was not a safety issue (sudden loss of power steering)?:doh but it dose seem to be a major problem.2001-2006 and this is the range here budget will allow

 

[Sweety]

TBH I don't like them as the build seems poor to me & the boot is silly small for a car this size plus parts will be a nice price being BMW:doh

 

[AlexD333]

Make sure its been recalled and had the steering pump done. Google it!!
David.

You can check by raining a dealer with the vin (if private seller)

 

[macabethiel]

I had an 03 plate Cooper for 7 years and it was extremely reliable but it did not have sports suspension or run flat tyres just the standard 17 inch wheels so the ride was OK. On 17 inch wheels with standard suspension the ride is a little firmer but still good.
On 18 inch wheels the ride is awfull and the sports suspension even on 17 inch wheels is hard.

On the plus side the older Brazilian engine although not very good on fuel is pretty much bomb proof. The Mini 1 is okay and not much slower that the Cooper as its a 1600 on the older models.

Mine was very cheap to run only issue I had was drivers door lock had to be replaced as cental locking faulted it was around £200 fitted. Both door check straps broke and this is an awful job so I took mine to a local speciast to be done.

Never used oil or water front brake pads lasted 30 k miles rear about the same. Worth getting one with some service history as the oil filter is quite small and they tend to be hard to remove if its the replacement cartridge insert as mine was.

My bodywork kept really well but I did spray some waxoyl on the subframe / suspension area when I bought mine.

They are great fun to drive and if you push them too hard they just understeer and scrub the speed off. Mine was an automatic so it was 28 mpg in the winter and rose to 34 mpg in the summer on a run. The manual should be around 5 mpg better all round. Lots of cheap parts about such as blueprint if you need them.

Front bonnett prone to stone chipping due to the angle. Check under boot mat for any water ingress they can let water in through boot seal or rear lights. No spare wheel though just carry some foam repair and an electric pump.

I would definitely have another one when we downsize our cars.

 

[jonela]

Thanks for that Macabethiel, very informative indeed , just what I was hoping for.:thumb2
It may be what she wants but I'm not sure its what she needs,
So any other suggestions, Must be:
Sporty looking
economical to run
good boot space
Cheep to insure
No major maintenance issues
Any recommendations greatly appreciated

 

[AlexD333]

, Must be:
Sporty looking
economical to run
Cheep to insure
No major maintenance issues
Any recommendations greatly appreciated

:augie

 

[rustic]

:augie

No it needs modding,
panniers on the back, or a basket on the front...:thumb2
Sorted

 

[AlexD333]

No it needs modding,
panniers on the back, or a basket on the front...:thumb2
Sorted

Lol I removed the storage bit :lol :thumb2