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Hatchbacks MINI Cooper MINI Cooper Care & Maintenance
282 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 6:07 PM
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Replying to: rlmiller9 (Mar 30, 2008 4:51 am) While I am no Consumer Reports "Kool Aid" drinker, they rank the 08 Mini Cooper as a Recommended Buy. They also list the last 5 year models as" neutral" to "better" in repair history. However, they did list the 05 Mini Cooper Convertible "S" as a used car to avoid, but that was the only year and model in that category. Take the information for whatever its worth
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Hi sorry I was unclear. as someone posted earlier, no, I don't know anything about cars, the Mini is my first car--even though I'm 40--I've lived in NY and London for past 20 years so never needed one. I love my Mini. I don't like the sunroof, but that's just personal--I don't want wrinkles and the shake doesn't block out all the light even when closed. The Check Engine LIght (CEL). has come on intermittently for no apparent reason over the past year I've had omy 2007 basic Mini. The very first time it happened, it did, in fact happen after I put gas in it--and accidentally drove away with the gas thing still in the gas hole (I thought the guy had taken it out--dumb I know!) It stayed on for a week or two, then went off. Over the past year on occasion--once a month or once every two months, perhaps, it's gone on for no apparent reason. So in other words, not necessarily after I've put gas in it. And it may stay on for a day or two then go off inexplicably. The last time it happened, a couple of months ago, it was on for 2 weeks, so I took it to the dealer, they 'preprogrammed' it all. It's the sensors or somesuch. No one seemed concerned about it. It was off when I picked it up. It did go back on 2 weeks later for about 2 days, then went off. So I don't know if this is bad or not. I've never had any problem besides this. A good friend who has a BMW told me that her CEL went on a lot for no reason, too. The guy who inspected my car from the bank leasing company last week told me that on his Honda, his CEL went on too the first year he had it. So I don't know. Maybe it's not a big deal. My only big question is, for the same price and fewer features, should I get the 08 so that I get a newer car and f1 year more warranty? I have about 4 weeks to make up my mind before I have to turn my current car in. It has 3600 miles. thanks
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Replying to: tica (Apr 01, 2008 3:24 pm) I guess I would ask you why you have the Mini... Is the the style of the car? MPG rating? Good lease pricing? Something else? I ask this because, first of all, you put very few miles on your car. From a financial point of view, it would be much cheaper for you to drive a Corolla, Yaris, Versa, or any number of comparably sized cars. You are taking a fairly big hit on depreciation as well. You have never really said what attracted you to the Mini, other than you really don't prefer the sunroof, so its obvious that you didn't get it for that reason. If you really like the Mini, before anyone can voice an intellegent opinion, you need to supply some cost information/figures on the car you have .vs. the deals offered on a 08 Mini. As for the CEL occasionally being on at times, it doesn't appear that it has ever affected the drivability of the car, and since it has 2 more years of warranty, I personally wouldn't let that single item get in the way of keeping the car. Again, however, I would suggest that anyone only putting 4000 miles/year on a car look at cheaper alternatives, unless you have the cash to spend and simply MUST have a particulat make/model vehicle. Sorry to not be of more help... Good luck in making your decision!
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Replying to: busiris (Apr 02, 2008 11:25 am) I get that Tica's dilemna has more to do with whether to opt for the newer Mini at the end of her current lease. My doubts were just for my knowledge, really  Thanks in advance! 
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Replying to: waterflame (Apr 02, 2008 5:30 pm) Even at a great resale value, the original buyer/lease owner takes a hit on depreciation. Of course, if you always want the "latest and greatest", then its different, and not really a financial decision at all... |
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hi thanks for your comments. first of all, I apologize, I put 6300 miles on it, not 3600, a dyslexic slip (even though I'm not dyslexic!) Anyway, it's still not very many for a year, I know. But actually, I drive Miniie my Mini nearly every day in NYC, The thing is, most trips are a mile or 2 and if I go from uptown to downtown that might still only be 8 miles roundtips and I only do that on a weekend, maybe once a week max. So it's easy to use your car a lot and not put much mileage on it. During the summer months I was going out into the country every other weekend andthen I'd put a good 200-300 miles on it. That's how I even got my mileage this high! I got the Mini mostly for parking in NYC. I was borrowing a friend's old old mercedes prior to getting Minnie and would drive by all these empty slots that only a mini would fit into. (And now, a smart car is looking appealing since Minnie can't get into EVERY space!) But I"d be afraid in a Smart Car on the highway, I think. Anyway, so I got Mini cuz it's small, relatively good gas, and so darn cute. The lots of airbags convincing me it was sort of safe helped too. I did toy around with the idea of a cheaper Honda but they still are bigger parking wise and have zippo personality. The reason I'm considering a new one is because I got more features than I wanted, now that I've tested all these features I realized that for the same price almost of buying my current car--21,3000 after the year lease, I could get a brand new 08 with feweer featrures--but the exact and only features I really care about for around the same price, maybe 22K. So for around the same price, with a one year newer car and one more extra year of warranty, it seemed like I should do it. But I have a big of ecological guilt for treating cars like a new pair of shoes (although people have pointed out that my old Mini won't exactly go to waste as it s likely to get snapped up.) Also, it's a bit of a hassle, and maybe some wait since I now have 29 days till end of lease (and considering I haven't ordered the new one, unless I get one off the lot, probably will have a good month wait with no car at all. The check engine light was my only snafu and made me wonder if that is justification for turning in 07 for an 08. so anyway, I still don't know. I'm going to ahve a long conversation with my boyfriend this weekend about it but any input is always welcome. thanks!
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hi thanks for your comments. first of all, I apologize, I put 6300 miles on it, not 3600, a dyslexic slip (even though I'm not dyslexic!) Anyway, it's still not very many for a year, I know. But actually, I drive Miniie my Mini nearly every day in NYC, The thing is, most trips are a mile or 2 and if I go from uptown to downtown that might still only be 8 miles roundtips and I only do that on a weekend, maybe once a week max. So it's easy to use your car a lot and not put much mileage on it. During the summer months I was going out into the country every other weekend andthen I'd put a good 200-300 miles on it. That's how I even got my mileage this high! I got the Mini mostly for parking in NYC. I was borrowing a friend's old old mercedes prior to getting Minnie and would drive by all these empty slots that only a mini would fit into. (And now, a smart car is looking appealing since Minnie can't get into EVERY space!) But I"d be afraid in a Smart Car on the highway, I think. Anyway, so I got Mini cuz it's small, relatively good gas, and so darn cute. The lots of airbags convincing me it was sort of safe helped too. I did toy around with the idea of a cheaper Honda but they still are bigger parking wise and have zippo personality. The reason I'm considering a new one is because I got more features than I wanted, now that I've tested all these features I realized that for the same price almost of buying my current car--21,3000 after the year lease, I could get a brand new 08 with feweer featrures--but the exact and only features I really care about for around the same price, maybe 22K. So for around the same price, with a one year newer car and one more extra year of warranty, it seemed like I should do it. But I have a big of ecological guilt for treating cars like a new pair of shoes (although people have pointed out that my old Mini won't exactly go to waste as it s likely to get snapped up.) Also, it's a bit of a hassle, and maybe some wait since I now have 29 days till end of lease (and considering I haven't ordered the new one, unless I get one off the lot, probably will have a good month wait with no car at all. The check engine light was my only snafu and made me wonder if that is justification for turning in 07 for an 08. so anyway, I still don't know. I'm going to ahve a long conversation with my boyfriend this weekend about it but any input is always welcome. thanks!
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Replying to: busiris (Mar 30, 2008 9:13 am) Cost for this maintenance was $0. I assume we have to take her in one more time B-4 the warranty runs out, but in the meantime at 35mpg excellent performance when needed how can we complain. Only thing we did not like was the short life span of the high performance Pirelli tires we just had to replace. I was offered an extended warranty too last time I was at the dealer but feel like it isn't needed. Although this warranty offered covered everything mechanical except tires. |
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Replying to: tica (Apr 03, 2008 4:57 pm) I wouldn't worry about the ecological concerns. Now, if I were in your shoes, with your current Mini coming off lease, and the check engine light issue has still not been resolved, and the new one has all the features you want or need at the same cost....... you know where I'm going with this.......I would vote for getting the new one!  Personally, I don't like lingering problems on a car, especially one that I own, not lease. You don't know whether that check engine light is just the tip of the iceberg. |
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Replying to: tica (Apr 03, 2008 4:57 pm) |
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