Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
#2756845
03/28/20 12:52 PM
03/28/20 12:52 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539 It's a dry heat
gtx6970
OP
Too Many Posts
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OP
Too Many Posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539
It's a dry heat
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My youngest daughter is looking to buy her own car. She looked at a real clean 2011 turbo car last nite.84k miles The car ( at least to me ) looked pretty clean. no leaks I could see, nothing tore up on the bottom side. all original paint , at least best I can tell
Ive never even given one a passing glance, but she thinks they're cute and wants something newer and that gets better mileage than her 04 Neon, She has had the neon for almost 3 years and is ready to buy something newer and all her own .
Any one here familiar with these things. Common ailments,? hard to work on ?, are these timing belt or chain ?
We drove it last nite and the car will scoot for sure .
She is pretty conservative and has a reasonable budget .Plans to put a decent down payment on it and finance the rest all on her own . Knowing her ,,,, odds are she will have the thing paid off in a year or 18 months 2 years max
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: Jim_Lusk]
#2756858
03/28/20 01:32 PM
03/28/20 01:32 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,990 A collage of whims
topside
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,990
A collage of whims
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A guy I know had one, and I got a couple rides in it. Rode like a big go-kart, so if a comfy ride matters, maybe not the best choice. It did scoot along, seemed to handle well. In spite of looking kinda fragile, he only had 1 problem that I recall, clutch/trans related. He treated the thing horribly; rarely serviced, never saw it anywhere near clean, ran it 130,000 or so before selling it.
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: Twostick]
#2756890
03/28/20 02:23 PM
03/28/20 02:23 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539 It's a dry heat
gtx6970
OP
Too Many Posts
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OP
Too Many Posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539
It's a dry heat
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Thanks for the replies so far.
The dad / mechanic in me is worried about buying something I know nothing about ( was dealer tech for almost 25 years )
I told her I could / would do basic maint. Like I always have But if anything major goes wrong , it could get pricey to have a shop fix it
She will be 20 mid April so ride quality / slash roominess is not a major issue. Her work commute is about 13 miles one way and no interstate on any of it
I feel if she can get maybe 3 or 4 years out of it with no major issues she would be ok. ,,,fingers crossed
And a manual trans is out of the question, she doesnt know how to drive one ,,,or has ZERO interest in learning, believe me Ive tried
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: Twostick]
#2756895
03/28/20 02:30 PM
03/28/20 02:30 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,924 new berlin wisconsin
Mr T2U
master
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master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,924
new berlin wisconsin
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i am not in the mechanical side of the shop often. but every time a mini in in for repairs i see the engine and trans has been removed and the tech doesn't have a smile on his face about having to work it. to repair the trans or replace the clutch require the drive train to be removed.
i do know the body parts are $$$ also. they are a BMW auto and the parts are priced like a expensive BMW.
perception is 90% of reality
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: 56_Royal_Lancer]
#2756926
03/28/20 03:54 PM
03/28/20 03:54 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 16,169 Mesa, Arizona
dart4forte
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 16,169
Mesa, Arizona
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British build quality engineered by Germans. Why worry? British built, wiring would be a concern. What about a PT Cruiser?
Last edited by dart4forte; 03/28/20 03:54 PM.
“So if it’s on the internet it must be true”
Abe Lincoln
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: dart4forte]
#2756952
03/28/20 05:28 PM
03/28/20 05:28 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,500 Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer
My Mouth Is Shut II
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My Mouth Is Shut II
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,500
Buckeye Lake
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I've been daily driving this '15 Abarth 500C for about 3 years. Only issue in that time was a broken door handle hinge, $12 and 2 hours to fix it. Otherwise a really, really fun car to drive. Designed in Italy, built in Mexico. I guess there was potential for a lot to go wrong but maybe I just got lucky. Mine is a stick, my brother has one with an automatic and it is actually faster. Has so far been bullet proof and I pound the crap out of it nearly every time I drive it. Wind up the boost, lift to shift, POP!, braaaap! It's absurdly loud and the exhaust is 100% stock. Makes me laugh. I test drove a Mini but I didn't care for sitting so low, this Fiat has leather dining room chairs for seats. You sit up as if in a standard car or SUV. I quit driving cars based on what others think (obviously!) At least it's FCA, I guess buying a Fiat frees up more money for them to develop Demons and other cool stuff.
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: dart4forte]
#2756990
03/28/20 07:35 PM
03/28/20 07:35 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539 It's a dry heat
gtx6970
OP
Too Many Posts
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OP
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,539
It's a dry heat
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Used, something with decent miles for the age , auto good on gas .
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: gtx6970]
#2757029
03/28/20 09:52 PM
03/28/20 09:52 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,555 N.E. OHIO, USA
A12
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,555
N.E. OHIO, USA
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Thanks, that was some good info . the car she is looking at is a 2011 Turbo car Bill just let her buy it............dang I remember back when I (we) were young and looking at cars everyone else had an (bad) opinion of the cars (trucks, etc.,) we wanted that had something that attracted us to it. If I would have listened I would have NEVER bought my first car in 1969...a '69 Road Runner or any of the dozens of "bad" choices in life. If she gets talked out of buying what SHE wants than everything that goes wrong with what she is talked into getting instead of the Mini then it's not going to be pretty DAMHIK (BTW did you really think you were going to get a good review here on a non-Mopar or FCA vehicle ) Mike
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: gtx6970]
#2757040
03/28/20 10:17 PM
03/28/20 10:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 958 Central Michigan
nuthinbutmopar
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 958
Central Michigan
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I bought a 2013 Clubman (non-S, 6-speed) with 24k miles in August of '17. It's ready to turn over 100k right now. One set each of tires and brakes, regular oil changes, and one coil went bad while still under factory warranty. I reset the fuel economy monitor before I drove off after the purchase, and haven't touched it since then; shows 34.3 mpg right now. In the summer it goes north of 35, when I don't need to let it warm up 10-15 minuets every morning to clear the snow/ice off of it. My commute is 32 miles each way, and I run it at 80+ on the highway, 65 on the backroads. Biggest complaint on the car? NO DECENT CUPHOLDERS! Might be ok with a slushbox, but with 3 pedals, my Yeti gets in the way of 1st or 5th. I've learned to go from 4th straight to 6th every time. Now if she want's a REAL Mini, I've got a '72 with a fuel injected 1998 drivetrain. Show her the pic and she'll LOVE this one: [img] https://pinconningjournal.smugmug.com/Shared-pics/n-6WqntV/i-PHHj87n/A[/img]
Last edited by nuthinbutmopar; 03/28/20 10:19 PM.
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: Diego (not Ted)]
#2757041
03/28/20 10:20 PM
03/28/20 10:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,555 N.E. OHIO, USA
A12
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,555
N.E. OHIO, USA
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German cars were built to be leased, not owned. Really............................IMO I think just the opposite
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: gtx6970]
#2757048
03/28/20 10:30 PM
03/28/20 10:30 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,719 Home
SRT6776
I hate internal combustion engines!
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I hate internal combustion engines!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,719
Home
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[quote=4263rdGen]
Thanks, that was some good info . the car she is looking at is a 2011 Turbo car If it has the engine they say is good and everything else checks out then it should be a good buy. They all say the 07-10's should be avoided due to timing chain and other issues that they fixed in 2011. They also said the CVT was on borrowed time but those might be earlier cars.
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Re: Anyone here familair with Mini-Coopers, need help
[Re: nuthinbutmopar]
#2757088
03/29/20 06:30 AM
03/29/20 06:30 AM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,864 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Can...
moparmike1
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,864
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Can...
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I bought a 2013 Clubman (non-S, 6-speed) with 24k miles in August of '17. It's ready to turn over 100k right now. One set each of tires and brakes, regular oil changes, and one coil went bad while still under factory warranty. I reset the fuel economy monitor before I drove off after the purchase, and haven't touched it since then; shows 34.3 mpg right now. In the summer it goes north of 35, when I don't need to let it warm up 10-15 minuets every morning to clear the snow/ice off of it. My commute is 32 miles each way, and I run it at 80+ on the highway, 65 on the backroads. Biggest complaint on the car? NO DECENT CUPHOLDERS! Might be ok with a slushbox, but with 3 pedals, my Yeti gets in the way of 1st or 5th. I've learned to go from 4th straight to 6th every time. Now if she want's a REAL Mini, I've got a '72 with a fuel injected 1998 drivetrain. Show her the pic and she'll LOVE this one: [img] https://pinconningjournal.smugmug.com/Shared-pics/n-6WqntV/i-PHHj87n/A[/img] Very cool! Thanks for sharing. Mike.
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