Mini Cooper owners?

Looking into buying a daily driver/commuter vehicle. Recently detailed a few Mini Coopers and kind of really dig the small size and go-kart feel. Research proves they're completely unreliable and have a ton of issues, not of which one of those are the small 4 cylinder engines blowing up quite regularly.

Anyone ever owned or currently owned a Mini and can give some advice on what to look for outside of typical maintenance, water pump, Carfax report checklists? I'm looking at a 2007 Mini Cooper S JCW edition at the moment.

 

why not get another Toyota ?. they are the best commuters

 

I had a 05 supercharged with 6 speed manual, Had ran 150 mph on AUTOBAUN and never had a issue with it in the two years i had it. Sold it when i left Germany. Was a fun car but there is no room in it for more than two people, back seat was useless.

 

Get yourself a nice used Corolla or Camry... thank me later.

 

My sister has a Cooper S and really likes it. She traded in a 2008 Honda Accord for it and really wishes she had kept the Honda. Her Cooper seems to always be in the shop.

 

You basically have stated that they are unreliable pieces of shit but you still want to consider one? What am I missing?

 

Everyone I have known to have one got rid of it happily. I would look at something (don’t kill me) like a Kia sol new it has a 10yr warranty and is a decent pos. They actually have some room in them as well and have more features then my tundra. Of course Toyota’s are a good option as well. I feel like buying a vehicle for a daily it should be one thing and that’s reliable.

 

The fact that I have a 350 Chevy small block with a blower dyno'd at 460 hp sitting that would be insane to throw into the car a few years from now once I no longer need a commuter. Just YouTube v8 blower coopers on YouTube lol.

 

Such is what I'm seeing. Just not sure if like a lot of the internet, you only see worst case scenarios and the reality is folks are enjoying them. But the more I talk to people that physically, currently own them, they're in the shop or engine rebuilt quite frequently.

 

. That sounds nuts. But, if they are that problematic, is it worth it? I’ll YouTube it.

 

Wife has a Camry I drive from time to time. Looking for a car that is a good commuter now that I can blow up with a 350 small block/blower later.

 

Yeah. I figured I'd ask here because albeit it is a Toyota forum, most folks here are pretty straightforward with what is asked. I was curious if what I was finding online was biased against Coopers and wanted to hear/talk to people that have firsthand knowledge. But all that firsthand knowledge is confirming the stuff I was finding on quick Google searches....aka massive mechanical failures quite frequently.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYoGZDYtGz4&t=762s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGx6A02dzU

Two quick examples.

 

Bought my wife a 2018 Camry a few years ago. Excellent car. I guess I should have prefaced the original post with "I want a commuter car now that I can turn into a monster later."

 

The room I'm not worried about. With the truck and my wife's Camry, this would be specifically for me for commuting.

 

I Test drove a supercharged cooper years ago. Wow that car was fun!

 

Well, at least you’re doing your homework. I think if your main intent is to build that rocket ship then you probably won’t be disappointed. After all, something like that would probably break and if it’s a toy you may enjoy the wrench time. But, if you’re looking to commute, I’m suggesting you pass. To many other solid options.
Your Tundra looks awesome.

 

Yeah, it's a fine line of find a solid commuter car that I can build into a toy later. Just a matter of how much of a headache would I have to put up with before I tear it all apart to be rebuilt.

Edit: I found a sweeeeeeet 1969 Toyota Corolla with a 3S-GTE swap that was minnnnnttt. However, the 29k pricetag is outside of my poor man's budget of 5k or under for a commuter. Not practical lol but f*ck if that thing wasn't sexy.

 

Drug one out of an airplane hanger recently, but I somehow dont think thats what you mean. Id love to have a modern one, but they are notoriously unreliable.

 

Man....I'm looking at modern ones ONLY because the old Austin Minis aren't practical as a daily driver. I'd chop my left leg off for a 1970s era Austin Mini S MK3.

 

I would kill myself in that.

 

Such is the plan. It's a blaze of glory. Wife forbids me to get another bike after selling my '06 CBR1000RR flashed with headers and setup for the track. So the compromise is small beater with the future intent of the small block swap. So instead of dying in a high side, I'll just be crushed flat in my sardine car.

 

I had (have) a 2003 Cooper S and loved it drove it for 10 yrs with out a problem ( Bunch of mods, reduction pulley, exhaust, CAI etc) I put about 100,000 and no problems. Had a little boy so we bought an evoque (mistake) the mini was my weekend fun car. The clutch (I think) went out. I put it in the garage until I had time to work on it. Then I bought the Tundra and started modding that. I need to get my mini running again it was a great fun car. One of my friends bought a newer one had it about a month and lemon lawed it because of so many problems.

 

I drove a 2001 VW GTI 337 Edition 1.8T for about 4 years so I'm quite familiar with German engineering and the how's and why's. Reliability is a major factor though.

 

You summed up the reason I got rid of my 5spd e39 528i that I loved and got a basic Honda accord commuter.

The BMW was so much nicer, but never having to touch the accord (80mile a day round trip commute) is fantastic.

 

Much for the airplane???

 

Wife owned a 05 and I would never get another one. Under 100k miles oil and ps leaks constantly. Had to replace a control arm of some kind of engine support and it took me two full days had to disassemble the whole front of the car and take the motor mounts loose. O and the aux cooling fan would make a Horrible grinding for about 10 seconds.