Was excited when I bought this car new in 2011 and for the first 3 years I had a virtually trouble free run other than a recall for the turbo and annual servicing costs which appeared excessively high. Being tall I was amazed at the legroom and surprised by the amount of cabin space for the front seat passengers. Interior finish is beautiful and comfort levels high if you ignore the back seat which is only suitable for smaller kids. Other than the servicing costs the main bugbear for me was the hard ride compounded by the run flat tyres and ave...Read more

I have a 2008 Mini Cooper S with Auto. I am the second owner and I have owned it for four years. It is a great car to drive, but it is expensive to own. Brake rotors and pads had to be replaced at 60,000 klms, which apparently is a common issue with many European cars (sacrificial rotors) - BMW cost is $1800, although I did it cheaper by buying after market parts from the UK. BMW also use a plastic component in the circulating cooling water system - this failed at around 65,000 kms (around $500 to replace)- the plastic eventually fails from the...Read more

So sad about the bad reviews for my car! I've had mine for 5 years now, bought from the dealer ex demo with 1000k on it. It hasn't missed a beat. Apart from a recall for the turbo, which was replaced free, it hasn't had one single problem, not even a blown fuse! It's fun to drive, corners like a go cart, has fantastic power and grunt. The Mini's computer tells you when to service it and I only have to about once a year. I'm not a conservative driver, I push my Mini hard as I love to feel the turbo kick in. Compared to the Toyota Tarago I had pr...Read more

I don't understand why all the bad reviews of this fun little pocket rocket. A wolf in a sheep's clothing. I love the drive, performance, handling, comfort, features and interior volume. I've owned 911 Porsche and VW Scirocco and they're amazing cars too. But the Cooper S fun factor is dialled in at under 80k p/hr whereas the others are way way above speed limits to max out their best. Fuel economy is great as is the reliability. Mine is serviced at Doncaster BMW for the next 5 years at a total fixed sum of $1080 parts and labour - can't beat t...Read more

I bought my '02 Cooper 5 speed manual used about a year ago & I completely love it! It's incredibly fun to drive, looks fantastic & returns good fuel consumption. The gear shift is a delight, as is the direct steering, excellent brakes & ridiculous levels of grip! Surprisingly roomy inside - I'm 6'1" & have plenty of leg & head room - it's a surprisingly capable load lugger when you need it.
A word of caution to those who are especially financially sensitive: don't expect this car to have Japanese levels of reliability & cost efficiency. While...Read more

I have owned a 2009 Mini Cooper Camden diesel for the past 4 years. Whilst i like the Mini and it is very fuel efficient - its down sides cost more than the savings of the up sides.

1 - I have gone through a set of run flat tyres each year of ownership. $900 per year - never had this issue with any another car i have owned,

2 - Service costs for the Mini are outrageous. - $500 - $900 x 3 times per year

3 - The rear tail light assembly holds 4 globes. When one globes connector burns out you need to change the entire assembly ( $100 )...Read more

I'm a bit sad to see such bad reviews of my car, which I really love! Mine is a 2009 "D" (diesel) 6-speed manual with the sunroof and I can't say enough good things about it. It still drives and handles mostly like new, and apart from some dints in the sides from clumsy people opening doors in car parks, it still looks pretty good too. I just love driving it, it's not super fast but it's torquey and you can swing it around a corner if you feel like it. You can fit more in it than you would expect - just today I bought a new clothes dryer and (w...Read more

BMW in some countries acknowledge that cooper s r56 has a faulty timing tensioner causing $1600 repair or if not repaired early total engine replacement. In australia their official line is they do not have to comply as the laws here don't make them have to.

Timing chain issue fails after 30'000km on a $50,000 car! Does that sound right.? If you talk to your BMW service manager they tell you it is normal. (Not normal on a $12k Hyundai)

Beware of BMW used car inspections they won't tell you honestly any known issues covering them up, I spe...Read more

I purchased my Mini Cooper 'S' from Col Crawford MINI in June 2010. This was my second Mini, i only sold the previous one which i loved to move back to the UK. This time around, what a mistake!

The car sounded like a diesel one morning (October 2010), towed to my local BMW dealer (Parramatta) who were amazing. They called me and advised the timing chain was on its way out.. Typically something needing replacing at 150,000kms, not 7,000kms. The vehicle was in the shop for a period of 6 weeks. BMW parramatta had their hands tied and kept me in...Read more

Buy this car if you're a die hard Mini enthusiast!If not and you still want this car because it looks cool and it's Mini,dont hold on it for long.Dispose it as soon as the 3 year warranty and Road Assist run out or prepare to spend $$$$$ for repairs not to mention time. Browse for Mini Forums around the world,this car apparently encounters many major mechanical problems early in it's life (3-5 years)
Great Road Assist
Further to my earlier review(Leo729),the door actuator was replaced and fixed the problem. I thought it was the last.However,I h...Read more

Very fun car to drive. I love driving it in and around the city, so easy to park etc. The mini has such surprising performance for a small car, helped by the supercharger. Long drives in the country can be a bit of a spine cruncher due to the stiff race car like suspension. Not using run flat tyres on the mini does improve the ride however if you get a flat your pretty much walking or talking about the weather with a tow truck driver. Plenty of bonus parts now available online for added performance and to fix common faults for the mini, such as...Read more

Having owned my 03' R56 Cooper S for 3yrs now, I have fallen in love with it. Coming out of a Type R Honda Integra I was looking for something that was still fun to drive but in a more modern package.
Although the "S" has only 125kw (vs 145kw from the type R) it is still alot of fun to drive.
I have now travelled 40,000km (after buying it at 90,000km's) and it still brings a smile to my face everytime I go out to it in the morning-how many cars can really give that to you today.
I've found the build quality to be really good although after f...Read more

This Mini Cooper Diesel is the most economical car I have ever owned and the most fun to drive. People look. It goes wherever I point the front wheels. It handles like my WRX STi. It has character like my PT Cruiser. I love it and plan to keep it forever.
Fantastic little 1.6 l diesel engine with 6 sp manual gearbox. Has a marvelous GPS/trip computer in the speedo! Handles like a go cart when the sport button is pressed. Love the fuel economy...I average 3.1l/100km regularly. Have had no problems at all in 18 months. Everybody loves this car wh...Read more