Do you own a mini cooper?

I used to work on the MINI show floor, and I can tell you they are seriously a hot commodity…one of the very few cars that actually retain if not increase in value years down the line, depending on what market you are in. Here in the NW, we have a waiting line of about 8 months to get a new one, and people come in with all their paperwork signed, stars in their eyes, waving money in your face – it’s hardly “selling”, more like a sign-up.

That said, most MINI dealerships take extraordinary pride in their maintenance departments, and while parts can be expensive it’s pretty rare in my experience for break-downs, especially with the newer cars (post ‘03). The cars are designed to notify you of all your regular tune-ups, the warranties come with road-side assistance, they have run-flat tires…all in all, a pretty stellar, reliable car, one that I came “this close” to trading my Prius in for (another of the other very few cars that retains its value these days…)

No, but my granny is about to purchase one.

I used to hear the same thing about Jettas before I got mine and it was totally fine.

@country: very informative but can I hear from someone who actually OWNS one and has had one for awhile??

No offense Dark but I worked with hundreds and hundreds of people who owned them for several years, and got to know the ins and outs of service and maintenance pretty fluently – I’m not trying to sell you one (note that I drive a Prius), I’m just giving my perspective from having actually worked with the cars, the hundreds of owners and their service issues

don’t crash in one

go to edmunds.com and look up the customer reviews for the exact model you are looking for. People are more than happy to write about the pros and cons.

I just picked mine up on Monday, so I can’t tell you about repairs. Routine maintenance is covered for a while (I forget how long… 30,000 miles?).

@ hearcat ~ what color did you get?

British Racing Green with black roof and bonnet stripes :-D

sweet !

Nice!

Love that color. My socks would match your new ride.

Here’s a picture of my Mini from when I built it on the MiniUSA.com website… the wheels were on backorder, so I should get them next week. I will post more photos to iRovr when I get them.

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@DarkSideOfTheDiscoBall: There are many Mini forums on the web; North American Motoring seems to be the best, as I see it referenced in many places. A Google search for other Mini Cooper forums should help you find more information. Sorry that I couldn’t be more helpful with your question… ask again in a couple years! :-D

@hearkat. So as I mentioned, my grandmother is getting one soon. Do you advocate going through the Mini website or a dealer? The dealers looked way more expensive, which is why I’m asking.

On the website you can choose the configurations, but you can’t order the car. It will direct you to dealer(s) in your area.

I suggest researching her local dealers in the forum I mentioned to learn which company and which salespeople are best to work with. If you are buying one of the cars off the lot, there is some room to negotiate; but if you special order as I did, you pretty much have to pay MSRP. But the dealer will work with you on the add-ons they do after it comes from the factory (e.g. mud flaps, floor mats, etc.).