2002 Mini S as Daily Driver?
 

I am thinking about buying a 2002 MIni S for my daily driver. The cars I have seen have between 50,000-75,000 miles. Are they reliable at this mileage? Will they go for 150,000-200,000 miles without major issues?

Any feedback from owners would be appreciated.

Mike

Of the first batch the 2004+ are considered reliable. I have a 2004 MCS that has been very reliable to 60K. Superchargers are rated to about 120k. We have been very happy with our car.

I have an '05 base model with 101K miles. Normal maintenance is all that has been required. Owned since '06 and have put on 100K of the total miles.

Mini Cooper can be more expensive then a 911 if neglected.

Main isues I've heard about the 02 are Elextric Power Steering Failure, Power Steering cooling fan (may cause fire)
Mushrooming Strut Towers
Midlands Transmission Failure through middle of 2004 (5 speed non-s)
Motor Mount leaks
Rust under door sills
Windsheilds Cracking
Oil Leaks-cheap part, lots of labor
Valve Cover and oil pan leaks

MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - Oil Leak @ 50k

Here is a link from the NA Mini Cooper forum about higher mileage issues and other stuff

MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - Should we start a SubForum for High Mileage?

Other then that they are fun cars but IMHO I would have a back-up vehicle unless it was 07 or newer under warranty.

Keep in mind, like any tech board, most people posting on the Mini boards are those with problems. Tens of thousands of Mini owners have had zero problems. My wife owns a '06 Mini and a friend of mine has an '02 Mini S. My friend's S had a problem with the transmission that required a reflash of the software. My wife's Mini had a thermostat housing leak that was easily fixed. Both cars are daily drivers. My wife on numerous occasions has driven her Mini up to see her mom in South Dakota, including in winter. My friend's '02 has 105,000 miles on it. If the one you are looking at passes a PPI I would say it will be a reliable, fun car for many more miles.

I had a later model Mini (07), and while it was great fun to drive, it was $$$ to repair. I found the interior quality laughable... really grated on me after a while. Trim fell off, and dash rattled like a diamondback constantly. Lastly, mileage (cooper S) was abysmal -- granted that I am probably a more aggressive driver than 'average,' but probably average for this board. I know the cars have a lot of enthusiast supporters, but I was really disappointed overall. And service? Don't get me started. Kept if for just over a year and took a bath on the sale (bought new). Love my A4 Audi as a daily, now. Better mileage despite bigger engine, too!

My wife bought an '06 non-S new and has 55k miles on it. It's been trouble free except for a leaky t-stat o-ring and wiper fluid reservoir which were covered under warranty. Battery died just before warranty expired, but that's common in the desert climate. I drive the car a lot and sort of like it, though it's woefully underpowered, especially when you're used to bikes and 911's. Working on it is a cinch. It's at least as DIY-friendly as the E46. Eric Coffey and I changed the belts out a while back without using the factory tool. And the fuel filter R&R wasn't a lot of fun, but then the kit Pelican sells has an O-ring which is way too large, so all was well when we reused the original one. I haven't heard of any catastrophic failures in these cars, but I guess anything can happen. Maint. is very easy.

I have a 2002 Mini Cooper S. My car has about 52K on it. So far it has been quite reliable mechanically only requiring relatively minor and non-critical repairs. Recently, I experienced my first episode with the power steering not working properly. One time thing, but I assume it will happen again.

Hell I had a 63 Cooper S that I drove every day! The BMW's have to be more reliable.

Thank you for the detailed replies. I am considering buying a Mini from Carmax. It will be financed, so I would be more than a little disapointed to shell out $$ for major repairs on top of a payment of almost $300 per month.

The 2002 Mini S's seem to be $3,000-5,000 less than the 04 and newer Mini S's. Should I gamble? I do have my rock solid Carrera 3.2 to use as back up and I can ride share with my wife in a pinch.

Mike

FWIW: I am a fan of the Mini. I like the driving dynamics of the S and the engine sound it cool too. But, contrary to some opinions expressed on other threads, my light weight Carrera 3.2 is exponentially faster, quicker, more solid, more lively, more fun, is a billion times better looking and oozes quality by a factor of a trillion:)

I drove an earlier model S and liked it, but decided to look at the base model for a pretty significant fuel savings, I see 33-34mpg on what is best described as 50/50 secondary/highway with some of that highway being stop and go every day. I put on an average of 400-500 miles a week so my fuel costs have been 30-42 per fill-up.

It has been everything I wanted - a small economical car that is fun to drive on the back roads close to home and a decent, economical commuter. And, I deleted the rear seats, replaced with foam and a cloth cover and our Saint Bernard and Siberian Husky can share the cargo area comfortably. You can stuff an amazing amount of stuff in the back.

Even though it is down on power compared to the S, it is still a lot of fun to wind up to 5-6K in third gear on our local roads. Handles well, stops well. Essentially a go cart for big kids.

Not sure where you are located, but my '05 with Blizzaks was better in the snow than our Nissan 4x4 p/u until the chin spoiler started pushing snow.

My wifes DD is an '04 MCS which we bought new. Great little car. 35mph hwy. Main points;

-Get rid of the runflats if someone hasn't already.
-Electric windows tend to stick. A good hard whack on the inside of the door panel towards the front will free them.
-Oil changes suck.
-Get an S.

Cheers,

Paul.

I had a 2003 S and it was great. 2002's have a few first year niggles but they seem to be fixable. I'm thinking about another one, it looks like 10-12k gets a nice, decent mileage 03-04. My only gripe is that's also 330ci $$.

I did the first service/oil change and it was as simple as it gets. I didnt have the car long enough to comment on long term issues, but everything I read indicated the common issues are generally simple to remedy.

'06 S here. Bought it new so have 4 years and 48k miles (much of the miles in NYC metro area, urban offensive driving conditions on our crumbling infrastructure). The '06 is the final year of the "original new" MINI, as they were totally redesigned for '07 (save for the convertibles).

Other than the fluids, the car has required front pads and rotors, and a set of tires and I had to replace a $20 muffler hanger that broke. Its been completely reliable and fun transport thus far.

Thanks for all the help fellas.

I decided to get a 2010 S. It is a Steptronic so that my wife feels comfortable driving it too. She really likes it, so I figured I should accommodate her preference. I have the Carrrera 3.2 when I need to shift old school style.

I am kinda stoked!

Mike

Pictures please...

Congrats!