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Let's not use too broad a brush: There are at least 3 generations of new minis out there - I'm fairly new to that world and catching up... IMO, the first one in S form is quite enjoyable and fairly reliable. Yes, it has issues (just like most porsches have classic porsche issues), somewhat compounded by the fact that everything is crammed into a small car and you must take the front end apart to perform seemingly easy tasks... For instance a dealer wanted $1400 to replace my water pump ! But an independent did it for less than 1/2 - most of it labor !
Gen 2 I believe has a peugeot derived engine which has a raft of other issues (turbo instead of supercharger).... Gen 3 is rumored to be better and more refined, but the car was redesigned and now looks like Shrek blew it up via the tail pipe, resulting in a "surprised and bloated" look - not as pretty as the original new Mini. Still fun though.
All in all, they are incredibly FUN cars to drive. I hate FWD in principle but I got me a mini as a beater a few months back and it made me change my mind. The design is grin inducing, the S power and supercharger sound is grin inducing, it handles very very well... I'd jump on a Gen 1 R53 (I think, first gen Cooper S supercharged) or JC works, or GP model in a heartbeat for the right price. Very mod friendly car too !
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