Tell me about Minis?

[mikees]

Right, so I'm a novice on Minis.

I have a 997Cs and Volvo CX90, Wifey has a Boxster.

I have spent the last 2 years commuting from Maidenhead to Solihull every day and the XC was great and I was getting ~32mpg. We bought it as its good for the (3) kids and luggage (roof bars, surfboards etc) and getting out of our drive (live in the country) when there is loads of the white stuff.

I'm now doing a different role in Aldershot, and the drive, while only 30ish miles, is all small backroads, loads of traffic and requires something "nippy". The XC is lumbering and slow on this route and MPG is down to 27!!!!! - get fuel paid for but doesn't cover the costs.

Don't want to use the 911 due to cost/miles and while taking it for a 30 mile blast on Saturday mornings is fantastic, every day, twice, doesn't appeal.

So, after looking at the options (small, cheap, "different", economical car) a 2004 Mini Cooper ~£4k springs to mind.

So, what are they like, servicing cost, economy, fun to drive, reliability?

Thanks in advance. I know I am asking the a biased group, but guess that you guys are also the experts.

Mike

[JC2012]

Very fun to drive ...... the depends what kind of power you want an 'S' is obviously the way to go for more power but then again high fuel usage.

A cooper on the other hand is very good on fuel and you can still have alot of fun especially with the way these handle.

Look out for those with Chilli Packs, Sports Suspension these are all extras and cruise control, traction control, anti skid control again everything in these cars is an extra.

Dont expect to get any adults in the back if your tall. All round good cars ive seen some with nearly 200k on so the engines are good durable if well maintained.

[mikees]

thanks mate, good reply

[turbolucie]

I've 2 friends with first gen Coopers and they aren't very economical at all, they get a few more MPG than I do in the Cooper S. Get a Cooper S for a slight increase in budget and you won't regret it.

[mikees]

Thanks Lucie. What consumption do you get?

[RVVUNM]

I get 29 mpg from my Cooper S.

[turbolucie]

RVVUNM said:

I get 29 mpg from my Cooper S.

The very best I can get is 300 miles per tank...not sure what that equates to as mpg.

[steveyt88]

turbolucie said:

RVVUNM said:

I get 29 mpg from my Cooper S.

The very best I can get is 300 miles per tank...not sure what that equates to as mpg.

Whoa. I get 27mpg from my R53 JCW... Normally around 230 miles between fill ups. Have had it as low as 21mpg on the road before

[turbolucie]

steveyt88 said:

turbolucie said:

RVVUNM said:

I get 29 mpg from my Cooper S.

The very best I can get is 300 miles per tank...not sure what that equates to as mpg.

Whoa. I get 27mpg from my R53 JCW... Normally around 230 miles between fill ups. Have had it as low as 21mpg on the road before

So a fair bit less than my non-JCW then. I usually get around 250-270 miles per tank.

[Marcia]

A 2004 reg Cooper S will set you back a bit more than £4k.Getting 30mpg out of my S.

[RKDE]

All mini s engines seam to act a little different, most of them will do 300 miles to a tank if they are serviced well and not driven hard everywhere those that do less are being driven a little hard. My last JCW which I rebuilt could squeeze 420 miles out of a tank with careful driving but did still average about 350 miles per tank. I'll say tank because I fill up at the same point and the MPG reader on the dash is normally quite out, if you wanted to you can get the car to show 50 - 60 MPG

It really is not a car to watch the mpg it will be fairly poor but it will be fun

[will bowden]

Our 09 cooper rarely does 30mpg, but it is damn good fun.

Ours is on std 175 tyres which makes the ride much more comfy for when you aren't hooning.

Will

[nitsypee]

Oldish topic, but just read it as I've been considering 3k - 4k Coopers.

I'm also wondering if the Cooper S is worth the extra grand or so. Is the performance very noticeably different, or is it not a huge gap? (I've driven a cooper, but not an S yet...)

[turbolucie]

Definitely worth the extra money. Quite a big difference in performance IMO.

[x12yhp]

Seems a bit disappointing on the consumption front - I thought a cooper was meant to be nearer 40mpg.

[nitsypee]

turbolucie said:

Definitely worth the extra money. Quite a big difference in performance IMO.

Ta for that. I'll have to give one a test.

[RKDE]

turbolucie said:

Definitely worth the extra money. Quite a big difference in performance IMO.

Don't forget that early (now cheaper) before 54 plate coopers had a very weak gear box where as the S has a much stronger gearbox and also stronger engine not to mention they can achieve the same MPG on a run but offer you a lot more power from the supercharged engine

[nitsypee]

Interesting point. I'd actually been thinking that plain Coopers would be a much safer/more reliable bet than the S, though that may not be the case necessarily?

[liamsp]

Girlfriends looking at the 1.4 engine one the S is not an option really as the insurance is sky high. Looking at an 07 onwards do these suffer gearbox troubles?

[RKDE]

no only the one and cooper between 2000 - 2004 which is a totally different engine to the new models 07+ they have there own raft of issues