Mini Countryman for the missus - DPF etc

[Phleaser]

Hi all,
The Better Half is convinced she wants a Mini Countryman (Cooper S Auto) up to 4 years old.

Are there any known key issues to look for?

She also only covers 5k-8k miles per year of short, town based driving. Petrol is fine, but what about Diesel? Is it a no-go for this mileage and car?

Cheers!

[steve-5snwi]

Make sure it has the N18 engine, ignore price guides they are sold on spec, lose the runflats, use the mini xl webpage to see if it has a service pack, make sure everything works. Enjoy the car. I have a clubman cooper s and i'm looking for an auto s convertible for the wife (yesterday it was fiestas)

Don't bother with the diesel, mini's should be petrol

[Phleaser]

steve-5snwi said:

Make sure it has the N18 engine, ignore price guides they are sold on spec, lose the runflats, use the mini xl webpage to see if it has a service pack, make sure everything works. Enjoy the car. I have a clubman cooper s and i'm looking for an auto s convertible for the wife (yesterday it was fiestas)

Don't bother with the diesel, mini's should be petrol

Thanks Steve, much appreciated - and actually you confirmed what I thought about diesel.
We might yet end up with a clubman cooper or a Countryman Cooper S - just waiting for a keen price/spec to be found on either.

[steve-5snwi]

Spec is everything, but if you find the right spec don't hang about, the good ones tend to sell very quick and price wise don't expect anything cheap you can price them high and they still sell. Countrymans do seem to sit a bit longer in all honesty so might be room for haggling on the price.

[Audicab]

My wife's got an SD, car is okay but I certainly wouldn't recommend the diesel. We struggle to get over 44 MPG, even on a run, and it sounds like a bag of spanners. The suspension is also very firm and uncomfortable on anything other than smooth tarmac.