Buying a Used Mini Convertible -Reliability

[Hurricane56]

Hi there.

We are thinking of buying a used mini convertible, say £8-10k.

Are there any major issues to watch out for, particularly in relation to roof reliability etc.

Any guidance or comment much appreciated.

Andrew

[clockworks]

Hopefully the newer models are better than the one I had - a 54 plate Cooper S. The roof itself was fine, even at 10 years old, but the bodyshell was a bit on the floppy side. Every bump in the road was accompanied by a myriad of creaks and groans from the interior trim, especially the dashboard and windscreen trims. I fitted a strut brace, and dismantled most of the interior to try and quieten it down, with only partial success.

The buffeting in the back seat with the roof down was horrendous, as was rear visibility.

If you have smooth roads and drive slowly, with the back seats empty, it would be OK I guess. I sold it after 6 months, and bought a Z4.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

clockworks said:

The buffeting in the back seat with the roof down was horrendous, as was rear visibility.

.

Rear viability is so poor, it's one of the cars listed as being not allowed to be used in a driving test.

I also think I'm right in saying if the rear screen gets damaged, it can't be replaced in isolation. Whole new roof needed, £2500 inc labour.

[Pig benis]

My GF had a R56 Cooper Convertible up until recently and it was pretty perfect in terms of reliability. Absolutely nothing went wrong in 4 years of ownership and 30k miles.

Fuel consumption was around 38-40mpg and that is lots of very short trips, with the occasional 'long' trip up the M4 to Bristol.

The downsides to the car were -

- The roof would always get mould growing, no matter what products were applied
- Rear visibility with the roof up is terrible
- The rear seats are SO uncomfortable to sit in. The upper part of the seat is so bolt upright, with no adjustment

She loved the car, but she part exchanged it for a brand new Cooper S

[Hurricane56]

Thanks for responding. I’d heard the cars could be a bit uncomfortable so would probably avoid a Cooper S.
Andrew

[pdavison]

Replace the run flat tyres with standard tyres and the ride is improved dramatically.

Great fun cars!

[MrAverage]

Dad's girlfriend has had a succession of Mini's and they all have had some silly issues but appear to be getting better.

Current is a Cooper D (14 plate) convertible and has been back twice, once for fuel filter issue and once for roof issue. both were sorted under warranty but my dad is always worried about keeping a Mini much after 5 years old.

I haven't seen anything that'd really put me off but i would buy with my eyes open and preferably with a warranty and from a decent / local dealer for when it does have silly issues. if buying private then buy one that's had the issues resolved e.g from someone like my dad.

[rednotdead]

Other half has run a Cooper convertible for 10 years, it's now 11 years old with 64k on the clock, and auto to boot (she can only drive autos for health/mobility reasons).

Yes it rattles like a bd, but changing the run-flats for some Falkens improved the ride, handling and rattling. In 10 years it has cost us routine servicing (mini when it had tlc, now use TWG in Camberley) and nothing else except disks/pads/tyres when required. The hoods can be a weak point but ours is garaged so no real issues - gtechniq cleaning and proofing products have kept it looking almost as good as new. The exhaust back boxes are cheap and all rust to buggery - only worth replacing when they blow. The CVT boxes in the coopers can be problematic but routine recalibration and oil changes can help, the cooper S has a proper auto box which is more reliable apparently. PAS pumps are a known weak point on all minis up to 2012 or so but so far so good with ours.

Mini specified oil changes/services every 2 years, I've always had ours serviced with oil change every 12 months, partly cos it only does 3-4k a year and partly cos 2 years is too long IMHO.

It's great fun to drive with the legendary mini handling, even better on smooth surfaces, and with the top down is smiles all round. Top down also stops all the creaks and rattles but scuttle shake never goes away.