MINI Clubman first generation - things to note?

[david-j8694]

Hi all.

My mother is looking for a runabout and has always fancied a Mini. Specifically the clubman with the van doors.

She's only looking to spend 5-7k, which means she's right at the bottom end of the market for this car. She also wants an auto, which I believe is a ZF unit? Not sure what the 6 speeders were like but the ZF8s have a superb rep.

Using something like this as an example, are there any major issues with these cars: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022043052...

Thanks.

[Shappers24]

Every mini I’ve had has eaten top mounts, easy to check from engine bay for cracking / damage.

Beyond that, I’ve only ever run cooper S models which have a whole host of engine foibles to watch out for, not that clued up on the non turbo modes.

[ZX10R NIN]

Look up Prince engine on google & you'll see that the engine has a potential timing tensioner issue (but it's not alone there are VAG/JLR/BMW engines that all suffer this issue) it's not an expensive job & is worth doing if you buy one.

Then change the oil every 10k or year depending on what comes first, apart from that they can suffer modern car niggles like window regulators etc.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208048...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208118...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207077...

[NiceCupOfTea]

My dad had a late R55 Cooper S Clubman - it was lovely and I wish I’d bought it from him when he sold it.

[CoolHands]

I have the same era Cooper s and clubman (that’s the van doors one!) jcw. I like them, and one like you’ve linked to looks good. The engine (timing) thing is over-hyped. If it’s been ok till now then don’t worry, just make sure the oil level stays above minimum and it will be ok. I don’t know about the auto boxes.

[Tom4398cc]

I ran a 57 plate 1.6 petrol cooper clubman for the first year of covid. I bought it cheaply as it was a bit scruffy and had 7 owners and hadn’t been serviced for 2.5 years. 73,000 miles on the clock. It was local too at a time when we weren’t supposed to be travelling.

It was a fun car but a lot went wrong and it was expensive to get things fixed. The packaging is so tight that the mechanics have to take a lot off the car to get where they need to be.

The things that had to be done on mine were:
Valve stem oil seals
Timing chain and tensioners
Clutch
Catalytic converter on the exhaust manifold
Broken rear spring

After the spring broke, I stupidly tried to upgrade the suspension with a KW road kit. But it sat too low at the front. I got fed up with it so swapped to a GP2.

The R55 Minis are great. They’re just not without the odd issue and expensive to work on compared to many other cars. They are fun though, which many cars are not.

[vikingaero]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Also check the areas around the barn doors and club door for rust where the door seal rubs against the paint.

Good examples do exist, but these are mainly the One & Cooper variants. You'll never have Japanese levels of reliability in MINIs, so be aware of constant niggles.

[Jamescrs]

david-j8694 said:

Hi all.

My mother is looking for a runabout and has always fancied a Mini. Specifically the clubman with the van doors.

She's only looking to spend 5-7k, which means she's right at the bottom end of the market for this car. She also wants an auto, which I believe is a ZF unit? Not sure what the 6 speeders were like but the ZF8s have a superb rep.

Using something like this as an example, are there any major issues with these cars: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022043052...

Thanks.

My wifes first Mini Countryman had the same engine as the one in the link and it was reliable over the four years she owned it, interior which was broadly the same again wore its years well especially given hers was a kid wagon, it never failed us just the usual maintenance was all required, servicing, tyres etc.

Can't comment on the auto box because ours was a manual.

She traded it in against the next generation Countryman Cooper S and again that's not caused any issues (touch wood).

I owned an R53 Cooper S at one point and it was pretty reliable considering the hammer I gave it on track etc.

The only Mini I wouldn't buy personally are the R56 Cooper S versions as I have two mates who have owned them and the early engines are horrible for reliability, the one in the link seems a good one.

[chrisch77]

We had a Cooper D from new in 2007 and ran it until early 2021. There were corrosion issues around the edges of the rear doors in the early years but other than that the main issues were related to the PSA 1.6 HDI engine fitted up to the facelift in 2010(?), including:
- Soot leakage from the turbo to DPF joint since new.
- Squeaky cam belt tensioner after about 3 years requiring an early cam belt change.
- Leaky sump gasket (it’s RTV rather than a proper gasket) after about 8 years.

It also needed a new RH boot door lock replacement after about 10 years. All in all there were niggles over 80k miles but it was totally reliable on the road, and even ran its original battery when we sold it last year.

[chrisch77]

Just remembered - front fog lights don’t tend to last long as they often get moisture in them. This can be an indication that one of the round access covers in the wheel arch liner is missing or poorly fitted. I think we lost or broke 2 or 3 of these covers in 13 years.

[david-j8694]

Firstly, thanks a lot for all the replies, and the link to another thread on a similar mode - which doesn't make great reading!

Unfortunately for her that does confirm what I had always assumed was the case with the older Minis. Some people get hassle free motoring, but the majority get a stream of niggles. The lack of longevity with that motor is also a concern given the age and mileage at which she's likely to be buying.

I'm not sure I fancy her chances at being one of the lucky ones and, given she's been out of driving for a while, I don't want to suggest something that's going to be a hassle - even if she would love a red auto Mini!

Thanks again for the replies everyone.

[Challo]

david-j8694 said:

Firstly, thanks a lot for all the replies, and the link to another thread on a similar mode - which doesn't make great reading!

Unfortunately for her that does confirm what I had always assumed was the case with the older Minis. Some people get hassle free motoring, but the majority get a stream of niggles. The lack of longevity with that motor is also a concern given the age and mileage at which she's likely to be buying.

I'm not sure I fancy her chances at being one of the lucky ones and, given she's been out of driving for a while, I don't want to suggest something that's going to be a hassle - even if she would love a red auto Mini!

Thanks again for the replies everyone.

They are good cars, but if you get a bad one they need alot of TLC. Just scrapped my Cooper S as the engine failed, only 20k since it was last rebuilt.

Also I think the Auto box in the second gen versions arent very good.

For hassle free motoring I wouldn't recommend a Mini.

[david-j8694]

Challo said:

david-j8694 said:

Firstly, thanks a lot for all the replies, and the link to another thread on a similar mode - which doesn't make great reading!

Unfortunately for her that does confirm what I had always assumed was the case with the older Minis. Some people get hassle free motoring, but the majority get a stream of niggles. The lack of longevity with that motor is also a concern given the age and mileage at which she's likely to be buying.

I'm not sure I fancy her chances at being one of the lucky ones and, given she's been out of driving for a while, I don't want to suggest something that's going to be a hassle - even if she would love a red auto Mini!

Thanks again for the replies everyone.

They are good cars, but if you get a bad one they need alot of TLC. Just scrapped my Cooper S as the engine failed, only 20k since it was last rebuilt.

Also I think the Auto box in the second gen versions arent very good.

For hassle free motoring I wouldn't recommend a Mini.

Yeah, that makes sense really. I'm sure they're great when they're working.

I'm going to force her down the road of something cheaper and cheerful like a Suzuki Swift. For the same budget she's looking at a car at least 5 years newer and/or significantly less mileage.

[Maracus]

Challo said:

They are good cars, but if you get a bad one they need alot of TLC. Just scrapped my Cooper S as the engine failed, only 20k since it was last rebuilt.

Also I think the Auto box in the second gen versions arent very good.

For hassle free motoring I wouldn't recommend a Mini.

We had an 2010 2nd Gen LCI R56 MCS auto with the N18 engine for 8+ years.

Pretty much the most reliable car I've owned in 33 years. The auto box wasn't exactly modern, but made by Aisin and no worse than any other autobox I've had. Never had an issue with it. Surprised yours wasn't very good.

Changed the Engine oil every year and it lost next to no oil in between.

Replaced it with a MINI E in February.

[this is my username]

Make sure that she can live with the ride - mine was bone-jarringly hard and the seats were rock hard and uncomfortable too. Had to change the shocks and put cushions on the seats before I could live with it.

[vikingaero]

Maracus said:

Challo said:

They are good cars, but if you get a bad one they need alot of TLC. Just scrapped my Cooper S as the engine failed, only 20k since it was last rebuilt.

Also I think the Auto box in the second gen versions arent very good.

For hassle free motoring I wouldn't recommend a Mini.

We had an 2010 2nd Gen LCI R56 MCS auto with the N18 engine for 8+ years.

Pretty much the most reliable car I've owned in 33 years. The auto box wasn't exactly modern, but made by Aisin and no worse than any other autobox I've had. Never had an issue with it. Surprised yours wasn't very good.

Changed the Engine oil every year and it lost next to no oil in between.

Replaced it with a MINI E in February.

If you're replacing your MCS with an E, then chances are your annual mileage isn't that high.

My Clubman S was using about 1 litre every 400 miles! If I drove oop North for anything, say 250 miles, I'd need to take oil with me to top up, or the car would be below the minimum on the dipstick on my return.

Both my sisters run F56 Coopers and they are way below average in reliability. The frustrating thing is they are such good cars to drive.

[Maracus]

vikingaero said:

Maracus said:

Challo said:

They are good cars, but if you get a bad one they need alot of TLC. Just scrapped my Cooper S as the engine failed, only 20k since it was last rebuilt.

Also I think the Auto box in the second gen versions arent very good.

For hassle free motoring I wouldn't recommend a Mini.

We had an 2010 2nd Gen LCI R56 MCS auto with the N18 engine for 8+ years.

Pretty much the most reliable car I've owned in 33 years. The auto box wasn't exactly modern, but made by Aisin and no worse than any other autobox I've had. Never had an issue with it. Surprised yours wasn't very good.

Changed the Engine oil every year and it lost next to no oil in between.

Replaced it with a MINI E in February.

If you're replacing your MCS with an E, then chances are your annual mileage isn't that high.

My Clubman S was using about 1 litre every 400 miles! If I drove oop North for anything, say 250 miles, I'd need to take oil with me to top up, or the car would be below the minimum on the dipstick on my return.

Both my sisters run F56 Coopers and they are way below average in reliability. The frustrating thing is they are such good cars to drive.

Annual mileage for the MINI will be 10k, So average.