How does Veeky Forums feel about Mini Coopers?

i considered them when i was buying my last car. i wanted something small and i liked that mini had a small weird tuner/performance community that was more grown up than the people that ruin civics and fiestas. the self-consciously quirky interior really bugged me, though. if it had a normal interior i would probably own one.

Fucking shit didnt want to hear this

>Replaced the timing chain twice in 3 months
Even if it was a second-gen, fucking how?

Good news is you bought one that doesn't have the notorious "death rattle" at 40k mi.
The bad news is it takes 6 hours to change the supercharger oil.
All in all, it's been my experience that the first-gens are more reliable and somewhat easier to work on for basic shit. Also less prone to coolant leaks.
You got a 6-speed, right?

Yes. A six speed.

Honestly I should have done my homework before purchasing. Mine just reached 130k. Anything I should be on the watch for?

Not getting a CVT saved you a majority of the possible headaches.
Nothing too specific comes to mind. The oil cooler gasket likes to leak but aside from that they're pretty OK. The biggest problem I have with them is the utter lack of space in the engine bay. Doing anything more than spark plugs or changing the oil is a goddamn game of tetris.
Also if and when the clutch needs replacing you should really just have a shop do it. It's not something you want to do without a lift.

BMW did their thing and now they're unreliable garbage. Its a cashgrab at people that think they're cute. I've had to talk my gf out of buying one many times
>But theyre so cuuuute

Holy shit nigger, 130k is a lot on a Mini, they're usually well and truly fucked long before they hit that mileage.

Honestly, they're unreliable as fuck

>dude unreliable lmao
you're retarded

What are you even trying to say? It's well known they don't last. Even back in 2006 when they had only been out a few years, people were telling me not to buy one because they'll break significantly by 100k.

Had one of the first ones, lots of fun but drank at a rate no car that size should.

All the unreliability comes from the GM bits. You do know that right?

except there is nothing GM about the car. The only part on those Minis shared with any GM car is the supercharger of the Cooper S's. It's an Eaton M62, the same supercharger is used on the 2004-2007 Saturn Ion Redline and 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged. but the supercharger was made by Eaton, not General Motors.

don't blame GM because the French can't make a decent engine.

The engine and gearbox is from the Neon & PT cruiser nothing french about it.

except the Neon and PT Cruiser never used those engines, at least in America. And even so, that's Chrysler, not GM

>that's Chrysler, not GM
I never said they were just that the engine is not french but American. (well designed there built in Brazil for cost benifits) I think you have me confused with

are you a normie?
"reliability" only matters for soccer moms and commuter dads.

like i give a fuck if i have to do a thermostat housing gasket.

>130k

Google mini cooper clutch replacement.
>A two part video comes up
>Both videos are almost 30 minutes
>Basically involves removing the entire front end and steering rack.

I have done a good few clutches on these, probably due to the huge 1st gear and slipping the clutch to keep speed with slow traffic.

The supercharged ones are a blast to drive, they handle like a giant go kart.

The front end of it it mounded on rails, you can unclip a few things and undo a few bolts and slide it forward to make more space when working on the engine.

And dont listen to angsty classic mini purists.

>Doing anything more than spark plugs or changing the oil is a goddamn game of tetris.
THIS

>Also if and when the clutch needs replacing you should really just have a shop do it. It's not something you want to do without a lift.
nah, the whole drivetrain comes out the front in like 3 hours. Jack stands and a cherry picker work fine.

btw mine is an 04 R53 with the Works kit. its fun af to drive

Learn to love that engine bay, or at least come to terms with it.

You're going to spend a lot of time in there.

i own a F56 Cooper S and i love it.

>F56 Cooper S

If anyone is getting a a mini, I highly recommend going for the ones made in 2015 and after. These are of a much higher quality build and actually use a legit BMW engine, Knew someone that got a new S and it makes for an excellent hot hatch.

They've used "legit BMW engines" since the beginning of the R56. They're exponentially worse than the Chrysler engines they replaced.

Not sure how you do it but I've always done them from the bottom and I can't imagine doing it without a tranny jack.
Shit pays like 12 hours, too.

Not him, but I bring the gearbox out forwards, just pull the gearbox off enough to disengage the input shaft and rotate it slightly and remove towards the front of the car 5th gear end first.

We had lots of practice, an old lady owned one and went through 4 clutches in 50k miles from riding the clutch everywhere.

>gay mans civic
found the cuck

The convertible ones are ebin

this guy works faster than i do but check it out

youtube.com/watch?v=fie-sUtiNAo

they are chick cars desu

Prefer the original

>Prince
>french

Legit BMW. Haha.

Wife's R57 had 3 recalls and we spent $1500 decarbonizing the heads. A true POS engine. Shiity dash electronics, too. Aisin autos are bullet proof though.

F series Minis are much more refined, but jury still out on her F57, but so far so good. BUY the extended warranty if you plan to keep the Mini out of warranty. It would have easily paid for itself on the R57, but BMW didn't offer them. They do now... you do the math.

>Aisin autos are bullet proof though.
Because Aisin is owned by Toyota.
fun fact. Fiat 500's also use Aisin automatics.

Depends which part fails really, you mong.

Gearbox imploding doesn't really constitute a minor inconvenience, does it?

Why would you ever buy a used car and NOT do research on it?

Pic related is what they call a "thermostat" and is 5-10x more expensive than that actual small component most vehicles have. Doing a spark plug change requires a 12 sided socket and a torque wrench to tighten plugs to exactly 9ft lbs. Steering components visible from inside the cabin if you look above the pedals. Large turning radius for such a small car. Engine stays around 3000k rpm going just a bit over 100km/hr. All the controls for things are fucking stupid and in the worst places imaginable. German """engineering""" at its finest

Have a r53 JCW in black. It's on the garage with the engine out as I'm replacing a whole bunch of stuff. Sure they require maintenance, many issues can be avoided if you know what to look for and do maintenance. They are great fun to drive.
Sure my prelude is more economical, but it's boring as all hell.
Also gay, just to match the stereotype.

>3000k
ENGINE TO THE MOON CAP'N!

Total fag mobiles