Proud Owner Of A 2007 Mini Cooper S

[Ian442]

I traded in my 2005 Escalade last night for a 2007 Mini Cooper S. Understand that our needs have changed greatly with one kid going off to college, and the realization we are simply not going to have the time and money to purchase a camper anytime in the near future.

That was the intent of owning the Escalade in the first place which I purchased used in 2014. I had the vehicle appraised and come to find out it was in two different accidents from car fax, and knew I had at least $1000 or more in parts and repairs forthcoming to pass the next inspection.

My kids were sad to see it go, but the thing had terrible gas mileage (Duh!) but I got to thinking about all the costs down the road (transaxle oils, transmission fluids, anti-freeze, engine oil, etc.) and the sheer volume of that involved plus the parts that needed to be replaced.

The Mini test drive was absolutely awesome, this thing felt like a go-kart on crack!. The sales guy put us on a course that let us test out all types of driving and the car responded really well. I looked up maintenance videos on how to fix things and I am more than confident I can handle it.

I have the red with black roof, double sunroof, checkered mirrors, and black hood stripes, and my payments dropped by about $30 a month.

Big guys fit in this car easily just an FYI. LOTS of FUN

 

[NSTG8R]

I traded in my 2005 Escalade last night for a 2007 Mini Cooper S. Understand that our needs have changed greatly with one kid going off to college, and the realization we are simply not going to have the time and money to purchase a camper anytime in the near future.

That was the intent of owning the Escalade in the first place which I purchased used in 2014. I had the vehicle appraised and come to find out it was in two different accidents from car fax, and knew I had at least $1000 or more in parts and repairs forthcoming to pass the next inspection.

My kids were sad to see it go, but the thing had terrible gas mileage (Duh!) but I got to thinking about all the costs down the road (transaxle oils, transmission fluids, anti-freeze, engine oil, etc.) and the sheer volume of that involved plus the parts that needed to be replaced.

The Mini test drive was absolutely awesome, this thing felt like a go-kart on crack!. The sales guy put us on a course that let us test out all types of driving and the car responded really well. I looked up maintenance videos on how to fix things and I am more than confident I can handle it.

I have the red with black roof, double sunroof, checkered mirrors, and black hood stripes, and my payments dropped by about $30 a month.

Big guys fit in this car easily just an FYI. LOTS of FUN

I belong to a Porsche 914 forum and they have an emoticon that would fit this post perfectly.

It's a smilie waving a banner that says: "This post is useless without pics!"

So show us some pictures of your new baby, Ian. I love Mini Coopers.

 

[Maurtis]

Grats!!! I love MINI Coopers, especially the S (and JCW). I know what you mean about the go-kart feeling, I had a 2008 MCS with sport suspension for a year and it was such a blast.

Are you a member of the forums at North American Motoring yet? Tons of useful info there.

I mentioned that I only had mine a year since I bought it used with low mileage but only a year left on the factory warranty. In that year she was in the shop four times, once to have the timing chain tensioner replaced under warranty. You need to check to see if yours has already been done, they are a common problem with the R56 MINI and if they fail it is goodbye valves/pistons.

At the end of my warranty period I was not comfortable with the possibility of more costly repairs... BUT... I know there are plenty of folks with R56s that have had trouble free years of reliability. I hope yours is one of them. Seriously, such a fun car to drive and I love the interiors.

This was five years ago, still miss the party girl:

 

[Ty]

Grats!!! I love MINI Coopers, especially the S (and JCW). I know what you mean about the go-kart feeling, I had a 2008 MCS with sport suspension for a year and it was such a blast.

Are you a member of the forums at North American Motoring yet? Tons of useful info there.

I mentioned that I only had mine a year since I bought it used with low mileage but only a year left on the factory warranty. In that year she was in the shop four times, once to have the timing chain tensioner replaced under warranty. You need to check to see if yours has already been done, they are a common problem with the R56 MINI and if they fail it is goodbye valves/pistons.

At the end of my warranty period I was not comfortable with the possibility of more costly repairs... BUT... I know there are plenty of folks with R56s that have had trouble free years of reliability. I hope yours is one of them. Seriously, such a fun car to drive and I love the interiors.

This was five years ago, still miss the party girl:

The Mazda Miata is the only other car I've driven that has that go cart feel like the Mini did. I drove one of those over in Germany on a trip. The Miata just felt right. Anyway, I know there's a bunch of cars that probably fit the bill. Unfortunately, I usually end up with something that will haul a trailer or the family. Not much fun.

 

[Maurtis]

The Mazda Miata is the only other car I've driven that has that go cart feel like the Mini did. I drove one of those over in Germany on a trip. The Miata just felt right. Anyway, I know there's a bunch of cars that probably fit the bill. Unfortunately, I usually end up with something that will haul a trailer or the family. Not much fun.

Amen! I felt the same way, and with their reputation for reliability I picked up a 2008 MX-5 Miata Sport with 36k miles just last month. She makes the wait for the turbo Elio that much easier Having the Elio in the driveway as a commuter means the Miata can become a project car. She is waiting patiently for her V8 transplant...

The MINI with the rear seat (foldable for cargo) is definitely more versatile. I can still go grocery shopping in my Miata, but have to plan a bit more carefully when buying bulky items. Definitely no trips to Sams or Costco.