You know the feeling when you see a car that you really like but damned to buy because it just does not make sense? I always have that feeling everytime I see a R56 mini cooper. I told myself I am not getting younger and be damned about what does make sense so I decided to look at craigslist and just check out some R56. 6 days after that I purchased a red mini with a white roof. Never I know about the problems with those cars so I ended up joining some mini forums and I think the problems we complain about is nothing to the headache of owning a mini. The car I bought only costed me $2000 but upon bringing it to a dealer to inspect it they called back to advice me to get rid of it. That is when logic goes out of the door. You see I always wanted a mini even before buying 5 Mercedes-benz so after finding a prestine exterior and interior mini with the right options I dont care how much it cost to repair it to get in tip top shape. So I said okay to the +6k repair bill which is 3x the amount I paid for the car. Logical? No, but the grin on my face when I drove the mini out and did a corner doing 70 kph was nothing I have ever experience on my MBs. The noise, jolts of that car made me decide to garage my daily driver w204 and use the mini instead. The fact that the mini and my other MBs have so much contrast makes it logical in some way.

I am not saying buy a mini and get rid of your MBs. I think for someone who really wants to drive should at least drive or own a mini. Street legal go-cart is the right description for it. When your spine gets numb from driving the mini use your w204 to relax it then repeat.

 

A good story. Enjoy the oil leaks & skinned knuckles.

 

I guess you bought a c180 lux LOL

 

My previous co-worker had a mini I am not sure what model. He put so much money into repairing it. One time he drove it on vacation but after one day he had to come back home to take his RV instead. He said the more he drives it the more he hates it.

He sold it to another co-worker

 

Not sure if there is a European car out there I would want less than a Mini.

 

Mini's are quite cute. Unfortunately, reliability is quite poor.

 

My wife has owned 2 minis and is on her 2nd right now.


I hate that thing. I am only 5' 8" and feel super cramped and any road trip over 2 hrs is pure hell.


It is fast off the line and has been pretty reliable for her but that is about the only good things I can say about it.

 

Was there really no other more reliable, higher performing and better looking comparable car for $8000?

I guess you really wanted a mini...congratulations.

 

All of you guys are right. Comfort wise it makes even my B-Class turbo feels like an S-class. The mini is a no-sense car for most. Reliability wise it makes the W204 look like a indestructable Toyota Camry. It does not have the feel of the vault like doors of our MBs. Makes the MB's mbtext feels like real leather and seats that cost $10k. It also makes the w204's back seat feels so premium. But somehow I like it. Maybe it is the cuteness or I am just plain stupid and just granting what I really want. Maybe the more I use it I will come to my senses or maybe not.

One thing for sure the third generation minis are just crap. They gave me a 2017 loaner for 4 days while they are working on my 10 year old car and it just feels so bad that it lost it's roots. It got big and ugly and does not have that holy @#$k go-cart feel anymore. What I really want was a 1st gen mini with the turbo motor but it is so hard to find one that is in prestine condition that was not modified so a 2nd gen will do.

I will sure miss the W204. I will detail my c300 tomorrow put a good coat of wax then garage it for a few months then put the plates back when my butt hurts already. I will also buy a drip pan for the mini's oil leaks and a crate of mobile 1 synthetic oil and pray that the timing chain wont give out in 3 weeks.

 

My wife's minis have had zero oil leaks. Only problems have been little BS things like a side marker light falling out a couple times and a couple other minor things.


To be honest, I like the feel of the minis pleather interior over the MB Tex. The Mini stuff at least feels rather substantial while I think MB Tex is thin papery crap.

 

Life's short. If owning a Mini and getting raped by way of repair bills that's your call. Enjoy the decisions that you make and it quite honestly don't matter what any of us think

Personally I think you're insane for making the choices you made, but that's the joy of a free world. It's entirely up to you how you want to get raped $ wise. We all have our poison, LOL. enjoy dude

 

 

If I wanted a street legal go-cart, I'd get a Lotus or a Mazdaspeed Miata

 

My combat veteran Dad counseled me to NEVER sell a car to a friend.............

I reckon the question could be: is the co-worker a friend?


ez (C250 just back from 30,000 mile service (the final complimentary 10k service - for not writing a check and going w/MBFS).

 

Yes, this co-worker is a junior engineer in the same engineering group, just graduated from college. He is willing to buy cheap cars and fix problems by himself.

 

Shotgun , you enjoy your Mini. You are an enthusiast & good luck to you.

The Leyland Motor company made the Minis in Australia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini

 

After I had a problem with my last car, a friend lent me her Mini for 6 weeks (which was very kind of her). I really quite enjoyed driving it but I'm 6'2" and once I had adjusted the seat properly, there was literally about 2cm of legroom behind me. If my also tall teenage son was with me, the car was strictly a two seater - not very practical.

 

This is true. I am almost 6' tall and no one will be able to fit behind me unless you are a 2" fairy. Good thing the other half is only 5' tall and my daugther will still fit comfortably behind her. For me the car is a 3 seater around town go-cart. If we expect to have more people and more stuff to lug around I have other vehicles that will do that.

I just acquired a 1st gen 8-spoke 17" rims for the cooper and will get it refinished. One thing I like with the cooper is that you can dress it up and still will not look bad as the car's character is already meant to be funny. Slap a few stickers here and there in a MB and you have most of the mercedes-benz fans throwing tomato at you....not with the mini.

My wife drove the car for the first time yesterday and she drives the ML everyday. When she came back she told me she wants to drive it now to work and that I take her ML instead. I cant argue as the car looks perfect for her. Sometimes I still knod my head everytime I see her petite frame climing up and down on the ML.