Lol, my first car was a Mini, and he's right, but I had heard about the potential problems and wanted it anyway, so I budgeted generously just in case and, sure enough, used it. It was a 2009 hatchback. Still loved it and am now looking for a 2014+. I considered and test drove the electric, but it's out of my budget and has a limited range. One can dream though.
@@therealsnoop7497 it wasn’t just a John Cooper works. It was the GP model which is super rare, and that car even with it being older would probably sell for almost 20k right now (edit), yup just looked it up, and found this same model going for $33,000
Brother, I have a 2006 base model with 214k miles, runs smooth easy to fix, hell of a drive, and a beauty to park. I recommend them 20/10 anytime.. drive it from and to WA-CA multiple times, vegas, and within the city of LA. Not bad AT ALL. Forgot to mention is my camping ride, hills and turns no problem. 👌
@@brandonfoley7519 brother, its too reliable I just got myself an S. I still have the base model 2006, and I got a 2002 S. Great rides, highly recommended.
“They are really small” if you have ever seen an original mini you’ll see the irony in that statement. Mini’s today should be called giants cuz they massive.
Today's MINI's are actually surprisingly spacious, my 6 foot 6 inch uncle bought a MINI Countryman after several test drives in various suvs and utes, because it was the only car he fit in.
I mean you shouldn’t compare the MINIs from today to the ones from the 50s. For example, cars similar to the newest Avalons are as big as flagships from early 2000s. Can’t be called massive, as modern cars are getting bigger and bigger for safety issues
@Jack K very little with safety? Imagine a MINI from the 50s, or not even that old. A normal car from the 90s with modern engines. The car would be way too light and would be flying off because modern engines are much more advanced. Since car engines are getting more advanced, its easier to get to higher speeds, and to prevent deaths, the car must be bigger to protect the passengers. There are also so many electronic safety features, like adaptive cruise control or blind spot monitors in modern cars that requires more physical space for radars and wires to be mounted. Larger and heavier cars are much safer for everyone. Imagine what would happen to someone who has a light car and someone with a heavier car crashes. Car sizes have to do with safety 95%.
Don't knock it till you try it... The Grand Cherokee was my first car and for a high school kid it didn't get any better. The back seat fitted a double bed for "activities" and had a hidden compartment underneath the center console to hide... Stuff. The iron 4.0 also took a beating every single time I drove it and it took it in stride
If only it was that simple. Your high pressure fuel pump WILL go bad. So will the thermostat housing. Coils will burn up, you'll need a new valve cover at some point too.
My first car is a mini cooper hatchback 2005, 130k came with her on the clock when I bought her in November 2022. I'm a learner driver and she's the best car I could ever ask for. I've had to fix her and hasn't been expensive at all with all parts sitting at about £160ish total. Car never had a thermostat from when I bought it (lol??), then I bought new wheels and rims cause previous owner didn't tell us they were buckled, wheel bearing, indicator stalk (was damaged as well), control arm ball joint and intake pipe. But then again, I'm able to fix her at home without paying labour and extra charges on top of the needed items as buy the parts from eurocarparts myself and whatnot. The only fault I've noticed on my car is the intake pipe - they tend to split in the same section on old minis and I've had to get a used one from a breaker car from a scrap yard for my girl. And the new one already had a few splits in the rubber so if you can get that new I'd recommend doing so or finding a precautional method (I've just put shit tons of hard activator superglue on mine before it's too far gone. They're only little splits on the "new" one I got. As long as you keep servicing them like with any car every 10k miles or when needed then you'll have no problem with them. I bought my car for £925. Servicing your car will prevent headgasket issues and all that pa-jazz. My car has only failed 4 out of 17/18 times and that's for having a bulb out. She's been well looked after! No rust either and has never had a timing chain issue, no oil leaks ever in her span either. Keep them happy and they'll keep you happy!
@@llebecna1 Overall I think this guy doesn't know much about cars. He just knows Mini is owned by BMW so he makes a video pointing out its flaws. Most car people already know buying a BMW will have heavy maintenance costs.
@@benjaminpont220 Him reccomending a really unreliable car like a jeep grand cherokee to non car people doesn't make it seem like he knows a whole lot about cars. Yea sure, not everyone knows that most used German cars are not a good idea, but for the people that get reccommended his videos, they most likely know that already.
I have a 2004 Cooper S (when they still had superchargers) and it was my first car. It was literally perfect; easy to drive, fast, safe, affordable, and reliable. All the things you need. The only problem I had was a coolant leak that was fixed with a new radiator hose. A JCW wouldn't be the best because of its cost, but if you get an old S, you'll have a blast.
2005-06 MINIs with manual transmissions are the only ones to get, and you need to know how to work on them yourself. They are very reliable when maintained properly (like most cars are).
The problem is that in America people do a lot of miles (some MINIs have already clocked over 120,000 miles) and people drive them hard and don’t look after them properly (thus causing major problems later in their life). If you own any MINI, look after it properly and get quality parts for them, because in the long run, they’ll reward you back.
Yes yes yes. We've had a 2012 Countryman S in our family since the day it rolled off the production line. Always took it for service when it was due, always used genuine parts, and maintained it well. Never once had a problem with it, ever. Minis are great cars as long as you take care of them, and buy a used one with good maintenance records.
@@rustbloodeclipse 100% true, unfortunately people don’t want to pay for quality parts and repair them on the cheap. I saw a 2010 MINI Cooper S hatch for sale in the UK with 113,000 miles on it. It was perfectly sound and was fully kitted out with leather and Sat Nav. The original owner used the car for fun and was only selling it because he’d now got 2 kids and needed more space. It just shows how they keep going if you fix them properly
I agree with this right here. I owned a R56 Cooper S as the second owner and maintained the car as well upgrading a few things as well. The Cooper clocked at 154k miles but still ran and functioned as if nothing was broken. There were a few flaws in between but most of them didn’t change the functionality of the car overall. Loved the Mini Cooper and still do. Somewhat regretting selling it now since I’m reminiscing about owning one back then 😅
And don’t pay attention to the manufacturer recommended 12,000 mile oil change interval. Do it twice as often. Also, replace the belt tensioner with a newer one ASAP as in many early R56s they were too short which can lead to all sorts of issues.
Agree to disagree. I’ve a 2012 Mini Cooper S I bought for my two kids to have as a runabout and it’s been amazing. Bought it last year with only 17k km as the previous owner bought it as a summer weekend car. Has been just perfect 😊
I had a 2010 jcw too and almost had no problems I mean other then with custom parts (don't buy the cheap shit), did have a oxygen sensor go out which was annoying.
@@enfantterrible4868 they’re only unreliable if not maintained well, they burn loads of oil so most owners always run them low on oil, people don’t let the oil temps warm up before they thrash the shit out of them, if they’re kept well, they actually are good reliable engines, but, most people don’t care about them :/
I don't really know, why everyone says BMWs tend to have a lot of problems, because that's simply not true. Of course there are some exceptions like the LCI E46 316i/318i, but the majority of especially BMWs before 2007 will literally last forever.
My first car is a 2002 mini cooper, and I couldn't be any happier with it. Few problems now and then but nothing major. Just keep up with oil changes and other fluids and you're good to go on an awesome car!
Some of these I do agree so, I am looking at a Mini Cooper 2020 s rn and I will say it is a small car but for myself and that’s it. It checks all the boxes
Thats why i am a firm believer that a 2001-2009 2.4 Volvo S60 is the perfect first car. Super cheap, its old Volvo and non-turbo so extremely reliable, comes factory with leather interior, abundant, and safe.
@Brian F my mom and i both drive S60’s, mine is a 2002, hers is 2004. Both are the N/A 2.4 5 cylinder. Mine is at 301k miles. Hers 227k. Look it up. Volvo 5 cylinders are some of the most reliable engines out there
I'm gunna say the perfect first car is an oldsmobile intrigue with the 3.8L v6, they are indestructible have great economy are relatively fast with a roughly 7 sec 0-60 and hold 4 people very comfortably.
With the same TERRIBLE WIRING that all European cars have. FFS you might as well say that A BMW is a best first car. The OLD 1980s volvos were good but..... 2009? They're a TINY bit better than other European cars BUT NOT MUCH.
@@gusl9000 so get a hyundai. Coz let's face it, EVERYONE crashes their first car badly at some point.... might as well destroy something that is cheap.
@@gusl9000 doesn't really matter if it has a ton of miles, just get something that wasn't originally a luxury car with unnecessary electricals, they will go wrong
They're not cheap at all. They cost like a new BMW basically. Terrible value for what you get and they're awfully unreliable. I don't know who buys these.
HIPSTER RETARDS. All about being hip with zero brains behind their decisions. My mechanic has one come in often enough and tells me that the water pump is ran from a roller which sits on the side of the serpentine belt. There's NO SPRING TENSIONER and the minute the serpentine belt gets ONE MILLIMETER of slack, it only occasionally spins the pump and then overheats. I FULLY expected it to be an electric water pump like OTHER bmws have. But it's a bizarre wheel running on the belt also running on the water pump wheel arrangement.
Only for manuals and your right the ones with turbos do has issues but the ones that don’t run great and aren’t terrible to fix if you can do the manual labor
I have a mini one as my first Pros: - so easy to park and handle - not that heavy on fuel - safe - fun - affordable Cons: - Service is expensive at dealerships, but any 3rd party service provider is managable - parts are expensive, especially that 70 000+ clutch But, 1. What today isnt expensive? 2. Resale value is amazing 3. Quality car, really amazing
My first car was a mini. My 2nd and current car.. is a mini I’ve had literally zero issues to talk about I fix it myself I maintain it well My JCW is completely modified and makes 280whp and has literally been turnkey reliable Sure, for the normal person that never even checks their oil.. not a good car As long as you can literally do basic mechanics works I think it’s great
As someone who owns a mini, He's right, this is a terrible first car. It is a fun car, but the maintenance is super expensive, and it has left me stranded on the side of the road a few times.
@@shepherdrm8486 if you treat it like it only has two seats, then the space is decent. But the back seats are so ridiculously small they might as well not be there.
Let’s see…. My first car was a 2013 base mini 2nd car was a 2013 JCW, it’s now stage 3 big turbo wide body, has never given me any issues that weren’t cheap/easy or expected (like thermostat, AC ect) My 3rd car was a 2005 mini s, it’s now got 200l on the clock my father bought it from me and in 2 years we haven’t had any major issues with it My FOURTH car is a 2012 JCW with the “unreliable” N14 motor and it’s given me a few issues. But literally the HPFP and the CAS module It’s stage 2 and cammed and it just made a 3,000 mile road trip successfully only issue it gave me was the thermostat started sticking in the open position (which is fine) Oh and did I mention.. I have cars 2, 3 and 4 all at the same time… we have 3 minis in the the house hold right now Everything you said was VERY low info generalizations
We bought a Mini Cooper used about 2 years ago for 8000$ and it died recently with just over 60‘000 miles (100‘000km). It was a manual and the coupling started making weird noises so we replaced it for I think 2000$. Low and behold a month later the transmission dies and it was an economic total loss (car was worth less than the repair would‘ve cost). Our mechanic said he has another Mini in the shop with exactly the same issue. I think that says a lot about Minis.
A minivan is a pretty underrated first car. They are really freaking practical, and most are pretty strong, for example an oddesy or Siena. I might be getting our family minivan which is a 2013 Chrysler town and country, those can last a long time, just don’t buy one used. If you want to go fast, you actually could. There is a lot of weight reduction you can do because minivans come with a lot of unnecessary crap, and some you could even put superchargers on. With the supercharger thing, they don’t build them for the minivans, but for the engines. For example you could find a trd supercharger, and you might be able to put it on the 3.5 v6 that is used in a lot of Toyotas. Ripp also makes a supercharger for the pentastar v6. However they make it for specific vehicles like the Dodge Challenger, charger, and Jeep Wrangler. So I don’t know if it would work for a caravan or town and country
If you're getting the BOXY looking town and country, FORGET IT. Thry have serious electric issues at 6 MONTHS OLD. Wiring shorting out against the roof in between the headliner at 6 months old. Now THAT'S a reason to make sure fire was included in your car insurance. I have heard of mechanics seeing ones 6 months old with blown head gaskets, wondering if they EVER put the gasket on correctly at the factory. And the odessey??? Skip the early 2000s ones because they had REAL transmission issues. And they've NEVER BEEN good on transmissions since 2000. I got a hyundai trajet van that has done very few miles (like 6500 a year) and it's BRILLIANT. Former company vehicle with more latte spills than you could imagine but even the crash test on them was BETTER than a Mercedes-Benz sedan of the same age. Not a lot of power but it's a 2 ton vehicle. Surprisingly good on fuel if you drive it gently. I get just under 2.5 gal per 60 miles. Yes it's an automatic. Seperate airconditioning for the back too and a heater made for below freezing temperatures.
I’ve had a pair of r56 cars. A base and a JCW…the one I’m currently driving. 100k miles on the clock with no significant problems. Preventative maintenance is a must to keep them in top shape, and it’s a fantastic 1st car IF you are willing to learn how to take care of your car instead of just driving it into the ground.
Also! Check for the aftermarket support of any vehicle. Mini's are not as popular back here so aftermarket parts are not readily available and servicing for components may be expensive than other brand models.
Pretty true, had a Camry with the 5sfe and it had knock but still ran strong with my lack of maintenance and know nothing wannabe car guy skills at the time, it taught me though
@@eVerProductions1 the older ones had no electronics to tell you what it thinks is wrong, so you just have to know the car. With any car, just buy a Haynes or Chilton manual, you'll have everything you need to know about your car.
As a 2007 owner I’ve basically had no issues. It was bought used. I’ve put on 45k miles to the car myself, other than oil and tire changes. (Done myself) it’s a really cheap car to own. The 07 class gets too much hate imo. I drive it like I’m in Mario cart. Very fun. As for parts, they are actually cheaper than most parts for other cars I’ve owned (I’ve never owned a truck and parts for those bad boys are always higher than anything I’ve seen even my mothers viper) the only downside I can see for the common person is if you want to fix anything yourself it’s a tight tolerance car so everything normal under the hood is probably under something else in your mini making it more difficult for quick fixes. My buddy recently at 130k miles cracked his head gasket and a mechanic with his time and parts was only 350$ for the fix…. 07 class is nice. (Now that I think about it, most people I know have a year >07 or 14-16) idk anyone w a newer mini but I see them around
He pointed to the air intake and said "fuel pump issues" Also they aren't "more fun to drive then any car on the road" This man has clearly never driven an NA miata
@@TFLEV Just like the N54 engines... Remedied with the N55, but the N54 is still an enthusiast choice. I'm sticking with the tried and true M54, for now. Probably the best engine BMW made and I have 228,000 miles one that bad boi.
Bought my son a 95 na miata for his first car, your not laying. Probably the most fun I have ever had driving a car, has to say a lot coming from a 44 year old Mustang fan boy (and no I've never driven a Mustang through a crowd of people) still love banging gears. KMFNB
These cars can have a lot of problems, however if you learn a thing or two about doing the maintenance yourself it really isn’t that bad. A timing chain replacement for instance is only a couple hundred bucks worth of parts and a couple days of work
In Europe they are cheaper to fix obviously due to parts availability and the fact parts don't have to ship as far, also the mini is a pretty iconic car for us from the UK, although it's not UK made anymore. You see ALOT of them as first cars. Although not as cheap to fix as my fiesta a vauxhall or any other regular first car would be. If your in Europe they are more appealing financially. Although the price of the car itself reflects that
I bought my 06 mini cooper s 6 speed manual for 3500$ and it had the timing chain and headers replaced before I bought it and had a few other things replaced. It’s in great shape. I think that was a good deal.
They might cost as much to maintain as a BMW but they weren't using BMW engines right? Here in the Netherlands it is quite easy to find it reasonably priced but it is the cost of ownership that is holding me back from owning one (as a first car😜)
@@doingyamom it was developed by Citroen,Peugeot and BMW, neon may of borrowed it from them but it’s definitely not theirs, it was a new version of the TU Engine that was made by Peugeot/Citroen
They are not expensive to maintain, I’ve have one and have had 0 issues, just do basic maintenance, if a part breaks it’s not that hard to replace for the basic parts, tedious maybe but not hard, also it’s a sports car, of course it’s not gonna have a lot of room, but it’s still more room than most cars, in fact I even took out my back seats, just really comes down to what your using it for
I had the same experience with my r53 mini Cooper s. Not only are they baby BMWs, but they get built at less high-end factories. Once it got out of warranty we looked to get rid of it quickly.
@@cesarurzua8234 you don't even have to be rich to afford to maintain a mini. It's a budget, economy hatchback. I just bought a 2016 cooper S after owning a 2008 mini one for 3 years, which never let me down. It basically only ever needed oil, coolant and filters, brakes, and rear ARB bushings. I maybe spent a little over £500 on maintenance in 3 years which is about average, and that's on the most unreliable engine they ever put in a Mini (a dumpy 1.4L Peugeot engine). For reference, the guy that made this video also has one saying that a 4.0L Jeep grand Cherokee from the early 2000s is a good first car, as opposed to a small, reliable hatchback that costs almost nothing to run and maintain 😂😂 he's a grade A clown 🤡
@@JamesBalazs most used minis are usually beaten up,it costs a shit ton of money to get it working smoothly again,i hvnt seen properly maintained mini in years!
If you really bought it for 4,000, then it is understandable that everything is in trouble, that car has not been maintained, that's why it is at that price. People who maintain their car and it is in good condition will be twice as much as 4000. There are services that maintain cars if you didn't know. Greeting.
Had one for my first car and I stand by it. Mine was an R53 (the model before this one) and I loved that car to bits. The supercharger whine was super addictive and the panoramic sunroof felt like I was driving a convertible that looked way cooler than
As a Mechanic Apprentice i can confirm these prices.... because they are "Mini". They're compact. With a very high tech engine. This means that to change almost any engine part. The entire front end has to be disassembled. Labour cost's the most with any car
Only issue my step father had with his mini in the 2 years he owned his 2019 Mini Cooper S (which is his 2nd mini) is when he wrecked it on the high way recently...
I got mine for 500, previous owner had been told the car needed a bunch of work that it didn't need. It needed some work, timing chain, vavle seals. Did all the work myself for less than 600 Inc tools. Car is super fun to drive.
getting my first car (a 2013 mini) tomorrow 😁 thankfully i've got a mechanic grandfather who's taken the best care of it all on his own time & knows exactly how to service it 😁🫶
This is a gp2 with the reliable n18 engine. Pre lci came with the unreliable N14 engine. If you are interested in these cars then definitely get one with an n18. Engine is solid
i have a toyota aristo that i shipped from japan and i’ve put so much money into everything except never had a single engine or transmission problem. she has 123,000km with a 2jz that has a life expectancy of 500,000km
Get an R53 gen that came with supercharger, learn how to wrench with countless online resources (the tools you accumulate will be useful for the rest of your life), buy OE parts for way cheaper at places like FCP Euro (typically same manufacturers, tier 1 suppliers, that make Genuine OEM for 20% cost ), and enjoy the incredible steering and cornering grip. They are a joy and will last 300k with proper maintenance.
.. my first car I bought was a 1970 mini Cooper.. I had no issues with the thing in the slightest minus needing to replace the motor and transmission (it had a weak set up so I made it.. faster. To the detriment of the rust bucket lol
I agree with this 100%. My first car was a 2010 Base MINI. I've replaced the timing chain and a bunch of other fixes worth at least 2000$ worth of work. And the SECOND I drove it home from the shop, it ran MORE CODES related to the admissions system. All the problems that he mentioned my car has had or has. Not to mention the REALLY common passenger airbag failure and the light that spazzes out every time I'm on the road. I got the car for $4500 before inflation went haywire I only bought the car in it's early 100 thousands. It has 120k on it now. Granted they're fun as hell. But I literally paid $70 for a replacement oil filler cap. $70! They're fun when you can keep up with them.
2007-2013 minis use a French engine… but they fixed the timing chain issue in 2010… just look for the smooth turbo inlet pipe. If you want more room for peeps just get a 2010-2013 clubman S
I can confirm this. My dad has a mini I think it’s a 2009. He intended for it to be me and my brothers first car and to get a new one for himself once we got our licenses. But In 2017 the engine completely broke. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I know that the dealership said that they had only seen a break like this one other time. Luckily they gave my dad a big discount on the repair bill which was the only way my dad would have been able to afford it. After this my dad decided it would be a bad idea to have it be our first car.
Awesome little car if it’s not your daily. They are super fun to drive but are a expensive to fix, frequently need repairs, and a massive PITA to work on.
Here’s a thing if you have any vehicle that is 2010 and up most likely repair costs will be high. My buddy had 2010 ultima and changed he’s transmission for $3000+. I have 2010 BMW 325i and replaced my transmission for $3000+ as well. So don’t be thinking it would be x2 of any other cars it would be about the same.
A friend of mine, bought a 1.6 supercharged cooper S i think year 2008. A freaking fun fast car to drive and play with. But month later he called me and i hear on the background " Titktitktitktitktitktit" i know what time it was. Engine done
I unfortunately had to get rid of my mini it was a 2007 Cooper S and by 63,000 kms it went through timing chains ⛓️ belts and two high pressure fuel pumps. I really loved that car in itself mine was a massive lemon 🍋. I’d love to buy another one a new one but I hope they ironed out the issues out cause wow was it bad.
These engines are base on Peugeot blocks and chains, that’s why, they have so much to fix. When buying f56 based on b48, only vanos and candles are trouble, but after 120.000 on the odometer
Ok people. Minis are amazing when they are fully constructed by BMW. All the older versions were constructed by Peugeot and they had a lot of mechanical issues up until 2014. Then BMW took their place and they became more reliable. So, it depends.
Room for “activities”. LOL
This 🤣🤣🤣
Never understood why people couldn't just wait to get home?
@@houssamalucad753 first car implies 16, most 16 year olds live with parents they would like to avoid
@@user-white007 well in my country it's rare for even 19 year olds to have a car so...
Fuck I'm 5 days too late
This guy - Don't buy a Mini!
Also this guy - I've had 3 Mini's.
as a first car
As a FIRST car. Learn to read
@@Toyota4Life Ha, I did read it, but wanted to see how many losers say 'First' car, and/or tell me to learn to read. You are Loser 2. Nice work! 👍🏻
@@tangosucka2000Right... Of course.
Lol, my first car was a Mini, and he's right, but I had heard about the potential problems and wanted it anyway, so I budgeted generously just in case and, sure enough, used it. It was a 2009 hatchback. Still loved it and am now looking for a 2014+. I considered and test drove the electric, but it's out of my budget and has a limited range. One can dream though.
"Super cheap" where are you finding these $4,000 mini's? The Junk Yard?
I bet that John cooper works is not 4000, but base modes coopers and even cooper s’ can be found for cheap
Autotrader. I saw one listed as 4300
In Florida there like 2-8k or one
@@therealsnoop7497 it wasn’t just a John Cooper works. It was the GP model which is super rare, and that car even with it being older would probably sell for almost 20k right now (edit), yup just looked it up, and found this same model going for $33,000
This guy is obviously out of touch
My best advice as a mini owner. Get the supercharged engines only! Not only is it way more reliable than the turbos, but it sounds WAY better!
Thanks dude, I'm thinking of getting a Mini Cooper as my first car
Which models got a supercharged engine?
@@gbharatiyar53
@@gbharatiyafirst Gen I believe
06 and under. I had an 07 super, super fun car, but crazy money pit @gbharatiya
It's basically a MINI in the right ways.
And a BMW in the wrong ways.
Former owner, can confirm.
@@SausageFingers420 current owner can definitely confirm
Current owner: I rarely drive this car, and out of all my other cars this is the most costly to repair, even a challenger is cheaper
Can’t ever have a bmw in the right ways 🤭😉
actually, the reason the engine is so shit is because its a Peugeot engine.
Brother, I have a 2006 base model with 214k miles, runs smooth easy to fix, hell of a drive, and a beauty to park. I recommend them 20/10 anytime.. drive it from and to WA-CA multiple times, vegas, and within the city of LA. Not bad AT ALL.
Forgot to mention is my camping ride, hills and turns no problem. 👌
Not reliable tho
What do you think jj is the mini reliable
@@brandonfoley7519 brother, its too reliable I just got myself an S. I still have the base model 2006, and I got a 2002 S. Great rides, highly recommended.
He did say 2007-2013
How many water pumps?
“They are really small” if you have ever seen an original mini you’ll see the irony in that statement. Mini’s today should be called giants cuz they massive.
Same goes for smart phones, drink sizes and food portions lol. 🤷🏽♂️
Today's MINI's are actually surprisingly spacious, my 6 foot 6 inch uncle bought a MINI Countryman after several test drives in various suvs and utes, because it was the only car he fit in.
I mean you shouldn’t compare the MINIs from today to the ones from the 50s. For example, cars similar to the newest Avalons are as big as flagships from early 2000s. Can’t be called massive, as modern cars are getting bigger and bigger for safety issues
No bro. He was talking about older models...Which I could fit in the bed of my truck 😆
@Jack K very little with safety? Imagine a MINI from the 50s, or not even that old. A normal car from the 90s with modern engines. The car would be way too light and would be flying off because modern engines are much more advanced. Since car engines are getting more advanced, its easier to get to higher speeds, and to prevent deaths, the car must be bigger to protect the passengers. There are also so many electronic safety features, like adaptive cruise control or blind spot monitors in modern cars that requires more physical space for radars and wires to be mounted. Larger and heavier cars are much safer for everyone. Imagine what would happen to someone who has a light car and someone with a heavier car crashes. Car sizes have to do with safety 95%.
"Not a lot of room for activities" also this guy "I have owned three of them" it all makes sense now
LMFAO
He said that a 2nd gen jeep Cherokee was a good first car, now he's saying mini's are cheap? Dude needs to go learn a thing or two.
Don't knock it till you try it... The Grand Cherokee was my first car and for a high school kid it didn't get any better. The back seat fitted a double bed for "activities" and had a hidden compartment underneath the center console to hide... Stuff. The iron 4.0 also took a beating every single time I drove it and it took it in stride
Well he also complained about the blazer not being safe yet a 2nd gen Cherokee isn’t much better
Nice to see the greatest pioneer of rap history on your pfp 😤
@@supaortix8618 it is an amazing pfp, yes
Get a golf 4 TDI, 400.000km at least with normal maintenance, good mpg and it's even better than a lot of newer cheap cars
My dad bought a used 2006 Mini Cooper S years ago it was the best car he ever had
If you don't want expensive problems don't buy a JCW. I don't trust this guy after he recommended a 2nd gen Grand Cherokee as an "excellent first car"
Same lol
Lmao right, this guys clueless.
I like he pointed at the engine when he said fuel pump
Same lmao. He look so lost
@@tadasgame i think he is someone who makes his vids sound factual but instead its just his opinion, which is wrong 99.9% of the time
Just do regularly oil level check, oil service between 5000-7000 milles and you will have no issues with the car.
If only it was that simple. Your high pressure fuel pump WILL go bad. So will the thermostat housing. Coils will burn up, you'll need a new valve cover at some point too.
He's saying finding a cheap mini for like 4k and proceeds to use a GP as the example car😂
Lmao. Only car guys know that this car is so expensive. 💀
@@jcyohanofficial1443 fr otherwise it just looks like a mini with a wrap on it to most people 😂
@@jcyohanofficial1443 how much is it? And you know any power numbers from this thing?
exactly, calls minis cheap and proceeds to use a gp2 as an example🤣 they're 15k all day in the uk🤣
Maybe a r53 lol I got my r56 S for 10k 👌
My first car is a mini cooper hatchback 2005, 130k came with her on the clock when I bought her in November 2022. I'm a learner driver and she's the best car I could ever ask for. I've had to fix her and hasn't been expensive at all with all parts sitting at about £160ish total. Car never had a thermostat from when I bought it (lol??), then I bought new wheels and rims cause previous owner didn't tell us they were buckled, wheel bearing, indicator stalk (was damaged as well), control arm ball joint and intake pipe.
But then again, I'm able to fix her at home without paying labour and extra charges on top of the needed items as buy the parts from eurocarparts myself and whatnot.
The only fault I've noticed on my car is the intake pipe - they tend to split in the same section on old minis and I've had to get a used one from a breaker car from a scrap yard for my girl. And the new one already had a few splits in the rubber so if you can get that new I'd recommend doing so or finding a precautional method (I've just put shit tons of hard activator superglue on mine before it's too far gone. They're only little splits on the "new" one I got.
As long as you keep servicing them like with any car every 10k miles or when needed then you'll have no problem with them. I bought my car for £925. Servicing your car will prevent headgasket issues and all that pa-jazz. My car has only failed 4 out of 17/18 times and that's for having a bulb out. She's been well looked after! No rust either and has never had a timing chain issue, no oil leaks ever in her span either. Keep them happy and they'll keep you happy!
Isn’t this the same guy who recommended a 2nd gen Cherokee as the perfect first car?
Oh yeah. Granted, he makes some good points in this one, but that video was garbage advice.
@@llebecna1 Overall I think this guy doesn't know much about cars. He just knows Mini is owned by BMW so he makes a video pointing out its flaws. Most car people already know buying a BMW will have heavy maintenance costs.
Unfortunately is
@@speedier6307
Well not really, I think this video is made for people who aren’t car guys already and don’t know this kind of thing.
@@benjaminpont220 Him reccomending a really unreliable car like a jeep grand cherokee to non car people doesn't make it seem like he knows a whole lot about cars. Yea sure, not everyone knows that most used German cars are not a good idea, but for the people that get reccommended his videos, they most likely know that already.
This is the same dude that recommends a used Jeep for the first car lmao
I have a 2004 Cooper S (when they still had superchargers) and it was my first car. It was literally perfect; easy to drive, fast, safe, affordable, and reliable. All the things you need. The only problem I had was a coolant leak that was fixed with a new radiator hose. A JCW wouldn't be the best because of its cost, but if you get an old S, you'll have a blast.
The older ones like yours were fully built by BMW, in this case including the engine and are just so cool
@@Turbo_Matic7 nope those had tritec engines
Supercharher ?
I'm looking at a 2015 or a 2012 mini used and I'm buying with cash. Do you recommend the?m
2005-06 MINIs with manual transmissions are the only ones to get, and you need to know how to work on them yourself. They are very reliable when maintained properly (like most cars are).
The problem is that in America people do a lot of miles (some MINIs have already clocked over 120,000 miles) and people drive them hard and don’t look after them properly (thus causing major problems later in their life).
If you own any MINI, look after it properly and get quality parts for them, because in the long run, they’ll reward you back.
Yes yes yes. We've had a 2012 Countryman S in our family since the day it rolled off the production line. Always took it for service when it was due, always used genuine parts, and maintained it well. Never once had a problem with it, ever. Minis are great cars as long as you take care of them, and buy a used one with good maintenance records.
These are the people who have money for $28 kale salads every weekend but not an oil change.
@@rustbloodeclipse 100% true, unfortunately people don’t want to pay for quality parts and repair them on the cheap. I saw a 2010 MINI Cooper S hatch for sale in the UK with 113,000 miles on it. It was perfectly sound and was fully kitted out with leather and Sat Nav. The original owner used the car for fun and was only selling it because he’d now got 2 kids and needed more space. It just shows how they keep going if you fix them properly
I agree with this right here. I owned a R56 Cooper S as the second owner and maintained the car as well upgrading a few things as well. The Cooper clocked at 154k miles but still ran and functioned as if nothing was broken. There were a few flaws in between but most of them didn’t change the functionality of the car overall. Loved the Mini Cooper and still do. Somewhat regretting selling it now since I’m reminiscing about owning one back then 😅
And don’t pay attention to the manufacturer recommended 12,000 mile oil change interval. Do it twice as often. Also, replace the belt tensioner with a newer one ASAP as in many early R56s they were too short which can lead to all sorts of issues.
Agree to disagree. I’ve a 2012 Mini Cooper S I bought for my two kids to have as a runabout and it’s been amazing. Bought it last year with only 17k km as the previous owner bought it as a summer weekend car. Has been just perfect 😊
I had a 2010 JCW as my first car! It was the most fun I’ve ever had driving, but I can confirm that every point in the video is 100% true
Murica moment
The engine sounds soooooo good and is sooooo unreliable
You had the N14 or N16 engine, and those were sooo much less reliable than than the N18
I had a 2010 jcw too and almost had no problems I mean other then with custom parts (don't buy the cheap shit), did have a oxygen sensor go out which was annoying.
@@enfantterrible4868 they’re only unreliable if not maintained well, they burn loads of oil so most owners always run them low on oil, people don’t let the oil temps warm up before they thrash the shit out of them, if they’re kept well, they actually are good reliable engines, but, most people don’t care about them :/
I don't really know, why everyone says BMWs tend to have a lot of problems, because that's simply not true. Of course there are some exceptions like the LCI E46 316i/318i, but the majority of especially BMWs before 2007 will literally last forever.
My first car is a 2002 mini cooper, and I couldn't be any happier with it. Few problems now and then but nothing major. Just keep up with oil changes and other fluids and you're good to go on an awesome car!
Some of these I do agree so, I am looking at a Mini Cooper 2020 s rn and I will say it is a small car but for myself and that’s it. It checks all the boxes
Did you get it, I'm considering one also
Thats why i am a firm believer that a 2001-2009 2.4 Volvo S60 is the perfect first car. Super cheap, its old Volvo and non-turbo so extremely reliable, comes factory with leather interior, abundant, and safe.
Yeah I'm going for the 850 GLT
@Brian F my mom and i both drive S60’s, mine is a 2002, hers is 2004. Both are the N/A 2.4 5 cylinder. Mine is at 301k miles. Hers 227k. Look it up. Volvo 5 cylinders are some of the most reliable engines out there
I'm gunna say the perfect first car is an oldsmobile intrigue with the 3.8L v6, they are indestructible have great economy are relatively fast with a roughly 7 sec 0-60 and hold 4 people very comfortably.
@@Pilikestortoises anything with a rubber timing belt is a no go.
With the same TERRIBLE WIRING that all European cars have. FFS you might as well say that A BMW is a best first car. The OLD 1980s volvos were good but..... 2009? They're a TINY bit better than other European cars BUT NOT MUCH.
A little Honda or Toyota is the way to go for a first car, a second, a third, a fourth lol etc.😅😄
Here's why I think a 2004 Toyota Unser as the best first car
Yeah but most people can’t find one for 4000$ that runs good. All kinds of Honda’s in my price range of 3000$ but they all have a ton of miles
Yeah well LOGICAL people know that. But we're in the age of brainless hipsters here...
@@gusl9000 so get a hyundai. Coz let's face it, EVERYONE crashes their first car badly at some point.... might as well destroy something that is cheap.
@@gusl9000 doesn't really matter if it has a ton of miles, just get something that wasn't originally a luxury car with unnecessary electricals, they will go wrong
My first car was a Mini Cooper F55, the one with more doors. It was totally worth it.
They're not cheap at all. They cost like a new BMW basically. Terrible value for what you get and they're awfully unreliable. I don't know who buys these.
The used ones are dirt cheap.
People without basic car knowledge probably buy them or die hard cooper fans lol I barely ever see these on the roads anymore at least in the midwest
No? They are like 15,000 used 😂
Only dirty cheap used ones are trash
HIPSTER RETARDS. All about being hip with zero brains behind their decisions. My mechanic has one come in often enough and tells me that the water pump is ran from a roller which sits on the side of the serpentine belt. There's NO SPRING TENSIONER and the minute the serpentine belt gets ONE MILLIMETER of slack, it only occasionally spins the pump and then overheats. I FULLY expected it to be an electric water pump like OTHER bmws have. But it's a bizarre wheel running on the belt also running on the water pump wheel arrangement.
Only for manuals and your right the ones with turbos do has issues but the ones that don’t run great and aren’t terrible to fix if you can do the manual labor
Add the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee to this one as well
The mini R53 actually is a really good daily, I have mines for about 2 years and everything is excellent
Ever tried to do an alignment on of those? Yea, those things can go die.
I have a mini one as my first
Pros:
- so easy to park and handle
- not that heavy on fuel
- safe
- fun
- affordable
Cons:
- Service is expensive at dealerships, but any 3rd party service provider is managable
- parts are expensive, especially that 70 000+ clutch
But,
1. What today isnt expensive?
2. Resale value is amazing
3. Quality car, really amazing
i have an 04’ mini. its my first car and i love it so much! (:
Hows it going ?
Update?
when did you buy one and do you think it’s worth it?
Bro I own a 2013 r58 coupe with 130K miles on it and it has been running smooth with no issues. love that thing
My first car was a mini. My 2nd and current car.. is a mini
I’ve had literally zero issues to talk about
I fix it myself I maintain it well
My JCW is completely modified and makes 280whp and has literally been turnkey reliable
Sure, for the normal person that never even checks their oil.. not a good car
As long as you can literally do basic mechanics works I think it’s great
Agreed, if you want a fun project to take apart and rebuild, there’s nothing better! If you want a daily, look at something else
2011-2013 you can get some really nice minis. Those n18 engines rip and they don’t cause a lot of issues
Here in Brazil a used mini cooper coasts about 70K R$ to 100000,00 R$ and a new model coasts about 200000,00 R$.
As someone who owns a mini, He's right, this is a terrible first car. It is a fun car, but the maintenance is super expensive, and it has left me stranded on the side of the road a few times.
He is imo wrong about the space though it's pretty open especially compared to a lot of other cars
@@shepherdrm8486 if you treat it like it only has two seats, then the space is decent. But the back seats are so ridiculously small they might as well not be there.
Oh no bruv
@@baileyharrison1030 yea normal minis don't make good passenger cars but the clubman surprisingly does!
Want to Know Something fun? My family has 2 of those Things and guess who get's to fix them every 3 weeks
Let’s see…. My first car was a 2013 base mini
2nd car was a 2013 JCW, it’s now stage 3 big turbo wide body, has never given me any issues that weren’t cheap/easy or expected (like thermostat, AC ect)
My 3rd car was a 2005 mini s, it’s now got 200l on the clock my father bought it from me and in 2 years we haven’t had any major issues with it
My FOURTH car is a 2012 JCW with the “unreliable” N14 motor and it’s given me a few issues. But literally the HPFP and the CAS module
It’s stage 2 and cammed and it just made a 3,000 mile road trip successfully only issue it gave me was the thermostat started sticking in the open position (which is fine)
Oh and did I mention.. I have cars 2, 3 and 4 all at the same time… we have 3 minis in the the house hold right now
Everything you said was VERY low info generalizations
should’ve shown off the gp instead of saying it’s just a “mini” :(
They're garbage
@@9mmshort254 are you well?
We bought a Mini Cooper used about 2 years ago for 8000$ and it died recently with just over 60‘000 miles (100‘000km).
It was a manual and the coupling started making weird noises so we replaced it for I think 2000$.
Low and behold a month later the transmission dies and it was an economic total loss (car was worth less than the repair would‘ve cost).
Our mechanic said he has another Mini in the shop with exactly the same issue.
I think that says a lot about Minis.
A minivan is a pretty underrated first car. They are really freaking practical, and most are pretty strong, for example an oddesy or Siena. I might be getting our family minivan which is a 2013 Chrysler town and country, those can last a long time, just don’t buy one used. If you want to go fast, you actually could. There is a lot of weight reduction you can do because minivans come with a lot of unnecessary crap, and some you could even put superchargers on. With the supercharger thing, they don’t build them for the minivans, but for the engines. For example you could find a trd supercharger, and you might be able to put it on the 3.5 v6 that is used in a lot of Toyotas. Ripp also makes a supercharger for the pentastar v6. However they make it for specific vehicles like the Dodge Challenger, charger, and Jeep Wrangler. So I don’t know if it would work for a caravan or town and country
If you're getting the BOXY looking town and country, FORGET IT. Thry have serious electric issues at 6 MONTHS OLD. Wiring shorting out against the roof in between the headliner at 6 months old. Now THAT'S a reason to make sure fire was included in your car insurance. I have heard of mechanics seeing ones 6 months old with blown head gaskets, wondering if they EVER put the gasket on correctly at the factory. And the odessey??? Skip the early 2000s ones because they had REAL transmission issues. And they've NEVER BEEN good on transmissions since 2000. I got a hyundai trajet van that has done very few miles (like 6500 a year) and it's BRILLIANT. Former company vehicle with more latte spills than you could imagine but even the crash test on them was BETTER than a Mercedes-Benz sedan of the same age. Not a lot of power but it's a 2 ton vehicle. Surprisingly good on fuel if you drive it gently. I get just under 2.5 gal per 60 miles. Yes it's an automatic. Seperate airconditioning for the back too and a heater made for below freezing temperatures.
I’ve had a pair of r56 cars. A base and a JCW…the one I’m currently driving. 100k miles on the clock with no significant problems. Preventative maintenance is a must to keep them in top shape, and it’s a fantastic 1st car IF you are willing to learn how to take care of your car instead of just driving it into the ground.
“super cheap”
proceeds to show a JCW mini
Was looking for this haha
Just seen a jcw clubman sport for £2k. Maybe its different in America but shit built cars loose half of their value every year here
Also! Check for the aftermarket support of any vehicle. Mini's are not as popular back here so aftermarket parts are not readily available and servicing for components may be expensive than other brand models.
“Activities”
Tf is you gonna do in a vehicle?!🤣💀
uhh, stuff 🙏🏼
So true I a mechanic who doesn’t even want to deal with Mini cooper.
Good first car is anything with a toyota 5FSE 4cyl in it. Those are literally bulletproof and are very easy to work on for even novices
Pretty true, had a Camry with the 5sfe and it had knock but still ran strong with my lack of maintenance and know nothing wannabe car guy skills at the time, it taught me though
@@eVerProductions1 the older ones had no electronics to tell you what it thinks is wrong, so you just have to know the car. With any car, just buy a Haynes or Chilton manual, you'll have everything you need to know about your car.
I feel even worse for putting a hole in the block of one 😔
@@fruitydudexD how? No oil?
As a 2007 owner I’ve basically had no issues. It was bought used. I’ve put on 45k miles to the car myself, other than oil and tire changes. (Done myself) it’s a really cheap car to own. The 07 class gets too much hate imo. I drive it like I’m in Mario cart. Very fun. As for parts, they are actually cheaper than most parts for other cars I’ve owned (I’ve never owned a truck and parts for those bad boys are always higher than anything I’ve seen even my mothers viper) the only downside I can see for the common person is if you want to fix anything yourself it’s a tight tolerance car so everything normal under the hood is probably under something else in your mini making it more difficult for quick fixes. My buddy recently at 130k miles cracked his head gasket and a mechanic with his time and parts was only 350$ for the fix…. 07 class is nice. (Now that I think about it, most people I know have a year >07 or 14-16) idk anyone w a newer mini but I see them around
He pointed to the air intake and said "fuel pump issues"
Also they aren't "more fun to drive then any car on the road"
This man has clearly never driven an NA miata
High pressure fuel pump is a common failure. Lives under the hood
@@TFLEV Just like the N54 engines... Remedied with the N55, but the N54 is still an enthusiast choice. I'm sticking with the tried and true M54, for now. Probably the best engine BMW made and I have 228,000 miles one that bad boi.
@@JoiceVaderd I got a 2000 740i with an M62 and the car’s at 317k miles and running strong! Old BMW motors were the best!
Bought my son a 95 na miata for his first car, your not laying. Probably the most fun I have ever had driving a car, has to say a lot coming from a 44 year old Mustang fan boy (and no I've never driven a Mustang through a crowd of people) still love banging gears. KMFNB
These cars can have a lot of problems, however if you learn a thing or two about doing the maintenance yourself it really isn’t that bad. A timing chain replacement for instance is only a couple hundred bucks worth of parts and a couple days of work
They are more fun to drive then any car on the road.
Miata: hold my hard top
Miata heavy
Me drive kei car
Even ford fiesta is more fun than mini
Toyota MR2 is better than Miata .
In Europe they are cheaper to fix obviously due to parts availability and the fact parts don't have to ship as far, also the mini is a pretty iconic car for us from the UK, although it's not UK made anymore. You see ALOT of them as first cars. Although not as cheap to fix as my fiesta a vauxhall or any other regular first car would be. If your in Europe they are more appealing financially. Although the price of the car itself reflects that
Meanwhile the POS Cherokee is a better first car according to you
Interesting that the second gen has more issues than the first. I’d love an R53 GP!
Thats why im about to buy a 20 year old 1.9tdi Skoda Octavia.. Engine is reliable as hell, and parts are cheap as dirt .. as my first car i should add
Ironic saying $4000 when it’s a GP😂
i just bought an 09 cooper s with 65k miles on it. so far i love it and have had no issues
“More fun to drive than any car on the road”
Miata: am I a joke to you?
Haha your funny💀dumb fuck
@@brauliopalacios9262 he's right though
Toyota MR2
There's a lot of fun to drive cars out there. Mini is just one of them.
I bought my 06 mini cooper s 6 speed manual for 3500$ and it had the timing chain and headers replaced before I bought it and had a few other things replaced. It’s in great shape. I think that was a good deal.
I work at a MINI dealer and can confirm that the R56 era of MINI are quite unreliable. That’s a really nice GP though!
They might cost as much to maintain as a BMW but they weren't using BMW engines right? Here in the Netherlands it is quite easy to find it reasonably priced but it is the cost of ownership that is holding me back from owning one (as a first car😜)
@@TrustedHealer58 The R56 engines were based on the Dodge Neon engines, however they were changed a lot by MINI/BMW before they were put into the cars
@@doingyamom it was developed by Citroen,Peugeot and BMW, neon may of borrowed it from them but it’s definitely not theirs, it was a new version of the TU Engine that was made by Peugeot/Citroen
are the 2023 versions reliable?
They are not expensive to maintain, I’ve have one and have had 0 issues, just do basic maintenance, if a part breaks it’s not that hard to replace for the basic parts, tedious maybe but not hard, also it’s a sports car, of course it’s not gonna have a lot of room, but it’s still more room than most cars, in fact I even took out my back seats, just really comes down to what your using it for
Ight, I want to get one even more now lol
But there’s not a lot of room for ACTIVITIES remember?
They just have a charm lol
Fold the seats
@@alfiephillips9944 or do it somewhere else
I had the same experience with my r53 mini Cooper s. Not only are they baby BMWs, but they get built at less high-end factories. Once it got out of warranty we looked to get rid of it quickly.
Bro you have to tell this to "N golo Kante" 😅
He has one, and also it is second hand
Hes rich, he can afford the repair costs + parts are cheaper in england and mechanics know how to work on them
@@cesarurzua8234 you don't even have to be rich to afford to maintain a mini. It's a budget, economy hatchback. I just bought a 2016 cooper S after owning a 2008 mini one for 3 years, which never let me down. It basically only ever needed oil, coolant and filters, brakes, and rear ARB bushings. I maybe spent a little over £500 on maintenance in 3 years which is about average, and that's on the most unreliable engine they ever put in a Mini (a dumpy 1.4L Peugeot engine).
For reference, the guy that made this video also has one saying that a 4.0L Jeep grand Cherokee from the early 2000s is a good first car, as opposed to a small, reliable hatchback that costs almost nothing to run and maintain 😂😂 he's a grade A clown 🤡
@@JamesBalazs most used minis are usually beaten up,it costs a shit ton of money to get it working smoothly again,i hvnt seen properly maintained mini in years!
If you really bought it for 4,000, then it is understandable that everything is in trouble, that car has not been maintained, that's why it is at that price. People who maintain their car and it is in good condition will be twice as much as 4000.
There are services that maintain cars if you didn't know.
Greeting.
Nope
Had one for my first car and I stand by it. Mine was an R53 (the model before this one) and I loved that car to bits. The supercharger whine was super addictive and the panoramic sunroof felt like I was driving a convertible that looked way cooler than
I hope my exes breaks down😂
Lmao I think everyone’s ex drives one of these….
@@franktank9573 for realll lmfao. Always the crazy ones too
As a Mechanic Apprentice i can confirm these prices.... because they are "Mini". They're compact. With a very high tech engine. This means that to change almost any engine part. The entire front end has to be disassembled. Labour cost's the most with any car
"More fun to drive than any car on the road" yeah that's a lie
Didn't say powerful. He said fun.
@@OffGridInvestor Yeah it’s nowhere close to the most fun car on the road
@@oslodapig5239 and what is that? An Elise?
I think a Miata or s2000 would be more enjoyqvow
That is definitely true. My r53 is amazing to drive
I guarantee you that though it’s a bit small, activities can be partaken in.
Funny how he’s using a gp2 as an example 😂
I got a Mini Cooper Clubman as my first car. My dad purchased it for $600 and it required more than $600 worth of work.
Does it drive?
Yes: A good first car
No: Not a good first car
Only issue my step father had with his mini in the 2 years he owned his 2019 Mini Cooper S (which is his 2nd mini) is when he wrecked it on the high way recently...
Up next is “why the peel p50 is the perfect rally cross car”
lmao
I got mine for 500, previous owner had been told the car needed a bunch of work that it didn't need. It needed some work, timing chain, vavle seals. Did all the work myself for less than 600 Inc tools. Car is super fun to drive.
"First car"
Pull up in a Mini jcw GP
getting my first car (a 2013 mini) tomorrow 😁 thankfully i've got a mechanic grandfather who's taken the best care of it all on his own time & knows exactly how to service it 😁🫶
This is a gp2 with the reliable n18 engine. Pre lci came with the unreliable N14 engine. If you are interested in these cars then definitely get one with an n18. Engine is solid
Activities? 😉
Playing poker and chess, ofcourse.
i have a toyota aristo that i shipped from japan and i’ve put so much money into everything except never had a single engine or transmission problem. she has 123,000km with a 2jz that has a life expectancy of 500,000km
Very nice😍😍👌👌
Get an R53 gen that came with supercharger, learn how to wrench with countless online resources (the tools you accumulate will be useful for the rest of your life), buy OE parts for way cheaper at places like FCP Euro (typically same manufacturers, tier 1 suppliers, that make Genuine OEM for 20% cost ), and enjoy the incredible steering and cornering grip. They are a joy and will last 300k with proper maintenance.
.. my first car I bought was a 1970 mini Cooper.. I had no issues with the thing in the slightest minus needing to replace the motor and transmission (it had a weak set up so I made it.. faster. To the detriment of the rust bucket lol
My first car is mini one 2008 (no problems with it) drove 110,000 miles and I sometimes drive 240 miles to work and back non stop in a day (no issues)
I agree with this 100%. My first car was a 2010 Base MINI. I've replaced the timing chain and a bunch of other fixes worth at least 2000$ worth of work. And the SECOND I drove it home from the shop, it ran MORE CODES related to the admissions system. All the problems that he mentioned my car has had or has. Not to mention the REALLY common passenger airbag failure and the light that spazzes out every time I'm on the road. I got the car for $4500 before inflation went haywire I only bought the car in it's early 100 thousands. It has 120k on it now. Granted they're fun as hell. But I literally paid $70 for a replacement oil filler cap. $70! They're fun when you can keep up with them.
Oh wow thank you for this advice I was actually looking into used mini coopers ❤🙏
He's so wrong. See the other comments
2007-2013 minis use a French engine… but they fixed the timing chain issue in 2010… just look for the smooth turbo inlet pipe. If you want more room for peeps just get a 2010-2013 clubman S
I can confirm this. My dad has a mini I think it’s a 2009. He intended for it to be me and my brothers first car and to get a new one for himself once we got our licenses. But In 2017 the engine completely broke. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I know that the dealership said that they had only seen a break like this one other time. Luckily they gave my dad a big discount on the repair bill which was the only way my dad would have been able to afford it. After this my dad decided it would be a bad idea to have it be our first car.
had a red 2012 mini cooper for the past 6 years bought for only $4k like u said and had around $4k worth of work lol!
Awesome little car if it’s not your daily. They are super fun to drive but are a expensive to fix, frequently need repairs, and a massive PITA to work on.
Here’s a thing if you have any vehicle that is 2010 and up most likely repair costs will be high. My buddy had 2010 ultima and changed he’s transmission for $3000+. I have 2010 BMW 325i and replaced my transmission for $3000+ as well. So don’t be thinking it would be x2 of any other cars it would be about the same.
A friend of mine, bought a 1.6 supercharged cooper S i think year 2008. A freaking fun fast car to drive and play with. But month later he called me and i hear on the background " Titktitktitktitktitktit" i know what time it was. Engine done
I unfortunately had to get rid of my mini it was a 2007 Cooper S and by 63,000 kms it went through timing chains ⛓️ belts and two high pressure fuel pumps. I really loved that car in itself mine was a massive lemon 🍋. I’d love to buy another one a new one but I hope they ironed out the issues out cause wow was it bad.
These engines are base on Peugeot blocks and chains, that’s why, they have so much to fix. When buying f56 based on b48, only vanos and candles are trouble, but after 120.000 on the odometer
My first car is a mini clubman 2012, but its a 1.6 diesel and it doesnt habe much problems exept the chain thats regular maintinance every 150k miles
Ok people.
Minis are amazing when they are fully constructed by BMW. All the older versions were constructed by Peugeot and they had a lot of mechanical issues up until 2014. Then BMW took their place and they became more reliable. So, it depends.