Mini Advice: R56 or F56?

[Rick K]

Hey gang, looking for some advice. My wife has had a mini ('09 S Hardtop manual) in the past and loved it. I didn't love the constant concern about timing chain issues and other gremlins that continuously popped up.

She misses it and we might pick up a new(er) one in the near future despite my reservations. She spends a lot of time in front of clients with the design firm she works for - and she liked how the mini was great in the city but also looked the part for meetings.

How she'd use it: Commuting to Bethesda from Arlington every day and head into the city pretty regularly. I personally loved having the "S" power, but she couldn't care less.

Kiddos fit OK in the back, but we have another car that handles that duty.

Given that, what would you buy (all options would have manual):
Option 1: 2013 R56 Base mini with low miles
Option 2: 2013 R56 "S" with low miles
Option 3: 2014-15 Base mini with turbo 3 cyl
Option 4: 2014-15 "S" mini with turbo 4 cyl

I'm leaning towards option 3. F56 being more of a true BMW build quality (BMW engine platform) is very attractive to me given my prior experience.

However, I have zero experience with a 3 cylinder engine - and I've read about nightmare scenarios that these unbalanced engines eventually create a TON of racket and are underpowered. But some articles reviewing the 3 cylinder engine said that BMW has "worked magic" with that engine so it's smooth. Will that "magic" hold up across 100K miles of use?

However, there are some GREAT deals on the '13 models out there. But, I fear I'd be signing up for those questionable build quality gremlins again.

Thanks RK

[rs911t]

We've owned a 2013 S with an auto tranny about 2 years. Great little car and a hoot to drive. No issues at all really after ~25k miles.

[ducatithunder]

I have a r56 and love it. Haven't had any of the recall issues. I ave update a lot of those things before it became an issues. Ie turbo oil lines etc. I have 79k miles on my 2007. For me it has been pretty bulletproof.

[realroadrage]

I had an early R56 S (2007 model) and I had a ton of problems with it, but I still regret selling it. Why not go with the F56 S model and alleviate your 3-cylinder concerns and get the power the car deserves?

[Rick K]

I had an early R56 S (2007 model) and I had a ton of problems with it, but I still regret selling it. Why not go with the F56 S model and alleviate your 3-cylinder concerns and get the power the car deserves?

Just money. ~5K more than the base and starting to push the 30K mark for a mini. Which is when my eyes start to water.

[ducatithunder]

What issues? The recall items or turbo failure?

[Nordschleife]

Have you considered an R53? IMO the earlier supercharged cars are more fun to drive and no timing chain issues. The 2005 & 2006 cars had the bugs out.

I just bought a 2006 Cooper S R53 with just 21k miles and there are a fair number of low mileage examples out there & available.

Either way you go (R53 or R56), they are neat cars.

[N0tt0N]

Woman I worked with bought a mini new in 2011 and sold it a year later after having the shock tops break twice hitting potholes and another issue that I cant recall - all under warrantee but lots of shop time. Coming from a Camry she was initially excited but put off by the clear reliability difference. I drove a 2013 as a rental car last year and hated the handling - found I was constantly fiddling with the steering and throttle on a straight, level road. It had some weird underglow lighting that changed colors. Meh.

[Manny Alban]

I have an 02 non S model. Love it. Has 106K on it and has been very reliable. Feels like a go kart. Being low on hp, I get to practice my momentum driving.

[ducatithunder]

I will agree the car does tramline alot which makes it alot harder .... err a nusance to drive. But get the turbo working and you forget about it all. I do like the look of the earlier R53s vs the later.

[rs911t]

I have an 02 non S model. Love it. Has 106K on it and has been very reliable. Feels like a go kart. Being low on hp, I get to practice my momentum driving.
We had a 2002 non-S with the CVT automatic. You could mash the pedal to the floor and count to 3 before anything happened. :D

[Rick K]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

What issues? The recall items or turbo failure?

Lots of little things, some big. Fuel pump, timing chain (both fixed under warranty/recall), electrical glitches, dash display issues, clutch life, cracked thermostat housing, etc etc etc.

Goes with the mini territory I guess, but I always had to think about the car and what it needed next.

Have you considered an R53? IMO the earlier supercharged cars are more fun to drive and no timing chain issues. The 2005 & 2006 cars had the bugs out.

I just bought a 2006 Cooper S R53 with just 21k miles and there are a fair number of low mileage examples out there & available.

Either way you go (R53 or R56), they are neat cars.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Dr K]

Rick,
What are you driving now?
Peter

[Rick K]

My wife commutes in a Subaru Impreza and a Toyota Highlander sits at home for weekend duty. It's all very sad.

[ducatithunder]

Sorry to hear about that Rick. You def got shlacked by those recalls. I am taking mine in for the water pump and timing chain in March when I get back. Ive had no issues on mine so I guess I consider myself lucky. 80K miles with no issues but I want to get them fixed since they are on barrowed time.

How do you guys like the Subi? Ever think of a STI. Good power, 4 wheel drive, and from what I recall good mechanics.

[Rick K]

I love the subaru. Just goes and doesn't ask for anything, good in the snow, etc. Didn't get the WRX or STI because my wife mainly drives it and the look of those cars wouldn't really be work appropriate for her. She's fine with the impreza, but misses the mini, which I understand. To a degree.

[John Clay]

Started looking at MINIs over the last few days. I've always liked them, finally Pam has come around and my oldest daughter really likes them (in yellow). It would be shared between me and the kiddos (I guess we'd draw straws to see who has to drive the old minivan each day), so looking primarily at automatics.

Looked at this one today:http://www.actionpreowned.com/vehicle_pages/wmwmf73539tw87452-2009-mini-cooper-used-hatchback-2-dr-alexandria-va.shtml

It had an aftermarket exhaust, and after driving a 2007S at CarMax later on, I think it may have had aftermarket suspension as well. I think it would have been much better with a manual. Looking at another 2007 tomorrow - this one had a 2010 engine replacement.

[John Clay]

Drove all the way to Waldorf today to look at a 2007 that, according to the car fax report, had the engine replaced in 2010. Had read about the death rattle from the timing chain on the intrwebs so I listened on startup, and there was quite a bit of noise from the chain. Checked out another 2007 at carmax and it sounded the same. Not sure where I'm going from here. One problem is that my daughter has her heart set on yellow and there doesn't seem to be a ton of those around.

[ducatithunder]

They are loud at idle. The death rattle was based on chain tensioner failure then chain slap that affected the plastic ramps breaking then failure. It should have gotten the updated chain tensioner with the new 2010 engine. This was a recall. I wouldnt worry about it. If you are set one it. You can also ask mini to run the vin as thats how they tracked the affected engine/cars etc. You can stop by my place if you want to compare it to my 2008 MCS. Sounds like a little diesel at idle.

[ducatithunder]

Btw. If you are set on a cooper dont get the auto. The 6 speed is way better for driving and fun factor.

[John Clay]

It's primarily for my oldest daughter who's been a bit slow on getting the hang of the manual. Certainly not out of the question to get an MT though.

[Dr K]

Get her a car with manual transmission and she'll get the hang of it a lot quicker!

[Rick K]

They are loud at idle. The death rattle was based on chain tensioner failure then chain slap that affected the plastic ramps breaking then failure. It should have gotten the updated chain tensioner with the new 2010 engine. This was a recall. I wouldnt worry about it. If you are set one it. You can also ask mini to run the vin as thats how they tracked the affected engine/cars etc. You can stop by my place if you want to compare it to my 2008 MCS. Sounds like a little diesel at idle.

Btw. If you are set on a cooper dont get the auto. The 6 speed is way better for driving and fun factor.

Yup. The '09 S sounded like a tin can full of marbles at idle. Before and after the chain was replaced. Go on youtube and search for "mini death rattle". That will show you how bad it sounds when there's actually an issue.

For the tranny, search for year-specific issues with the auto tranny.

[John Clay]

Yup. The '09 S sounded like a tin can full of marbles at idle. Before and after the chain was replaced. Go on youtube and search for "mini death rattle". That will show you how bad it sounds when there's actually an issue.

That's what I did. Maybe I'm hearing things wrong, but they both sounded to me pretty similar to the one on youtube.

[Rick K]

That's what I did. Maybe I'm hearing things wrong, but they both sounded to me pretty similar to the one on youtube.

Hmm. Are you at a mini dealership? If so, pop into the service department and ask one of the techs if they can start up a "healthy" car of the year you're looking at and give a listen. Important to have it be a truly cold start I think.

[ducatithunder]

Yea. It will br slightly noisey when cold started until the lifter fill with oil then quite down a fair bit.

[John Clay]

None that I've looked at have been at a mini dealership. I've looked at three 2007's and one 2009. I didn't listen for the rattle on the first two I looked at. I'm going to try to go back and re-look at the first one (2009). Problem is that they are all an hour+ away from me. The 2009 is in Arlington and has aftermarket exhaust, and the ride was stiffer than the others. Maybe too stiff and too loud; perhaps replacing the aftermarket 17s with 16s would improve the ride.

[ducatithunder]

Most mcs with a sport package came with 17s OEM. You could option for 18s and the stock mini non turbo came with 15s or 16s.

[993bug]

Have you considered an R53? IMO the earlier supercharged cars are more fun to drive and no timing chain issues. The 2005 & 2006 cars had the bugs out.

I just bought a 2006 Cooper S R53 with just 21k miles and there are a fair number of low mileage examples out there & available.

Either way you go (R53 or R56), they are neat cars.

Best advice! 2005 or 2006 S.

[John Clay]

Are the 2007-2009 base models significantly more reliable than the S models?

[HTanz]

Having driven the new and older models of the mini. I'd opt for the the newest one. Granted it's not longer "mini" or cute but it's a leap ahead of the older model. The new ergonomics and seats alone are worth it because they finally got the seats right. The new 3 cylinder or the S are both great engines.

Plus you'll have a warranty and if it sucks in trrms of reliability just trade it in in three years.

[vranko]

The new ergonomics and seats alone are worth it because they finally got the seats right.

x2! While waiting for my wife's Mini to be serviced (10K service) I test drove the new Mini. I never felt comfortable in the prior generation's seats. They seemed to be design for someone with femurs about half the length of mine. The new gen seats were a vast improvement IMHO.

[John Clay]

Picked up a 2013 base cooper tonight. Seemed worth the extra $ to get newer with a warranty.

[ducatithunder]

Congrats. Welcome to the club

[Rick K]

Awesome, congrats. What'd you get - manual/auto?

[John Clay]

It's an auto. Figured with two more new drivers to follow it was the way to go. Only other automatic we have is the 208K mile minivan. Man I hope the minivan hangs in there for another 6 years.

[Dr K]

Congrats, John!