[Chappers 71]

I have just been told that I will be getting a Nissan Navara crew cab as my new company van, which will be excellent for taking the dog out at weekends as I will no longer have to put him in the back of the e92.
This got me thinking that I will hardly be using the 35i at all & it will just be used by the missus for going to the shops and taking the puppy to the local country park, so I started looking at small cars & came across a rather nice 52 plate Cooper S with only one owner and 60,000 miles for under £3000, just wondering if any of you guys know anything about the Cooper S or have owned one. Obviously I will do some research but i would like to hear your thoughts.
Pic of car below

[Alpina 91]

Rock hard suspension but fun to drive a short distance.

[Had0uken!]

My partners got one of these - a lot of fun to drive, sounds decent for a little engine: plenty of pops and bangs on the standard exhaust.

Got a reduced supercharger pulley fitted to give it some more mid range too - honestly think I prefer the drive of the mini to the n54 35i I had - even if the stage 2+ 335i had tonnes more power it just didn't feel as chuckable and that supercharger whine is so rewarding. Only thing that stops me getting one myself is the interiors very rattly due to the hard suspension.

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by Had0uken!

My partners got one of these - a lot of fun to drive, sounds decent for a little engine: plenty of pops and bangs on the standard exhaust.

Got a reduced supercharger pulley fitted to give it some more mid range too - honestly think I prefer the drive of the mini to the n54 35i I had - even if the stage 2+ 335i had tonnes more power it just didn't feel as chuckable and that supercharger whine is so rewarding. Only thing that stops me getting one myself is the interiors very rattly due to the hard suspension.

Do you all have the same reliability issues we have on this side of the pond? I've wanted one for quite some time and even considered replacing my BMW with one when the time comes, but the reliability here in the states is horrendous and the nearest dealer is almost 80 miles away from me. This has given me substantial pause.

[Had0uken!]

Originally Posted by usshelena725

Do you all have the same reliability issues we have on this side of the pond? I've wanted one for quite some time and even considered replacing my BMW with one when the time comes, but the reliability here in the states is horrendous and the nearest dealer is almost 80 miles away from me. This has given me substantial pause.

I wouldn't say they're unreliable from what I've seen, especially not compared to my bmw - my partner had a cooper for a year, only had basic maintenance needed on that - I.e. brake pads, Sparks and a wheel bearing. Following this she's had/still got a cooper s for about a year and a half and only had a few of the common things go - I.e. wheel speed sensor ring, chain tensioner and a rusty exhaust backbox; all fairly simple and easy jobs - speed sensor you can do with just taking the wheel off and one bolt to swap it out (c.£25) and the chain tensioners seem to be fairly common but again it's a £25 part and it's one bolt that you can reach from behind the wheel well so doesn't take more than 30 mins.

To put it in perspective - my 335i (yes I know they're unreliable) had a new hpfp, 6x injectors, ofhg, steering rack, fuel pressure sensor, crankshaft, valve cover gasket, clutch, shocks, glovebox lock, precat o2 sensors, chargepipe, alternator, air con compressor, 2x belts, vanos solenoids and a couple of other bits over the same time she's owned the cooper s! 😂 and this was on a bmw approved used car! 🙈

Parts for the minis are relatively cheap and the supercharger era ones are fairly easy to work on!

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by Had0uken!

I wouldn't say they're unreliable from what I've seen, especially not compared to my bmw - my partner had a cooper for a year, only had basic maintenance needed on that - I.e. brake pads, Sparks and a wheel bearing. Following this she's had/still got a cooper s for about a year and a half and only had a few of the common things go - I.e. wheel speed sensor ring, chain tensioner and a rusty exhaust backbox; all fairly simple and easy jobs - speed sensor you can do with just taking the wheel off and one bolt to swap it out (c.£25) and the chain tensioners seem to be fairly common but again it's a £25 part and it's one bolt that you can reach from behind the wheel well so doesn't take more than 30 mins.

To put it in perspective - my 335i (yes I know they're unreliable) had a new hpfp, 6x injectors, ofhg, steering rack, fuel pressure sensor, crankshaft, valve cover gasket, clutch, shocks, glovebox lock, precat o2 sensors, chargepipe, alternator, air con compressor, 2x belts, vanos solenoids and a couple of other bits over the same time she's owned the cooper s! 😂 and this was on a bmw approved used car! 🙈

Parts for the minis are relatively cheap and the supercharger era ones are fairly easy to work on!

Appreciate the feedback. I've driven quite a few and really do enjoy the S. I would be looking at an F56, so unsure how that translates to the newer models, although they have received better ratings here for reliability than the SC versions of the past.

[Chappers 71]

ToWell I've spent some time on a few mini forums & looked up various specs.
It seems that for me a 55/56 R53 would be the one to go for. Also the later ones are turbo charged & I don't think that'd be for me.
On the downside they have radio cassette players & no phone connectivity, seem to eat front tyres, less mpg than my 35i, various unreliability issues, a set of brakes aren't cheap either at around £400 but if one wanted low running costs we wouldn't have the cars we have.
So I don't think I will be selling the 35i & replacing it with a mini. Although they do seem like good fun & am kinda still tempted to go have a look at the one in the pic but unfortunately it be a 5/6 hour round trip, it's also very highly priced.
Attached link to it below if anyone would like to comment or just have a look, I think its a great looking little car.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...per%20S&page=4