OT: used Mini Countryman, Cooper

[bil]

hey guys

Thinking of getting one, mostly for my wife, probably my son in 3 years...
Year 2011-2016

If you have knowledge or experience with these cars, please share.

key questions, specific to these two models (not a used car in general):
which year(s) to avoid
what are the most common issues
what to pay attention to when buying used

intention is to drive it under $5000km a year

Automatic transmission

thank you

[benb]

Not sure exactly what year but my mother had a Countryman and it was a freaking disaster of unreliability. It was in that range though.

They absolutely loved the car and actually replaced it with a 2024 Countryman... they liked it that much.

Their car had numerous limp home or total break down on the road type major issues issues. The final straw was a turbo related failure that BMW gave them something like a $10k estimate for. I forget what but there was something about the design of the turbo that made a normal repair impossible and pushes you to a whole new turbo. They have apparently fixed this in newer BMW/Mini turbo engines. It was something like the boost sensor or the blow off valve/controller was inside the turbo and not replaceable before, but on newer Minis it is designed to be able to be replaced.

Apparently CR, etc.. are all saying BMW and Mini reliability/quality has absolutely skyrocketed since 2020 but 10 years ago they were not good.

I have not driven the 2024, the old one was fun to drive but not as fun as I expected. I didn't drive it a whole lot though.

[rice rocket]

Don't ever buy used BMW products, end of story.

[edgerat]

A close family friend passed away in a Cooper a few years ago in a head-on collision. I am not a fan.

[duff_duffy]

Sounds like a question for the Consumer Reports used car issue. My gut tells me if going with that age of mini pony up for an extended warranty

[Likes2ridefar]

I wouldn’t put my kid in one of those.

[helldriven]

Neighbour purchased one for his daughter, he was always working on it and after a few months it was gone. He said the purchase was a disaster.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

Brother in law had one, one week worked, one month didn't. Never ending issues. Had a few local (CT) mechanics refuse to work on it. They seem to have their charm. Reliability isn't one of them. Avoid imo.

[avalonracing]

My girlfriend had an older Cooper. She was praying that it would make it to the out-of-state dealer when she traded it in. It's a bummer, they are nicely styled cars. Another friend has a newish John Cooper Works Mini (the sporty model). It's sporty and fun to drive but the creaks and rattles are terrible... especially compared to my GTI which is just as fun to drive.

[AngryScientist]

I had one of the first mini coopers imported to the US when they entered the market here.

Great little car. I had it slightly lowered on coilovers, a full exhaust, short shift kit and a whole bunch of other work. It really was a blast to drive and handled like it was on rails. The NA engine didnt make a whole lot of power, so it really was the best of driving a slow car fast.

Drove it for 100k miles with zero unexpected mechanical events, aside from bending rims all the time. Traded it for a much bigger car when we had a kiddo.

That said, I did all the work on it. It was a bear to work on in a tiny engine compartment. I had to make some of my own tools to access some stuff. Not a friendly car to work on.

Further, after that first gen, the coopers really lost their "edginess". The suspensions got softer, the interiors more refined and pedestrian, just like what is happening with BMW in general. Less of a driver's car and more of a lux mom-wagon. The Countryman is a small SUVish thing, and I see no reason to get a mini over the competition in that segment. It may be a little quirkier or more interesting than other small SUVs, but it will likely be less reliable overall and really no more fun to drive.

[572cv]

Originally Posted by rice rocket

Don't ever buy used BMW products, end of story.

Sorry you (and possibly people you know) had bad experiences. My second hand 328D wagon has 55k miles on my watch, and I have zero complaints. Oh well, perhaps mine is a unicorn…. I hope it stays that way!

As to the OP post about the Countryman, my wife had a Clubman for the last four years. Pretty good, wonderful handling, but not perfect. It just got traded in on a VW Golf GTI six speed manual.

[Kirk007]

We haad god experience with a 2016 that we leased but we didn't put more than 10k per year on it. We currently have a low mileage 2019 Countryman hybrid that we bought used . The fit and finish is only ok. A fair amount of annoying rattles on rough roads. It's still fun to drive (not as fun as the coupe). It's drive is harsh with the runflat tires. In the year range you are looking at I would definitely be searching for low miles and get an extended service package. Olive is very inexpensive.

[windsurfer]

Nothing mini about a countryman.

I have a r56s jcw. Fun car but unreliable and expensive to maintain. Wouldn't have one as my only car.

[peanutgallery]

Both my sister and a coworker had one. They both brought them used, they both were stranded on multiple occasions. Oil consumption was a theme...along with a laundry list of electrical issues

They look cool and smell kinda nice. Fun to drive. Extremely expensive to maintain for a relatively inexpensive vehicle

The only worse vehicles you can purchase would be either a range rover, jaguar or an alfa. Tempting...but definitely in the category of Odysseus and his crew dealing with the Sirens. Resist

[buddybikes]

By an older Prius or perhaps Lexus CT200 and forget about the cool factor