the wife has her heart set on a mini cooper. ( used 2004 auto) i'm trying to talk her out of it but i think i'm losing the battle. anyone know anything about them- are they reliable- easy on gas- any quirks. looking at ads for pricing i noticed a few used ones have had the engine and tranny rebuilds, is that common problem? are they build by bmw?

I believe the Minis of that vintage are being looked at for a recall.

I have a brother firefighter who owns one, he love it. It is, I believe, the super charged model. Good performance and great mileage. jlp

My experience:

The convertibles have big blind spots.

The dash and gauges are too hard to look at.

Here is a great way to see real world opinions from owners. Just read about 30 reviews on any car you consider and you will see trends such as : "bad fuel mileage" or "transmission leak" or "no problems just gotta change oil" etc. I did not read any of the 2004 Mini reviews in the link below but a few months ago but I did for some checks for Honda automatics from 2000-2003...the site saved me from making a bad recommendation to a friend:

http://www.edmunds.com/mini/cooper/2004/consumer-reviews.html

Maybe your wife would like a Toyota Celica, Honda S2000, Mazda Miata, Toyota MR2 Spyder or Civic Coupe with leather instead of Mini?

Edited May 9, 201113 yr by Blue

We seriously looked at getting one, and drove a few, auto and manual. It's a fun car and really moves well. The automatic transmission is a CVT type and wasn't well done. I noticed a tranny problem with the used Mini I was driving almost immediately. According to everything I could find on the subject, the dealer won't even attempt to repair it, as it's a "sealed" unit. They just make you buy a new one, which can cost upwards of $5k. Unfortunately, the 6 speed manual apparently isn't much better for reliability or repairability. This might have changed in the last couple of years, so research well. Also, they supposedly had some problems with their complex electrical system. Again, check recent surveys.

My rule of thumb is to always check the prices of common replacement parts for a car, such as windshield, muffler, radiator, alternator, etc., and especially find out if there is a good source of aftermarket parts available. Since BMW likes to be the only game in town, these parts are very pricey. Some people don't care about maintenance cost, but if you're buying a new one, get the best extended warranty you can. By the way, we didn't end up getting one.

i read reviews from consumer report and repair bills are excessive. she no longer want a mini. whewwwwww.

s2000