Pros and Cons: Owning a Mini Cooper
Moreover, I want to know the Pros and Cons of the Mini Cooper in general. If anyone has ever owned one, what did you think of it?
Thank you for helping
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M$5 Answers
-Handles better than sportscars.
-Fun to drive
-Great on gas
-Quick
Con's:
-Reliability is average. Not better than Japanese cars.
-Very expenisve to buy.
-Maintenance costs are high
-Premium gas required.
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M$
Don't know if that helps, I dont know much about car specs but certainly the car is small which can be helpful for parking and in cities. Its owned by BMW so you can be sure its reliable. However the small size will also allow for less space to transport goods and people. Lastly I think the price you pay for the Mini is too high but I guess that depends on your country of residence and how much your dealer is affected by the crisis.
If your looking at cars in that price and size range check out the Alfa Romeo Mito which just came out.
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M$
Pros:
- Very fun to drive (specially the Cooper S version)
- Very good power to weight ratio
- Easy to park
- Great car to be seen in
- Makes you happy to get into, which is a plus
- Great mechanics (german)
- Maintains its price over time
Cons:
- Small interior (really cramped)
- Can be a bit pricy to maintain (specially the Cooper S)
- Small boot, if you're in a shopping mood
- Not ideal if you have a family
- Expensive to buy
Overall it is a great little car, and I would recommend the Cooper D, which is powerfull but cheaper to maintain (it's a diesel).
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M$
-The handling is similar to a go kart handling. This car manages to maintain a great ride quality while going through harsh turns with no visible effort.
-Braking & safety: Stability control is a standard feature with mini coopers. Combined with handling and breaking performance of this little car, stability control can do wonders in dangerous situations.
-Exterior styling: This car is odd and quirky and incredibly cute.
-Materials & workmanship: BMW build quality makes its way into MINI brand in everything from seating surfaces to headliner and plastic parts.
-Great on gas mileage
- Its a fun ride
Reasons not to buy
-Available features: The available features are so abundant that nothing really seems to come standard on the Cooper. Cruise control? Optional. Multi function steering wheel? Optional. For a base of 22 thousand, it needs to come with more standard features
-Some find the car way to small and the rear seat to be uncomfortable
-The control design can be quirky. The radio controls are counter intuitive and the window switches can be difficult to reach
-Front seat room: The roof line is so low that tall people do not fit. When I tested the car my head was touching the roofliner.
-The car is not cheap and starts at $22,000.
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M$- EASY TO PARK, it can take the small parking spaces that only smart cars can have, at many moments I would wish to have a mini to be able to park it.
- Fun car to drive, small, fast, sorta like a go kart.
- Pricey in maintenance and base price, if you get it used you may be paying more than you think later on.
Cons:
- Small Small Small, you can't fit all you want in there!
- 4 seater, I guess this goes with small
- You really feel the road, its a great sportscar, but you feel every little bump, this is not a luxury car.
- Interior isn't really all that great
drove one and have a friend who owns one
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M$
It's true the Mini Cooper hasn't had great J.D. Power ratings for reliability, but you need to dig a little deeper to get to the truth.
A couple of years ago, the Mini got horrible reliability ratings from J.D.P. But when BMW looked at why the car was rated so low it was because of owners' displeasure with nothing but the car's cup holders. Everything else got superb ratings. So BMW totally changed the cup holders for the next model.
This year, the Mini was ranked second from the bottom in J.D. Powers' listing. Why? Well, read the story...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31570888/ns/business-autos/
Apparently, most Americans don't like anything out of the ordinary. If this includes you, buy a Camry.
Japanese cars? when you talk quality Japanese cars you are basically saying Honda and Toyota because the others are not as reliable and some like Mitsubishi and Suzuki have been terrible and outright scandalous, or Nissan with its hit or miss quality.
Well said @defolts
Is it true premium gas is required and that maintenance costs are high? Does that mean they break down a lot?