This is a repost. Maybe you've had better luck.

I really like the 2nd Gens Minis. The dimensions are perfect. The S versions are reasonably powerful. The chassis is generally good. However, the experts that have owned them claimed that they fall apart with high miles, and I unfortunately found out how true that was.

My 2nd gen Honda Fit got totalled after a year of fixing things and setting it up to handle the way I wanted it to. I wanted to try replacing it with my favorite car (at least on paper), the 2nd gen Mini.

I made an appointment with a local Mini dealer to test drive a reasonably priced 75,000 mile S for the next day (it was late in the day, I was working, and I didn't want to go there last thing). It had meticulous records kept and a clean Carfax. When I showed up for my test drive they hadn't bothered to tell me that it had sold the night before. I had even called to confirm. Little did I know this was just the start of my frustrations.

The next stop was a S hard top with sunroof (could do without it, but most seem to have it). It had roughly 80,000 miles, but was a fleet vehicle that was meticulously maintained (with detailed records). This one had some cosmetic damage (bumper had been curbed, fake scoop warped, faded "bonnet stripes") , but the engine looked good (you can actually see the valvetrain through the oil fill cap), and it drove like new. Unfortunately the sales guy was a douche that kept asking for substantially more than the sticker price because "the bank wants more money" though it was him raising the price of the car...the financing was completely separate...as if I've never purchased a car before. Ultimately, after working on it for days, he relented that he did this as a hobby and didn't need to sell me a car. Awesome. Done with it.

The next was another S right next door. This one had some wheels, an aftermarket intake, and some wiring under the hood was askew. Apparently, someone had stolen the shift knob. This one was doomed from the start (literally). The cam lobes looked scored and discolored. The coolant looked murky and the recovery tank was low. It had a really bad vibration in the steering wheel above 35mph, and once warmed up smelled heavily of impending engine death. Straight burnt engine. It's an overpowering smell that would stay with me for the entire day. The salesman of course assured me that everything was good...and it just needed wheels balanced. I noticed that the coolant recovery tank was empty after the short drive. Hard pass. It had around 115k miles on the clock.

I decided to check out some NA versions, as they're known to be more reliable long term and hold up better...it is said. There's also a wider range of years that are considered okay to own long term. The first one was an absolute mess. Dry rotted tires. Everything plastic was broken. The speedometer needle was sitting at the bottom of the speedo. Interior looked like animals had ravaged it. It belonged in a junk yard, not a sales lot. The engine started and ran. I didn't even bother to go anywhere with it. Black soot emanated from the exhaust. The cam lobes were scored and everything under there looked dirty and discolored. This one was a 95,000 mile car, IIRC.

This dealer also had a Clubman S of similar vintage that one of the employees was driving around. It had some minor cosmetic damage but otherwise looked good. A further look showed that it needed brake rotors and pads and it unfortunately had the older engine known for the usual problems plus cam chain issues. No longer interested.

The final stop was a pretty light blue car. It was cosmetically immaculate inside and out. The battery was dead, so the sales guy jumped it. This one had some battery monitoring system, that if you jump it, it blows a module that controls the lights, signals, and door locks. It basically would've been several hundred dollars just to correct that. This one looked like it had been overheated. The coolant was murky, the expansion tank had a thin layer of oil on top, and the camshafts were scored and discolored (a theme, it seems). There was a new coolant hose still hanging off the bottom, improperly secured...a likely clue as to the demise of this engine. It was such a good looking car I was tempted to pick it up...but I needed a daily driver, not a project car. This one was with 75,000 on the clock.

So, the Mini was not to be. If I ever get one it'll be a 3rd gen, it seems. A lot less cool, but a lot more reliable...being, essentially, a German car rather than a British one.

I ended up going with another 2nd Gen Fit. Kind of an awkward car, but they're practical, reliable, relatively sporty, and can fit five real people. This one is a little beat up cosmetically but is mechanically solid after some minor fixes. These cars are cool in that it has the cargo capacity of a compact SUV in a subcompact car. They're extremely simple for a modern car, and it's fun to drive. I like subcompact cars. My ex's 1st generation Fit ruined me for anything bigger.

Short story, don't buy a high mileage 2nd Gen Mini.

 

Welcome back lol.

The main thing even after reliability was the cost of ownership was cheaper with the Fit. Repair and maintenance was just cheaper on pretty much every part/service.

Sucks that the used minis were such a poor choice, but glad you’ve found something in the end :)

 

The Fit and Mini are very similar dimensionally...but the Fit makes such better use of the space.

Behind the wheel, the view from the Mini driver's seat is reminiscent of that of a classic sports car...the NA versions even drive like one, engine wise...and that's endearing. I just didn't expect such a nightmare to find a clean and affordable example.

I still own my second favorite car, and that's not so bad.

 

The BMW Minis are notorious money pits so although I share your enthusiasm for them , I never seriously thought about getting one. You could mod the Fit to be a bit faster and sportier but it'll probably never feel like a proper sportscar. My main daily is actually a miata and you could get one for less than a service for the mini would be.

 

The Miata is generally always the answer, but I have stuff and kids to haul around and have no interest in owning multiple cars.

The Fit is really good with some minor suspension mods and a decent set of tires. Good enough for me. It could use a little more poke, though I doubt it's worth the effort.

I have a bike to fix, yet, which used to be my primary transportation.

 

I had a 2nd gen MINI for 6 years and 80k miles before I totaled it. Hands down the most fun car to drive. I loved that car and hoped to keep it for a long time But I completely agree on reliability. At the time of the accident, something was going bad. Not sure what but it was dying randomly while idling at lights. Otherwise it had been pretty reliable but it’s definitely a car that you have to love in order to justify the long term maintenance costs. The Fit isn’t as fun to drive but it has some similarities so I’m looking forward to owning this car until it dies. The MINI is definitely more of a second, weekend only, fun car than a daily driver.

Congrats on the new Fit!

 

The Fit can be made pretty good with some simple mods. The ride certainly isn't as refined. The suspension is much simpler...at least out back. They'll both crash over hard edged stuff.

I mainly like the looks, the cockpit, the power, and the ride of the 2nd gen Minis.

As far as the power, I just found it unnecessary to rev it out so much. I think they're some of the best looking cars ever made, and the ride is what you'd expect from a small car with sporty aspirations.

The Fit is simpler, more durable, more reliable, less expensive to maintain and easier to fix, it seems. It is certainly far more practical interior wise.

My Fit is new to me. It was far from perfect and had 120,000 miles on it, but the car is solid chassis and engine wise once the broken and worn out stuff was dealt with.

 

I'm jealous of your knowledge of what to look for under the hood. I'm fairly clueless so I tend to buy newer cars in the hopes that they'll be reliable. So far of the 2 cars I've owned before my new-to-me Fit, the MINI was more reliable (and cheaper) over 80k miles than the Buick Encore over 61k miles. I owned both cars for similar lengths of time and, if anything, I was nicer to the Buick driving-style-wise than I was to the MINI. I'm hoping that the Fit will last at least 200k miles. My parents generally have kept their cars for over 200k miles so I grew up with older, and very loved, cars.

I completely agree with your assessment of both cars. This thread will be a great reference point for anyone debating between the two cars.

 

Which generation Mini was it and was it an S or the normally aspirated version?

Sometimes you get lucky. In my endeavor to find a decent one, I was not.

The Buick Encore is a cute little CUV. My girlfriend recently purchased a used Nissan Rogue and people love to tell her that it's not a real SUV. It's already eaten a coil and is on the way to needing brakes. The fuel mileage also isn't great. The ride feels as sluggish to me as the acceleration, but she loves it. It goes into a limp mode if anything is wrong. She claims it would only reach 25mph going uphill when the coil failed.

The only new car I've had experience with was a 1st gen Fit. It was similar engine wise, but the chassis was not as good. It had stiffer suspension yet a much more flexible chassis. Not the best combination, but still fun to drive. It was my then wife's, and I joked that it was a micro van. Other than consumables and coils it never gave us a problem. It did get a creak in the front suspension after her stepdad smashed it into a speed bump full blast.

She got a 2015 Mazda 3 GT new later on, but I never drove it. That's a relatively quick car, but it's a little big for me and the suspension tuning, while delivering a good ride is on the soft side for my tastes. Car reviewers love the thing, and you generally can't go wrong with that.

My previous 2nd gen Fit had fewer miles, but wasn't as solid...likely due to rust. It had some creaks and rattles and had some discernible flex in the middle. A CV axle broke (rust) and the AC blower motor failed. The engine mounts were also very loose feeling. None were broken, but they felt quite floppy. Not sure if they changed the tuning on those, but they felt excessively loose.

The latest Fit was purchased with some issues and some miles, but the driveline is solid and it feels like a new car. It was purchased knowing it had a problem in the left front. I was hoping it was just a bad wheel bearing and sensor. It was a bad wheel bearing, broken sensor, warped hub, bad axle, and a bad end link on the other side. No big deal...just a little more than I expected.

 

I had a 2009 base Cooper (R56) with an automatic transmission. It was a great car. My dad had a 2005 CooperS (R53) with a manual transmission. MINI switched to turbochargers in 2007 for the S. I drove one but I thought that the supercharger in the previous model was better. However, the R53 was not expected to be as reliable as the R56 so I went with the R56 base model. I never regretted it. I got into plenty of trouble without the assistance of a turbocharger or a supercharger lol.

 

I feel ya. My first car was a '79 Camaro with some go fast parts, but the idea was eventually abandoned as it wasn't all that practical. I also have a big V-twin sportbike that's pretty much a streetable racebike, and it's a bit unnecessary.

For longevity it's all in how you treat it, but irregular maintenance items get old. Some vehicles have known failure points that have to be caught before a catastrophic failure results.

I've gone with more practical options in both my bike and car, and aside from losing a bit in outright performance, for daily use they're both more than adequate.