MINI engine failure at 40K miles: $10,200 to fix

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Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: javacontour
I'd take a chance on a recent Aston Martin that had a clean title for $21k
smile.gif




Well you got me there!


I know, edge case. I have about as much chance finding a clean AM for $21K as I do winning the powerball.

But either way, I'd own an Aston Martin!
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
given she paid 21k for a used mini, her ability to recognize a good deal is suspect.

I think this ^^^ is the crux of the matter.

I think the woman made at least four mistakes here:
1) Arranging a highly-leveraged purchase of what is essentially a used exotic-car of unknown provenance.
2) Apparently doing zero research into what she was buying. Such research would have been as simple as going to a newsstand and picking up a copy of Consumer Reports' New Car Ratings & Reviews magazine (which has reliability ratings going back 10-years).
3) Not realizing the limits of her own capacity to absorb an unforeseen disaster with her highly-leveraged purchase.
4) Not realizing that she's being given a pretty good deal by MINI Canada, considering the circumstances.
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: javacontour
given she paid 21k for a used mini, her ability to recognize a good deal is suspect.

I think this ^^^ is the crux of the matter.

Was the price she paid really that bad?

I am looking at prices of 3-year old Cooper S cars in Canada and seeing avg asking price of around $22.5K.
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: javacontour
given she paid 21k for a used mini, her ability to recognize a good deal is suspect.

I think this ^^^ is the crux of the matter.

I think the woman made at least four mistakes here:
1) Arranging a highly-leveraged purchase of what is essentially a used exotic-car of unknown provenance.
2) Apparently doing zero research into what she was buying. Such research would have been as simple as going to a newsstand and picking up a copy of Consumer Reports' New Car Ratings & Reviews magazine (which has reliability ratings going back 10-years).
3) Not realizing the limits of her own capacity to absorb an unforeseen disaster with her highly-leveraged purchase.
4) Not realizing that she's being given a pretty good deal by MINI Canada, considering the circumstances.
How many posts on BITOG have been for I bought this car and just found out the engine is sludged up .How can I clean it?
 
Too bad Minis have turned out to be they way they have. I like the way they look (original), not the clubmans, coupes, and the hideous 4 door. Considered test driving one, then did some research, then backed off.
 
They do drive well. Better than most cars you'd cross-shop them with. Just not well enough to justify the clownishness and quality issues, IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Quatro,

For that much $22.5K you can get a brand new Accord.


Yes, you can get quite a few new cars for this amount, but that's neither here nor there.

I wasn't talking about whether the Mini is worth its price. I was just pointing out that what she paid may have just been the going price for that vehicle at the time. Some people in this thread made it sound like she grossly overpaid.
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact

I have a friend who is a well known BMW tech in the Northeast. He'll tell anyone point-blank that he would rather drive and maintain a Renault LeCar over any Mini.

He's told me numerous horror stories about new or rebuilt transmissions(and other parts direct from Mini) that were DOA upon installation. He just hates them.


Actually the Renault 5 (known as the Renault Le Car in the US)
did not deserve the bad reputation it had in the US. Everywhere else in the world it was a huge hit. Those cars when reasonably maintained properly were actually quite reliable and trouble free. Few know that the Le Car beat the Rabbit to the US market and was one of the first of the modern crop of
front wheel drive hatchbacks. It even had four wheel independent suspension as well quite amazing for an economy car at that time. The front seats were some of the best on the market rivaling cars at a much higher price point. I wish I could buy one today new.

The product wasn't the problem it was the AMC dealer network that didn't have the proper marketing, and dealer service was lacking because they didn't give the techs the proper factory training.
 
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I'm just repeating what my friend told me. My wife had a 1981
R 18i when we first started dating; it was a ball to drive but when it needed repairs the parts were always more expensive than the equivalent items for my 1973 Bavaria 3.0. The last straw was when the automatic transaxle would downshift into second at highways speeds without any warning- and refuse to upshift again until the car was brought to a complete stop. No one was able to diagnose the cause so it was traded shortly thereafter. As you noted, dealer support was lacking, but in terms of comfort, fit/finish and driving involvement it was 1000% better than the garbage Detroit was cranking out at the time(Can you say Citation, Fairmont, or K Car?). Too bad the support wasn't there...
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
On a side note, it's a shame you can no longer get a new 3-series wagon with a manual trans. It has to be auto, and it has to have xDrive. Two wrongs don't make it right. Just when I was starting to like them...


Indeed.

The one they found was a unicorn. Totally worth it.


Here you go!
 
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