Mini Cooper S Convertible

Loved this car when i bought it, but has had to many problems, passengers interior door handle pulled interior panel off when shutting(new panel),New roof(rattled),big problems with boot opening when driving,back interior panels rattling. This was the new launch mini convertible! Will not buy another

I bought my Mini Cooper S Convertible as a fun car after owning a Mondeo estate, and because my daughter wanted me to have one.

I liked the fact that it was fun to drive: the accelleration was good and it handled nicely around corners.

The minus points were the practicality, 28MPG fuel consumption, terrible rear visibility for parking and lots of wind noise with the roof up.

The biggest problem I had was that the engine broke after just 34,000 miles. A new engine for a Mini from a dealer is £6,200. I now have a Jaguar S-Type because it's cheaper to run.

Good Points of the Mini Cooper Convertible: Fun, frugal, comfortable and 'friendly'. Plenty of zip.

Bad Points: On 17 inch wheels the ride is quite 'jiggly'. The dealership wouldn't let us swap for 16 inch wheels without paying £300+ more which was ludicrous as we were effectively paying twice (Chilli Pack includes 17 inch wheels). Ride improves if laden. Quite noisy with a reasonable amount of induction roar. Rear visbility could be better

Overall: Unless you feel you need the performance, test an ordinary Cooper as well. Try them roof up and down. Don't expect much of a discount. Had to haggle hard for £1,000 off.

If you're looking for a convertible with both style and performance, you won't go wrong with a Mini Cooper S Convertible.