I have had my mini for 3 months now and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I got the Chili Pack and panoramic sunroof which i really like as I had a convertible for my previous car but did not like the lack of boot space. Although the mini does have a small boot you can put the seats down which means you can get quite a bit in. Haven't had it long so hopefully will not get the problems like other people on here, so fingers crossed!

We bought our Mini Cooper new in 2004, and it proved to be a great little car. Having also driven the updated version I personally think that the older one is better. We never had any problems with it, but I wish we'd bought the Cooper S as our standard Cooper (115bhp) wasn't all that fast. Also I'd recommend buying one with the sunroof as it makes the interior brighter and less claustrophobic. There was an issue with the early Cooper pulling to the left, ours did it very slightly but the dealer denied all knowledge of the problem, despite the fact that BMW issued a suspension modification to cure it. Typical of car dealers though in my experience. The Mini handled well and seemed nicely put together. It looked good and the interior was nice (ours had the optional "chrome line interior pack") There are thousands of these early "New" Minis around now and I'd seriously consider one if I was looking for a small car, but I'd go for the supercharged version.

My husband is a driving instructor and this Mini was his 3rd car, the first one the gear box dropped out due to the clutch not being fitted right, but this last one has cost us money after money .While the car was still under the warranty , it was losing so much oil ( the end bill over a 3 month period was over £300) but the garage was not interested until the car broke down and it turned out the valves had burnt out which cost nearly £2,000 to repair , we had to pay for the repair, but exactly a week later the same thing happened again and they wanted us to pay for the repairs again !!. the car has been in their garage since october 2010 and there is where it is staying until the matter is resolved , the worst of it is the car is on hp and we are still paying. the car has nearly cost us our lively hood and cause so much stress that my husband had a heart attack . we will never ever consider a mini again and advice everyone to beware of the amount of problems these cars bring . Because in the end they are just rubbish.

Our Brand New Mini Cooper with Chilli pack and other extras.
I feel it has become important to everyone thinking of a buying a Mini to draw their attention to deficiencies at MINI UK.
Our brand new vehicle was delivered with numerous faults to the front, bonnet, grilles and spats which made it look distorted - the dealership should have put these defects in order before delivery - even after two post delivery opportunities they still failed to do so and on top of that they claimed the vehicle was in perfect condition and that we would not get the standard of finish that we were looking for which we pointed out was only the standard shown in the brochures, can be seen on other vehicles in the showroom and generally on the roadways.
Mini customer service executives Stacey Owen and Zoe Shamrock have shown blind allegiance to the dealership and failed to be customer focused with a balanced view.
However Mini telephone customer service person "Andrew", I believe is in a group with Jamie and John, was extremely helpful and able to look at a balanced situation and suggested that we take the vehicle to another dealership for their appraisal. Then if the alternate dealership agreed with our assessment of the build quality he could look at the matter further. The alternate dealership did agree and undertook some adjustments which were professionally undertaken but also said that if they could have the vehicle for a day they may be able to make further improvements because there were a number of marks that did not line up. A few days later we decided to do book it in with this dealership when it became clear that the original dealership were not going to undertake the modifications and Stacey Owens and Zoe Shamrock were not going to provide any assistance just being obstructive and failing to progress the matter.
The vehicle was taken to the alternate dealership and after a day in their care came out looking good, very much meeting most of our expectations of what we had ordered in a brand new mini. This dealer also pointed out something that we had not seen, that the vehicle had a badly fitted rear offside window and arrangements were made for that that to be rectified and this has now been undertaken.
Whilst the problems with this vehicle stem from a poor build and inspection quality in the factory, clearly very crappy. These problems are, I assume, of a temporary nature due to them being teething problems with the new front detail. What is totally unacceptable is the dealership and its response to the facts, that they failed to observe the problems, failed to rectify them and tried to argue that the poor workmanship was standard and satisfactory.
I understand from the conversation with "Andrew" that the problems should have been taken in hand and resolved by the Mini sales manager but for some reason the service manager deemed himself as the person for this role. This service manager has failed in his duty of care in that his conduct been argumentative and disrespectful to the customer far from the customer service standards that should be experienced at a BMW/Mini dealership and unlike what we have seen at the alternate dealership and that he has failed to be capable of seeing the problems (probably should have gone to Specsavers) before and after delivery and failed to satisfactorily resolve the problems. For the sake of future customers at this dealership it seems to me that this manager should be relieved of his duties because of his poor conduct and capability. In addition to this the dealer principal has failed in his duty to ensure customer satisfaction and listened blindly to the ranting of his service manager failing to correctly and independently ascertain the facts of the situation and really should he be looking after a BMW/Mini franchise with his low service level standards.
When it comes to the Mini customer service executives it is obvious that Stacey Owen and Zoe Shamrock have talked to the service manager but not to the customer, they have failed, unlike Andrew, to provide a balanced service and would question their suitability to be in post.
I do not know what the dealership hopes to achieve with its negative responses, incorrect statements and deceitful comments in the couple of letters that they have they have produced they certainly do not improve their standing in the matter.
I have tried here to simplify the situation here, clearly do not let the excitement of a new car overtake you, check the vehicle thoroughly before paying for it but if you make the mistake do not expect service from Zoe Shamrock at Mini UK, if you are unfortunate to be involved with her and definitely beware of buying a vehicle from a poor quality Stratstone dealership.

This is my 4 Mini Cooper and it puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. For that reason I am about to buy another. I understand there have been a few people unhappy with their Mini's, I will say 3 words, complain, complain, complain. One of my Mini's was a Friday afternoon car and the dealership bought it back from me and had to sell it up north (I lived in Surrey at the time). I wrote to BMW Mini complaining as it was in their garage more than it was in mine. You name it, it went wrong. Don't wait until the warranty runs out. It is also worthy of note that if you have mentioned the problems before the warranty ran out then they should have a note about it. See the Principal at the dealership, he will sort it for you. Mine did. If you need help let me know. I paid £500 for a brand new car. They don't want their brand slatted so go for it.

I have owned a Mini Cooper for 4 years now. It came to me 3 years old and with 11,000 miles on the clock. I traded in a family BMW 2000 for it and I love it. I choose to write now following a rear ending accident. The other driver was traveling approx 40 miles per hour, me and the traffic in front around 10 miles an hour. She pushed me off the road and I expected loads and loads of damage. Witness and police stopped; externally there appears to be only 2 scratches below the bumper. The safety foam obviously now ruined, me with mild whiplash, sore shoulder, presumably from the seat belt, also a sore right hip again from me braking. I have to wonder how this would relate to a different car of a similar size. As a driver, mother of 3 children, mother to a further 2, wife, full time worker I will be forever grateful to my Mini Cooper and honestly feel I will now drive nothing else!

I've had my Mini Cooper now for 4 years. Very reliable and loved it up until two years ago when I needed to have more contact with the BMW Dealership. Had to go to the dealer for a couple of things, lights needing replacing, windscreen wipers wearing out quickly (4 months!), needed tuning every 6-8 months as cuts out easily. These tamperings are not counted in the TLC package so beware! These sound like inexpensive minor aggravations HOWEVER, after going to the dealership for a new windscreen after a crack from a stone chip, I was quoted £800 (£800!) for a new windscreen! Something to do with "labour costs". When Autoglass do it for £50!

I've owned my Mini Cooper for nearly a year and it holds the corners really well, apart from the slight oversteer and the lack of exit speed that can be gained, the biggest most annoying thing is the windscreen, it sits far to vertical and the flies stick to it like glue, nearly everyday the windscreen needs a good rub down when I get home from work. It's nippy from 1st to 3rd gear and when in 5th it feels like theres still another gear to go. The rev counter 2 inches behind the steering wheel and I'm constantly having to bob my head down to look at my rpm, the car is really small i had great difficulty getting my cousins child seat in and when it was eventually fitted my auntie's seat had to be right forward with her head against the windscreen I think I'm just being a bit picky overall there are more pro's than con's after all how many standard 1.6 16v go 138mph with another 500rpm to go :) really fun to drive and I'd recommend it to anyone without young children.

I love my Mini Cooper! I had a Mini One previously which was also good fun to drive but I decided to spoil myself.
A very nippy car for city driving or around country lanes, grips the road well.
Drove to Italy in my Mini One and have just got back from the Netherlands in my Cooper and no problems on either trip: an enjoyable and fun drive!
Mini also do trips (see above) arranged around race tracks to give you opportunity to take it on the track, test out the run flat tyres and watch the stunt drivers show you what the Mini is capable of.
The Mini estate looks to be really cool......I can't wait!

I hate this car. I bought the car off my mum with only 12,000 miles on the clock and thought it was a safe bet. It was 4 years old and had the TLC package; only the 3 dealers I approached all said that they would not service the car as it had not done the minimum mileage and the car hadn't "told me" it needed it. I knew it needed it and surely that is what mattered. Further, and more importantly, the car was unsafe. It had a habit of cutting out, especially on sudden breaking. This happened a number of times, most scarily on the M4 at 60 mph! I took it to the dealer 5 times and each time they belittled me and said there was nothing wrong with the car. It took me offering to take their head mechanic out for a test drive for them to acknowledge that it was down to a known problem and eventually they fixed it at a discount (it would have cost £600). It was also shocking to drive at low gear, jumping forward and almost smashing into the car in front or completely stalling. I cant emphasise how much I disliked this car - I sold it within 4 months as I couldn't stand the drive or the dealers.

My Mini Cooper 1.6 16V is fast, fun, chili red with white roof and mirrors, 32 mpg, and reliable! Everyone should drive one! Can't wait to get the Traveller Wagon coming out 2008.

It is as though my Mini Cooper 1.6 16V is glued to the road when cornering - great fun. Almost forget to fill up with petrol because it goes so far on a tank; great looks and great performance. Still like it loads and it seems to cross every cultural and economic barrier - a truly people's car.