Mini as a second car/daily driver?

[Gregoriovv]

I'm just tossing around the idea of getting a car for the mundane drive to and from work, only 5 miles but still. My 2010 135 has relatively low miles, just hit 20k, and being a mileage snob I would like to keep the miles low. I found a 2010 Cooper S with 39k on the clock for $10,500 and it's pretty damn clean.

Anyone here a former Mini owner or know much about them that cares to chime in with their experience? I would appreciate any feedback!

[BMW86]

I've driven a 13 Cooper S coupe (not sure if the engine is different to the 10 model) and it's a fantastic car. You could easily daily it if you're not concerned about space. The inside is surprisingly roomy, the iDrive is virtually the same as BMW, it has a great power/weight ratio and the handling is on point, although the one I have driven has factory sport suspension. I would recommend test driving one. They are very fun cars to drive and are well made.

[Gregoriovv]

Originally Posted by BMW86

I've driven a 13 Cooper S coupe (not sure if the engine is different to the 10 model) and it's a fantastic car. You could easily daily it if you're not concerned about space. The inside is surprisingly roomy, the iDrive is virtually the same as BMW, it has a great power/weight ratio and the handling is on point, although the one I have driven has factory sport suspension. I would recommend test driving one. They are very fun cars to drive and are well made.

I like that it is a small car, not a fan of big cars anyway. I'm going to look at it tomorrow and I will take my bike with me to see how it fits, which is another reason I'm looking at getting another hatchback. Kind of a pain in the arse getting my bike in the trunk of my 1 and hopefully it is a bit easier having a hatch. I like the idea of reserving my 1 for purpose drives like canyon carving and such instead of just sitting behind cars in traffic doing 10 mph. And since I'm getting my mods done I would rather enjoy every drive in it for what's it's built for, having fun.

[jdlivxx]

There is a ton of room inside. I'm 6'2" and still had room to move the seat back. I could fit my 26" single speed and my 24" bmx cruiser inside. It was tight but they fit. It's easier to take the front wheel off though. No major issues with them, just service them regularly. I would not complain about owning another mini. Just change the suspension. I had h&r coilovers and it eliminated the body roll. I ditched the stock wheels and tires for 18x8. The wider track helped a lot with the driving on rails feeling.

[ultimated]

10 years ago I leased a 2005 MCS, the last year of the supercharged engine. Sport suspension was a little rough on potholed roads here in the snowbelt. Ditched the runflats as they lost their grip after 10k miles and caused a lot of understeer. Great fun, slick shifting 6 speed, instant throttle response, with the right rubber it had amazing handling for a FWD, lots of interior space for its size, but noisy, thin seats, and the mileage wasn't very good for a microcar. Loved the chunky steering wheel, but the rest of the interior felt cheap.
Sounds like a good deal.

[e36addict]

R56es are great cars, and 2010 is a good year to have. That's the year they switched to the much better N18 engine. As long as it has good maintenance records I say go for it! I've considered one as well..

[ShocknAwe]

DD your 135i. It's meant to be driven!

[the1andonly]

When lease was up on my beloved 128 and baby on the way I bought a 2015 MINI Countryman ALL4. Custom from top to bottom ordered from factory...this is my 4th MINI and easily the best! Go for it!

[Gregoriovv]

So I checked it out and drove it today. Decent little car, seemed to have a lot of interior noise, creeks, rattles etc. one thing I did not like right off the bat was the huge sunroof that didn't have a proper sun shade. That will absolutely bake your head with our summers. It had a cheap perforated shade that didn't block much of anything. The deal killer though was the fact that my bike doesn't fit with the rear seats down. That's with the front wheel removed. If my road bike won't fit, there's no way my single speed will fit.

I'm thinking a Mini Clubman would be more practical for bikes since it seems to have more room in the back. I will tell you this, after getting back in my car, the power was pure bliss!

[Booey1979]

How about a mk5 of mk6 gti of regular golf. Love the practicality of the gti. Perfect for a growing family and communting.

[IEDEI]

why?

i echo shocknawe: just DD the 135.....cars are meant to be driven not worried about.

[Kouper]

Originally Posted by Gregoriovv

So I checked it out and drove it today. Decent little car, seemed to have a lot of interior noise, creeks, rattles etc. one thing I did not like right off the bat was the huge sunroof that didn't have a proper sun shade. That will absolutely bake your head with our summers. It had a cheap perforated shade that didn't block much of anything. The deal killer though was the fact that my bike doesn't fit with the rear seats down. That's with the front wheel removed. If my road bike won't fit, there's no way my single speed will fit.

I'm thinking a Mini Clubman would be more practical for bikes since it seems to have more room in the back. I will tell you this, after getting back in my car, the power was pure bliss!

I had a 2006 MINI Cooper S for a DD and loved it (it had Dinan engine and suspension mods). I could also fit my large 62 cm road bike in the MINI with the rear seat folded down and front passenger seat folded forward. Did it many times. The 2006 (R53) is smaller than the 2010 (R56), so you shouldn't have any problem. You need to try again and try harder.

Good luck.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Booey1979

How about a mk5 of mk6 gti of regular golf. Love the practicality of the gti. Perfect for a growing family and communting.

^^This! A used GTI would be a great alternative. More room and maybe less expensive as well. Not to mention a lot of fun. Maybe not as tossable as a Mini, but still fun none the less.

[Gregoriovv]

Originally Posted by EvenEsteban

^^This! A used GTI would be a great alternative. More room and maybe less expensive as well. Not to mention a lot of fun. Maybe not as tossable as a Mini, but still fun none the less.

I had a 2012 GTI prior to my 1 but had to lemon law it due to the water pump. I loved that car but it seems the prices are still a bit to high for one that I would want. Maybe I'm a bit gun shy due to my experience with it but I probably wouldn't hesitate to get another one if the price was right, max $10k.

[Gray_Panther]

Just DD the 1er and take the long but fun route home haha!