Likes
- The styling
- The image
- Entertaining driving experience
- Unique interior design
Used Mini Cooper review
2001 - 2008
Dislikes
- Terrifying amounts of potential common issues
- Ride quality has degraded over time
- Interior/exterior trim becoming brittle
- Not very roomy
Stuff you should know
An iconic english nameplate now owned by giant German automotive manufacturer BMW, designed by a Moroccan-born American, powered by an engine made in Brazil by a company part owned by American car giant Chrysler and bolted together in the UK. The first-generation Mini hatch may have possibly been one of the most multicultural vehicles on the market.
While the styling, image and driving enjoyment are important factors in the Mini’s attraction and success, now this generation has been around for nearly two decades, more than a few reliability and mechanical issues are beginning to rear their head.
Plus a downside to the sharp handling and dynamic driving experience is that, after many years and thousands of kilometres, the ride has become fairly harsh, all the more so on rough Aussie roads and therefore the interior trim can sound and feel like it is attempting to self-destruct.
This first generation of the new Mini also received a facelift in 2004 for the upcoming 2005 model year, receiving some exterior aesthetic changes that we’ll cover below, but aside from the looks, this update brought with it an improvement in equipment and interior materials, a Getrag five-speed manual transmission for the base Cooper and some very worthy mechanical changes under the skin, especially in terms of the Cooper S.
We understand the Mini’s appeal, but these days, nearly 20 years on and thousands of kilometres later, buying one requires much caution.
What goes wrong
- The black plastic has a habit of fading to become a patchy grey colour. This is can be remedied with some quality car care products
- Rust can commonly impact the bottoms of the doors, under the weather stripping on the door edge, the join between the plastic body kit and the metal and above the number plate on the tailgate, around the taillights and check the subframe
- As Minis are becoming more affordable, many people fail to comprehensively insure them and if involved in an accident, rather than paying top dollar to have them repaired properly, shortcuts may be taken so it’s critical to check all the panel gaps, be sure to check that the paint matches, make sure the paint is also consistent in feel and texture and look for any signs of overspray, especially in the engine bay
- Check the wheels for signs of gutter rash or any serious impact. As most Minis spend their lives in metropolitan areas, hitting a gutter when parking or side swiping a median strip can be quite common
- Window mechanisms can fail and fixing this issue can be fiddly and time consuming
- The door lock cables are weak and can fail
- Check for signs of water stains on the carpet in convertible versions and ask to have the carpets removed to check the floor under them.
- The convertible roofs are known to leak and there are reports of the roof mechanism failing. If this occurs when it starts raining, it can drench the interior in water
- The sunroof on the hardtop versions are known to leak and the water channels can fill up with debris leading to water filling up the footwells of the interior and this can lead to rust
- There are reports of the fan unit failing within the air conditioning which requires the entire dash to be removed to repair it. This is a substantial job and can cost thousands
- The seat bolsters can become overly squishy and the adjustment cables inside the seats are known to fail
- The interior plastics (especially on pre-2004 models) can become brittle and fragile, especially on any moving parts or chromed items
- Check that the warning lights work and go out: the airbag light can simply be the connections under the seat and the ABS light may require a whole new-under bonnet unit
- The Mini is becoming renowned for a vast array of electronic gremlins from infotainment issues to power mirror and window problems to the seats recognising there are passengers sitting in them even when they are not. This results in the seat belt warning chime sounding until the issue is resolved
- Diff bearings known to fail on early pre-2004 manual
- The black plastic has a habit of fading to become a patchy grey colour. This is can be remedied with some quality car care products
- Rust can commonly impact the bottoms of the doors, under the weather stripping on the door edge, the join between the plastic body kit and the metal and above the number plate on the tailgate, around the taillights and check the subframe
- As Minis are becoming more affordable, many people fail to comprehensively insure them and if involved in an accident, rather than paying top dollar to have them repaired properly, shortcuts may be taken so it’s critical to check all the panel gaps, be sure to check that the paint matches, make sure the paint is also consistent in feel and texture and look for any signs of overspray, especially in the engine bay
- Check the wheels for signs of gutter rash or any serious impact. As most Minis spend their lives in metropolitan areas, hitting a gutter when parking or side swiping a median strip can be quite common
- Window mechanisms can fail and fixing this issue can be fiddly and time consuming
- The door lock cables are weak and can fail
- Check for signs of water stains on the carpet in convertible versions and ask to have the carpets removed to check the floor under them.
- The convertible roofs are known to leak and there are reports of the roof mechanism failing. If this occurs when it starts raining, it can drench the interior in water
- The sunroof on the hardtop versions are known to leak and the water channels can fill up with debris leading to water filling up the footwells of the interior and this can lead to rust
- There are reports of the fan unit failing within the air conditioning which requires the entire dash to be removed to repair it. This is a substantial job and can cost thousands
- The seat bolsters can become overly squishy and the adjustment cables inside the seats are known to fail
- The interior plastics (especially on pre-2004 models) can become brittle and fragile, especially on any moving parts or chromed items
- Check that the warning lights work and go out: the airbag light can simply be the connections under the seat and the ABS light may require a whole new-under bonnet unit
- The Mini is becoming renowned for a vast array of electronic gremlins from infotainment issues to power mirror and window problems to the seats recognising there are passengers sitting in them even when they are not. This results in the seat belt warning chime sounding until the issue is resolved
- Diff bearings known to fail on early pre-2004 manual gearboxes
- Power steering pumps known to fail
- Oil leaks around the crank seal, the crank sensor O-ring and the rear main oil seal and excessive oil consumption are very common. Rectifying these leaks can become labour intensive
- Spark plugs seals and rocker cover gaskets can leak too, but are easily sorted
- Cooper S engine concerns revolve around overheating, which can cause cracked cylinder heads. This is caused by the fact that the cooling fans are prone to faults and as such don’t cut in
- Thermostats can be a problem on all models, either leaking when the seal goes brittle or the unit seizing altogether and causing the car to overheat.
- Replacement keys are very expensive
- The rigid brakes pipes underneath the car can also suffer from corrosion
- Coolant tanks tend to fail with monotonous regularity
- The Rover-derived R65 ‘Midland’ gearbox in early pre-facelift Minis is fragile and a common failure point. Clutch failure is common too
- Engine mounts are known to wear and may require replacement
- Hydraulic tappet or timing chain tensioner problems are becoming common
- Cooling system issues are common in warmer climates
- Water pumps are known to fail
- Expansion tanks can leak
- Many suspension components are showing wear including the ball joints, front control arm/wishbone bushes and anti-roll bar bushes
- The strut top mounting areas under the bonnet can also ‘mushroom’, causing alignment issues
- Strut-top bearings known to fail
- Tyre pressure sensors can fail
- A vast range of electrical gremlins are known to create issues and faults
- ECU problems can plague earlier examples showing up as lurching in gear, idling issues and random stalling
- It’s common for the dipstick to break on the Cooper S models
- CVT transmissions are to be avoided at all costs. These are riddled with issues
- The radiator and radiator support panel are susceptible to damage due to their location and require the front end of the car to be removed to access the components to repair
- It should be noted that gaining access to many of the engine faults and issues may require the front of the car to be removed which can become labour intensive and the costs associated can add up
- The black plastic has a habit of fading to become a patchy grey colour. This is can be remedied with some quality car care products
- Rust can commonly impact the bottoms of the doors, under the weather stripping on the door edge, the join between the plastic body kit and the metal and above the number plate on the tailgate, around the taillights and check the subframe
- As Minis are becoming more affordable, many people fail to comprehensively insure them and if involved in an accident, rather than paying top dollar to have them repaired properly, shortcuts may be taken so it’s critical to check all the panel gaps, be sure to check that the paint matches, make sure the paint is also consistent in feel and texture and look for any signs of overspray, especially in the engine bay
- Check the wheels for signs of gutter rash or any serious impact. As most Minis spend their lives in metropolitan areas, hitting a gutter when parking or side swiping a median strip can be quite common
- Window mechanisms can fail and fixing this issue can be fiddly and time consuming
- The door lock cables are weak and can fail
- Check for signs of water stains on the carpet in convertible versions and ask to have the carpets removed to check the floor under them.
- The convertible roofs are known to leak and there are reports of the roof mechanism failing. If this occurs when it starts raining, it can drench the interior in water
- The sunroof on the hardtop versions are known to leak and the water channels can fill up with debris leading to water filling up the footwells of the interior and this can lead to rust
- There are reports of the fan unit failing within the air conditioning which requires the entire dash to be removed to repair it. This is a substantial job and can cost thousands
- The seat bolsters can become overly squishy and the adjustment cables inside the seats are known to fail
- The interior plastics (especially on pre-2004 models) can become brittle and fragile, especially on any moving parts or chromed items
- Check that the warning lights work and go out: the airbag light can simply be the connections under the seat and the ABS light may require a whole new-under bonnet unit
- The Mini is becoming renowned for a vast array of electronic gremlins from infotainment issues to power mirror and window problems to the seats recognising there are passengers sitting in them even when they are not. This results in the seat belt warning chime sounding until the issue is resolved
- Diff bearings known to fail on early pre-2004 manual gearboxes
- Power steering pumps known to fail
- Oil leaks around the crank seal, the crank sensor O-ring and the rear main oil seal and excessive oil consumption are very common. Rectifying these leaks can become labour intensive
- Spark plugs seals and rocker cover gaskets can leak too, but are easily sorted
- Cooper S engine concerns revolve around overheating, which can cause cracked cylinder heads. This is caused by the fact that the cooling fans are prone to faults and as such don’t cut in
- Thermostats can be a problem on all models, either leaking when the seal goes brittle or the unit seizing altogether and causing the car to overheat.
- Replacement keys are very expensive
- The rigid brakes pipes underneath the car can also suffer from corrosion
- Coolant tanks tend to fail with monotonous regularity
- The Rover-derived R65 ‘Midland’ gearbox in early pre-facelift Minis is fragile and a common failure point. Clutch failure is common too
- Engine mounts are known to wear and may require replacement
- Hydraulic tappet or timing chain tensioner problems are becoming common
- Cooling system issues are common in warmer climates
- Water pumps are known to fail
- Expansion tanks can leak
- Many suspension components are showing wear including the ball joints, front control arm/wishbone bushes and anti-roll bar bushes
- The strut top mounting areas under the bonnet can also ‘mushroom’, causing alignment issues
- Strut-top bearings known to fail
- Tyre pressure sensors can fail
- A vast range of electrical gremlins are known to create issues and faults
- ECU problems can plague earlier examples showing up as lurching in gear, idling issues and random stalling
- It’s common for the dipstick to break on the Cooper S models
- CVT transmissions are to be avoided at all costs. These are riddled with issues
- The radiator and radiator support panel are susceptible to damage due to their location and require the front end of the car to be removed to access the components to repair
- It should be noted that gaining access to many of the engine faults and issues may require the front of the car to be removed which can become labour intensive and the costs associated can add up
Should you buy it?
We would love nothing more than to say yes as the Mini exudes cool, they’re fun to drive and they have become very affordable to buy, but no, you probably should not buy a Mini.
The cost of maintenance and upkeep will most likely just keep increasing, not to mention the length of time it could be sitting in your mechanic’s workshop or your garage waiting for repairs.
The only time we’d recommend buying a Mini is if you are a massive fan of the brand and you have managed to find a post-2004 unicorn example that has a perfect service history and has been thoroughly cared for.
If you are happy to work on it, maintain it constantly and are prepared for the financial and mental stress, buy the best one you can find, but unfortunately these Minis are few and far between.
Yes they are affordable to buy, exude such a unique and cool image but they are proving to be expensive to maintain and unfortunately, no amount of cool makes up for the anxiety that comes with the potential of impending mechanical failure.
We would love nothing more than to say yes as the Mini exudes cool, they’re fun to drive and they have become very affordable to buy, but no, you probably should not buy a Mini.
The cost of maintenance and upkeep will most likely just keep increasing, not to mention the length of time it could be sitting in your mechanic’s workshop or your garage waiting for repairs.
The only time we’d recommend buying a Mini is if you are a massive fan of the brand and you have managed to find a post-2004 unicorn example that has a perfect service history and has been thoroughly cared for.
If you are happy to work on it, maintain it constantly and are prepared for the financial and mental stress, buy the best one you can find, but unfortunately these Minis are few and far between.
Yes they are affordable to buy, exude such a unique and cool image but they are proving to be expensive to maintain and unfortunately, no amount of cool makes up for the anxiety that comes with the potential of impending mechanical failure.
Should you buy it?
We would love nothing more than to say yes as the Mini exudes cool, they’re fun to drive and they have become very affordable to buy, but no, you probably should not buy a Mini.
The cost of maintenance and upkeep will most likely just keep increasing, not to mention the length of time it could be sitting in your mechanic’s workshop or your garage waiting for repairs.
The only time we’d recommend buying a Mini is if you are a massive fan of the brand and you have managed to find a post-2004 unicorn example that has a perfect service history and has been thoroughly cared for.
If you are happy to work on it, maintain it constantly and are prepared for the financial and mental stress, buy the best one you can find, but unfortunately these Minis are few and far between.
Yes they are affordable to buy, exude such a unique and cool image but they are proving to be expensive to maintain and unfortunately, no amount of cool makes up for the anxiety that comes with the potential of impending mechanical failure.
Need help with finance?
Powered by
Buying a used car? Buy a PPSR report first.
Have ultimate peace of mind when buying a used car by purchasing an official PPSR report.
In the market?
Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of Feb 23, 2024.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
Read our full terms and conditions here.
