MINI Cooper S (2006 - 2016) 1.6 3d (2007/07) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Stylish and enviable, but ridiculously unreliable.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Never. The unreliability would be laughable if it wasn't true.

What are you likely to buy next?

Mazda MX-5.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£8,800

When did you buy the car?

April 2011

Did you get a good deal and why?

Based on the prices Parkers gave at the time, the price to change from my part exchange to the Mini was a good deal.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

What was the dealer like?

Very polite and friendly, but inept. See below for a list of warranty faults. Inchcape Volkswagen Cheltenham in my opinion are entirely useless at doing any real work and I have no hesitation in recommending you stay well away from them. Even after writing to the head of Inchcape it still took months to resolve the major issues. The minor issues continue...

What's it like to drive?

Great fun (when it's not broken). Coming from a rear wheel drive car the torque steer was really noticeable at first. Really nippy and fun to chuck around a country lane. Quite a jiggly ride though, you feel all the bumps in the road.

What's it like to park?

Fine, although rear visibility isn't great because the window line is quite high. No parking sensors on mine and I scuffed a bumper on a short bollard. My fault entirely.

Have you had any problems with the car?

- I reported an engine rattle within days of receiving the car and many times subsequently. Eventually a major engine failure occurred. Part of the timing chain guard broke off and went into the top of the engine. It cost £5000 to fix it. - The fog lights were misted when I bought the car. It took 2 attempts to fix this even though the dealer said it would be done before I collected the car. - The window seals have degraded leading to a painfully loud squeal when the windows are operated. - No AM reception on the radio. - The boot lid rattles. - The air conditioning is leaking refrigerant. - The roof gutter trim is coming loose on one corner. - Intermittent loss of engine power caused by a faulty high pressure pump. - The oxygen sensor has just failed.

What's most practical about your car?

Plenty of room in the front. It's quite short so parallel parking isn't too bad.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Cruise control.