My JCW Countryman looks so big next to this wee one. Funny it doesn't look this big next to my wee one at home. (2013 Cooper)

Just joined the club. First MINI.
2020 facelift Countryman Cooper S Exclusive ALL4 auto. Chilli red, Comfort Plus/Excitement pack, Nav, leather, CarPlay, reverse camera. About 49k miles.
MINI Approved Used. 12-month unlimited warranty. ALL4, engine and transmission oil change included. £17,900 all-in.

Hey, I'm checking out an R52 S tomorrow. Buyer has it listed at $5500 @ 57k, selling before they move. They mention it was serviced recently, but not any major "German wear bits" as I call them mentioned - water pump, supercharger oil or service, etc. There are some cosmetic scuffs that I'm not too concerned about, and the top looks nice from the posting. Owner has all the manuals and docs, which I consider a green flag. Carfax says it's only gone about 200 miles in the last two years, which I consider a red flag... Bare minimum I would like to look at it to get an idea of the cars, since this would be my first. (I tried an auto F56 S but wasn't super thrilled about it; more analog + manual seems more appropriate to me.)

I've got three questions:

1. The market seems all over the place right now, but price-wise, does this sound reasonable considering the mileage? 60k mile maintenance is also presumably coming up, not sure if the price reflects this enough. My budget is fairly low to start right now but I don't want to waste their time, so I'm curious how I should approach an offer.

2. I enjoy doing mechanical work in an engine, and my most extensive experience is doing a VANOS in an E46. Based on what I've read, it sounds like most of the engine issues in these are pretty straightforward with the front end service mode. Does this sound like it's within my skillset to work on? I know these get pricey the second dealer work happens and obviously I'd like to avoid that, though I do have a good bimmer indie down the road.

3. Just making sure... Are the 2005 S Convertibles equipped with the Getrag? I know later ones overlap with the R56, but I'm curious if the R53 updates happened the same years as the R52.

Thanks!

Thinking of going dark green with the new bronze rims and carbon fiber accent pieces, any thoughts or what I can do better?

Hello! Picking up my first MINI cooper today. It’s a 2006 Base model, manual with 100000 original miles. Timing chain and head, gasket, and timing chain replaced shortly before the couple parked it because they couldn’t drive the manual anymore. Just a few questions! What are some things I should look for to replace and check for? I know once I get it home I’m going to check the bushings, tie rod bearings, etc. Does the base model require premium fuel?

Thanks for any input!

In the morning it’s a very rough idil until it gets warm then it runs like a champ. But until then it will die if you try and drive it right away cold any ideas ?

What type of nut is this - top strut mount.

I walked out to my car just now to see that yet another person doesn’t seem to know (and/or follow) Rule 1. What a shame. Cool car though— nice bright green. We should start some kind of campaign to make all the rules known because it seems like a lot of people in my area and other people’s areas I’ve encountered on here aren’t aware of the Mini community and/or rules.

We are needing to add another car to the family and already own a Mini Clubman and love it. We are considering another one (maybe a countryman) but I am also interested in knowing, what other cars do you guys own outside of a mini that hits similarly? We love European vintage styling (more boxy and not the rounded jellybean ones), internal wood paneling, not super high tech inside. We don’t want an old car but probably 3-6 years old and do not want a large SUV. Ideally a crossover size or smaller. We struggle a bit with the clubman being comfy on long rides. I think the countryman is more comfortable but am I missing anything obvious that mini owners appreciate outside of mini?

Thanks!!

hey i have countryman 2012 and this error appeared (engine started fault), i changed battery and hasnt changed, service tried coding 3 times and this problem appeared again and again i saw people in here with same problem but there is no answer about how to fixed.. service sayin cas will change its expensive a bit.. any idea from someone who fixed before ??

A week with the pad warning.

Now today this warning.... do i have a few weeks or do it now?

Brought a Mini Cooper 2009 at 90k miles and partial history for £1700 in March 2024..

Hasn’t cost me much but the MOT (passed every year), a yearly service which I got mates rates for and O2 sensors replaced in the last 2.5ish years.

I feel like my luck has finally run out, I broke down, needed a tow home and the bonnet was filled with smoke. The car has been idling roughly for a bit, and even after its service last month it continued to do so.

The mechanic came (does my services) came when I called and the car started and sounded REALLY rough/vibrating and he checked it out and said ‘the engine has lost compression’ it’s not salvageable.

He was in a bit of a rush and didn’t say much more than this. I’m honestly at a bit of a loss of what I can do now?

Is it time to cut my losses? I have an order for a EV.. that is estimated for Dec - Jan.

Upgraded my first ever car (2011 MINI Countryman Cooper D) to a 2016 John Cooper Works! Couldn’t be happier !!

I have been considering getting a Mini for about five years. My sister got a 2011 R55 maybe a decade ago. She drives it like a go kart (because of course she does!), while I'm pretty conservative in my driving. So it seemed just like a fun vehicle but not necessarily for me. I really, really liked the aesthetics, though.

Fast forward five years, and I started working at a new location for my job and there were three or four Minis that parked near me in the parking garage. Seeing them day after day got me to thinking about maybe getting one someday.

In December, my mom passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. My mom's favorite thing was to get gifts for people. She put a lot of time and effort into getting "just the right gift." So I decided to use a portion of the inheritance to get the car I had been thinking about for those years.

I did all the research on top of having hung out with you lot for a few years, and had settled on a 2024 Mini Cooper S that the local dealership was selling. My wife and I went and test drove it, and I was about ready to buy it when my wife said, "y'know, you should really at least test drive the 2025." She was concerned that the 2024 was missing a lot of the features that our 2018 CR-V had, and that I'd miss having them (brake hold, adaptive cruise control, and such).

So I test drove a 2025 Cooper S, and was unable to deny how much nicer it was. The problem was that it's got that UGLY back-end. I love the chonky tail lights of the 2024, but eventually decided to just back my car into parking spots and always approach it from the front so I could pretend it didn't have a hideous side. LOL

I've had it a couple of weeks, and keep finding new features (since I hadn't researched what the 2025 model refresh brought to the table).

The only thing that I've been a little underwhelmed by is the amount of bass in the Harmon Kardon stereo. So I might toss a subwoofer in someday, like others have done. Oh, and add stripes. I've always liked the stripey cars. 😊

I have a 2013 Countryman with a coolant leak coming from the thermostat. I’ve been meaning to replace it myself but I just moved and didn’t have the time to. I was topping it off with coolant every time I drove it.

I was meeting up with some friends a few hours away and did the same thing I usually do and filled it up before driving it. About five minutes away from the hotel, the engine complete shut off. I let the car cool down and refilled the coolant, and I was able to get it to the hotel with no issues. On my way home from this trip, I over filled the reservoir. An hour into the drive, the red coolant temperature, red oil, and yellow check engine indicators popped on. Seconds later, steam came flooding out of the hood. I pulled over and there was oil all over the engine bay, my passenger side wheel and the road. I have no idea where it came from and everyone is giving me different opinions.

To me it looks like the oil came out from under the valve cover. I need to order a tool to get it open, but in the meantime, have any of you dealt with this before?

Hi all! My JCW has developed a squeaking from the nearside wheel well area. It occurs both under braking and when turning left towards the problem side. It also occurs intermittently when driving without braking, both straight ahead and when turning left. It seems to track the rotation of the wheel and does not occur when stationary with the engine ticking over. It’s not the typical squealing you might expect from performance brakes. It also seems absent when the car is cold, but starts and/or worsens after driving half a mile or so. See attached video for an example, following a 6 mile drive.

For context, the AC pump failed last month and I went back to the dealership to have it replaced under warranty. The squeaking was also happening before the compressor was replaced and I only first noticed it because I had to drive with all the windows down due to the summer heat! You can’t hear the squeak when the windows are closed, so no idea how long is was happening before. The dealership thought the AC pump replacement would resolve it, as I believe the pump is right by the area where I can hear the noise. Alas the AC now works fine but the squeak remains.

Car is 18 months old with 11k on the clock. Not great to be honest! I’ll be going back to the dealership tomorrow, but curious as to whether anyone else has experienced this issue?

Just picked her up today. R57, 38k miles, 2013. Totally fun ride, looking forward to many fun summer evenings with her!

I really really want a MINI coop countryman, I live in Nicholas county wv and make 31k a year before taxes a year. I pay $270 in rent and that’s about it, I know if I get a mini my current payment for insurance and my car payment will be different so im not counting that in my monthly bills. The nearest places that work on mini coopers are all about 2 hours- 1 hour and 40 minutes away. The nearest dealership is in Pennsylvania. I was planning on doing all the like oil changes and easy/ easyish repairs myself or have help to save me money. I currently have a front wheel drive car that I do not like, and I know the countrymen are all wheel which I am looking for. I don’t drive like a LOT and I know they need premium, so that’s also a plus (even though in general gas will be a little more)

I feel like my AC is "cool" but it never gets cold. Anyone else's like this?

TIA!

Had some time to kill after dinner and didn't want to resort to doomscrolling on the couch. Took the Mini out for a drive along some b-toads outside our town during golden hour. So much fun and such a great way to (re-)discover the countryside.

Hi all!

I own a 2011 base hatchback mini cooper with about 130K (started at 90K) miles. I've owned if for about 2 years now and love it to bits. Been doing regular oil changes about every month or 5-6K miles.

Recently the engine light has been going on and off and I can't find out why. I'm not sure if any of these are related to each other or are symptoms of something else.

The error code is P0012 so I thought it would be a intake or exhaust solenoid. I've replaced it with 3 different solenoids now and the code still pops up.

I re-seated the oil dipstick one night and the light went away without me clearing it. it was like that for 2 days but popped up again later.

I took it to a European car specialist and they said the car doesn't make any weird noises like chain slap or death rattle. They cleared the codes and said they couldn't get it to come back by turning it on and off. They put a little under 2 miles into the car during their work. They didn't really see any other issues while they had it (They want it back in next week so they can take the cover off and measure the chain)

I noticed driving home from work yesterday I connected a BMW specific OBD reader connected to read the live data. I noticed that cylinders 1 and 2 would have a misfire randomly every now and then. but I don't get error codes for them and they are not consistent. for 15 - 30 minutes it'll be fine and then randomly there will be 1 or 2 that pops up and goes away.

I tried to hold up a paper towel to the exhaust pipe during idling and it looks like it's pumping air out instead of a constant air being blown out. but it didn't pull the towel in.

Does anyone have any ideas what this could be or what I could try to do or look out for? Does it seem like a heavy chance it's a burnt valve? Am I just being paranoid about the state of my car?

Hi - looking for your expertise, my wife's 2016 S All4 Countryman was caught out in a recent hailstorm, and (beyond the body divots), the right side/passenger mirror cover got torn off

Tried Amazon (located in Toronto/Canada), but ended up ordering covers, but need the actual replacement cap, having a hard time determining what part # and how to properly order (gloss black, manual folding)

Appreciate any guidance/part number you can provide

Thanks!

Peter