Mini Cooper S vs. Yaris

[CTScott]

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

[Gogogordy]

Originally Posted by CTScott

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

We owned 2 Mini S from 2005 through 2008....his-n-hers bought and sold at the same dates (crazy idea...20 yr wedding anniversary) and while that was the coolest, craziest, and most fun car I've ever owned I don't miss them and their unstable ECU software, self destructing liquid filled motor mounts, or coolant issues either. Nor do I miss the chip-on-shoulder Mini service department which always seemed to require an hour to "drop one off" for repairs and an hour to pick it up later....as well. My Toyota dealer has that down to about 5 minutes.

We traded those Minis off just prior to the warranty evaporating for a Scion xD and then added the Yaris.

Yeah, the Mini was an interesting ownership experience. Reminds of the wildest girl I ever dated......

Will be interested in your Subaru impressions CTScott.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

Very interesting re the Mini. One of my uncle's granddaughters has a 2007 Impreza (purchased new) that you would have to pry out of her cold dead hands, so to speak. The Subaru is a stark contrast to the Mazda Tribute ('a Ford') she traded in when she purchased the Subaru. She got the Tribute new, as an undergrad or law school graduation present (can't remember which one), and the Tribute needed a new engine at just over 60k miles .

[Absolutely Red 12]

Originally Posted by CTScott

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

I was wondering what happened to you!!

You still had 2 years left on the warranty, why not use it?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Absolutely Red 12

I was wondering what happened to you!!

You still had 2 years left on the warranty, why not use it?

My nearest Mini dealership is over an hour away and it was really starting to look like I was going to be spending a lot of time going back and forth to it. The clutch was starting to have serious issues and the transfer case was starting to make nasty noises at highway speeds. With only 14K miles on the car I figured it was a losing battle.

I traded it in for a brand new Subaru Xv Crosstrek and fortunately didn't lose anything on the deal, as I had gotten an excellent deal when I bought the Mini.

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by CTScott

I traded it in for a brand new Subaru Xv Crosstrek

Honest yet stupid question: is it pronounced ecks vee or 15?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Kar98

Honest yet stupid question: is it pronounced ecks vee or 15?

The dealership people pronounced it the ecks vee way. It stands for "crossover vehicle" as opposed to a roman numeral.