hello owners
I don't own one buy always loved it from the 1st time I sat in one at the LA auto show

how it the build quality???
I sat in one that had 40Kmiles and everything felt loose and rattled////???

I have an A4 B6 and they are closely priced between the S and 1.8T back then so thought quality wise they would be on par

but then again maybe the one I was in was really abused

thx

 

The 2006 Cooper-S that we've had since it was new is still tight and rattle free. I was really impressed by the build quality - all the panels, doors, hood and deck lids fit properly - no miss-alignments. We've had a couple of warranty visits for the sliding sunroof, but they replaced the track and it seems good now. '06 was the last year for the supercharger, so we're hanging on to this one for a long time.

 

I have a new 09 Cooper S with 6500 miles on it. So far so good and all the panels fit great.

I will say that compared to my BMW's and Mercedes I have had over the years the plastic arts and bits are not as thick feeling on the Mini but the Mini cost half or even less than the BMW's or Mercedes too.

 

Early 02 and 03 cars were really bad. I've owned an 03, 05 and currently an 06 MCS and it has the best build quality so far. But then again there are always some cars regardless of age just rattle. BMW actually lost money on the R53 (02-06) cars since they cost more to build than they sold for. The newer R56 cars have their issues too. If you were to buy an R53 I would suggest an 05-06. If you were to buy an R56 I would suggest an late 08 or 09.

 

My girlfriend has an '07 S 6-speed, great car. She's had no problems since new ,late '07, with 20k so far. No rattles, no complaints, no issues, nada....