I work on a lot of them, all crap. I say no! Prepare to rebuild crappy CVT trans, oil pan leaks, PS motors going out and possibly frying your whole body wiring harness, head gaskets fail quite easily if barely overheated. Dont get me started on the superchargers or turbo's. Have seen a lot of them crap out.

A guy came in yesterday, a month after we did a "Should I keep this Mini" inspection, it had a lot of problems before. I suggested he get rid of it, he didnt. Now a month later, 3 more costly issues arose.

I say NO! They're cute and fun but thats about it.

 

All this/\

My wifes got an 03 automatic mini and there are 2 things that WILL go out under 100K miles. One of them is a PITA (power steering) the other one is a ****ing heart-breaker (CVT trans)

Luckily I was able to fix both of them but unless shes a mechanic and plans to pay for costly repairs I say look for something else.

Other small thing, like hit-and-miss lighting and fussy automatic windows, if she has the HK sound system the amp WILL go out ($7-800 part or replace the entire stereo system) ugh yeah, try to talk her into a honda civic

 

I started off looking into used MINI's, but after a lot of research it seems like too many risks (auto trans, death rattle, gasket leaks etc), and repair costs are high
Decided to spring for a new one in the end, worry free for 3 years and they are a bunch of fun to drive, great handling and feel really solid. Very happy with it.
Whisper it - almost as much driving fun as the scooby

 

the reason's why some ppl buy them are because they are cute, just like the vw bug. Or theyare inspired by the movie The Italian Job. They are also great autocrossing cars, but just like most to all german cars...its comes with a hefty maintenance cost.