Faults:

Started having lots of problems on a very well-maintained car at about 70,000 miles.

I paid to do whatever regular maintenance they suggested, which was about $1,500 and not long after that:

First it was oil related, starting with the valve cover gasket. At this point it started to burn oil at the rate of about 2 quarts. I stopped doing many recommendations of changing the oil every 10000 miles since you cannot do engine detergents on turbo engines. This I found out too late. So I'm going to start to change the oil at 5000 miles to try to help clean up the engine over time, that is if I even still have it. I'm thinking of selling it due to all the problems.

Next problem was the turbo line at about 75,000 miles. Had to have that replaced twice and it cost around $700 the first time, and under warranty due to rapid failure the second time. This happened about 5,000 miles after the first repair.

About another five thousand miles later, the thermostat housing sonic welds cracked and caused my car to overheat. Took it into the shop immediately. Another $700.

Every time I take this in, it costs me about $1,000. At this point I have paid more in maintenance than I think the car is even worth, and I never will buy another german-engineered vehicle again. I fully expect a car to not have these kinds of issues until after 100,000 miles.

Even Audis have performed better and they're typically crap, even though they look really nice.

If you're worried about the reliability of these cars and someone is selling it, if it's got over 50,000 miles I would not go for it. The parts are made of plastic largely in the car where heat is applied and it's incredibly stupid to engineer a vehicle like that. Plastic does not hold up to heat in any way, shape or form, for a long time. I have 5 Toyotas that have lasted well beyond a hundred fifty thousand miles and I haven't spent half of the maintenance I've spent on this car on all of them combined.

General Comments:

The ride is terrible, although I know it is a sports car, it does not ride like a BMW. It is very fast! And requires the highest fuel rating. It burns oil incredibly fast.

Faults:

Less than one week old. Nothing has gone wrong.

Notice the suspension is not the best, can feel everything on Los Angeles roads.

Would also say the tires are not the best.

General Comments:

After many European cars, the mini is the perfect car for many needs.