Faults:

Nothing really, just a lot of rattles.

General Comments:

This car is great. I don't know how the normal cooper is, but the s is very speedy. I drove this car from Santa Barbara to L.A. almost every day for work, and I haven't had any problems, except that I feel pretty rattled at the end of my commute due to the stiff suspension. this car is fast, and handles incredibly.

Faults:

Off side front side repeater falling out (retaining catch broken).

Interior mirror vibrating badly.

Brake shoes wearing unevenly.

Clutch replaced at 29,711 miles.

Clutch replaced at 40,648 miles.

Clutch replaced at 45,412 miles.

General Comments:

We run a driving school and have dozens of cars of various makes. We were pleased to take possession of what was intended to be our first Mini One and looked forward to a long and fruitful association with such a "sexy" machine.

I couldn't believe that the clutch needed replacing after less than 30,000 miles, but was told by the dealer that this was quite normal for this vehicle - something to do with the small size of the clutch plate.

I REALLY couldn't believe it when the clutch failed again after another 10,000 miles although this was covered under warranty "as a goodwill gesture".

The final straw was when the clutch failed yet again after a further 5,000 miles with the dealership claiming "abuse" by the drivers.

This is a common misconception about learner drivers, one that is not borne out by the performance and reliability of the other cars we run, most of them being almost half the price of the Mini.

Faults:

Nothing major has gone wrong. There were a few minor niggles.

Windscreen cracked for no apparent reason at 2000 miles.

Dash board rattles started about 4000 miles and continue.

When you put down the windows, they get dirty on the inside.

If wet, the water runs down of the inside of the window when you open the door.

General Comments:

Car has fantastic handling, but lacks the overall power to make it a truely great all round car.

I opted for the sports suspension plus with the 16" Wheels, the best combination.

Interior looks good, and is fully functional and comfortable.

Faults:

Power steering failed at a roundabout (this could have been nasty)

Airbag warning lights (twice)

Boot refused to open (intermittent problem, not resolved by replacement of boot mechanism). This usually happened when the boot was full of shopping etc..

General Comments:

The Mini is a lovely, fun car to drive, and in fact we've just bought another one on moving to Italy.

Build quality is generally high, although there seem to be some electrical problems that need ironing out.

One thing that has happened on both cars we've owned is that the windscreen seems to be a magnet for stone chips. The first car needed the windscreen repaired, and the new one a replacement screen following stone damage on the motorway. I get the feeling that it's upright position means the screen takes the full force of the stone rather than deflecting it.

I'd say that if someone of average or above height is driving then the car is a 3-seater, as there's not much room in the back unless the front seats are moved forward.

We bought a high spec model in 2002 for around 15000 pounds and sold it with 30K miles for 12000 pounds after almost 2 years. Not bad!

The fact we've just got another one says it all though, a great car.