MINI Scores High in Reliability

Yeah, Jim I saw that too.

thats so great to hear.

i have a side question that relates to this article. can anybody give me their opinion on this. i have a 2005 MC right now. it has been 100% perfect for 9000 miles. i think MINI has all the bugs worked out. but i would like to get the new 2007 model with the new engine and bodystyle (for no other real reason besides the fact i am putting TONS of miles on my car and would like to get a newer one in two years). do any of you think that will negate all the strides MINI has gone through for reliability. since the 2007 will be a revision will new bugs pop up. will the reliability drop down alittle. i know the engines are brand new but im talking about overall reliability and the rest of the cars reliability other than the engine. what do you guys think. and those of you that are thinking of getting the new style, are you going to wait a year (2008) to get it.

and again congrats to MINI for the great reliabilty score.

joe – yeah I’m pretty surprised at some of these scores. Specifically the Suburu and BMW results. Mercedes and VW I can understand but in recent German reliability surveys BMW was far from the back of the pack compared to the other three big German automakers (including Audi).

I do hope that Suburu has a handle on their quality problems though. They’re great cars that often deserve more attention from those buying Accords and Corrollas.

I totally agree with your CR assessment.

I have no idea where MSNBC cooked up this list. There is no such list in the CR April 2005 Auto issue I have. It does have a predicted reliabilty score for 2005 autos by makers, and Mini is where it always tends to be: near the bottom.

The only thing I can think is that MSNBC took the detailed year-by-year data and concoted its own list for MY 2004 only. If so, I’m not sure it tells you a whole lot since the data for 2004 MY cars is very limited with the cars only being in the field a year or so.

It’s way too early to be crowing that Mini’s have turned the corner on their below average reliability issues.

• Mark

I owned a 2004 MCS for 16 months and nearly 18K miles. During that time the car never gave me any problems, and in fact, never once went back to the dealer for any unscheduled warranty repairs. Its only 2 recorded visits were to install the Union jack roof decal, the AUX input jack and the 10K mile service.

It was a solid car. No rattles, no noises, no problems. Ran like a champ and started everytime. It was the equivalent of the finest Rolex Swiss watch.

I hope my upcoming 2005 MCS exhibits even a higher level of quality and reliability.

I think MINI quality improved dramatically during the 2004 model year and CR’s own dot rating system, backs that up fully for the aforementioned model year.

Personally, I can’t rely on anything Consumer Reports prints. I was in the domestic appliance repair business for over twenty years and one year the magazine reported on refrigerators. They reported brand “A” very good and brand “B” poor. Because of my job experience, I knew that brand “B” owned “A” since the nineteen fifties and the only difference between the two refrigerators was the trim and the name on the door. Makes you wonder. I’m very glad MINI has been praised almost everywhere. I’m planning to order my MINI this summer.

Yeah, CR is wildly erratic on their scoring. They give “Recommended” to a couple of the Buicks and Lincolns, yet in their paragraph synopsis, do not but spend all seven to eight sentences bashing it to pieces. Then say it’s recommended.

It’s funny too how they said that most of the vehicles that they could not recommend were high or highest in consumer satisfaction and repeat buys.

Why haven’t you sold it? I guess I don’t really understand why someone would hold onto a car for three years that they’d consider to be the worst car they’ve owned.

I plan on getting a 2006 MCS. Hopefully all the bugs will have been worked out. I currently own a 2000 Nissan Maxima and it’s the worst car I’ve ever owned. It’s been serviced at a dealer for every service interval. Dealer service isn’t cheap. After all that, the ignition coils went out prematurely at 77000 miles ($750) and the engine wiring harness needed to be replaced at 84000 miles ($400) because water got in somewhere. It’s currently in the shop again for what might be catalytic converter. I never did anything but drive to and from work so it’s not something I did. Most manufacturers seem to have problems with totally new models. I’m willing to put up with a less than 100% reliable car if it’s fun to drive. That is unless the engine blows up or something.