R50 Mini w/ manual trans makes a great, reliable daily driver right? Right?

So... what’s the good and bad news? 

I get to do a clutch on one next week.  It's darkening my bay, waiting for me to show up on Monday.

It calls for a ridiculous amount of time and it looks like it will take every minute of it, too.

Aside from that, I've done a couple timing chains in them (weird setup!), and quite a few power steering pumps, all unfortunately in the same vehicle.  It was difficult to find one that didn't make all sorts of noise.

Only if you buy one WITHOUT the laughably horrible Midlands manual gearbox that is known for dying before 100k because they are built like piss.

I asked about these once long ago:

There was a successful class action suit on these transmissions. Do they all explode? ....No,but the number that do is higher than normal. There are several reasons they fail, not just a single fatal flaw. Synchros give up prematurely, seals go and the gearlube leaks out, and there's a third one that escapes me right now.

I agree with the comments above, and have personal experience as I had one fail at 90K in my 2003 R50. I took it apart and it was the carrier bearings, not the pinion bearings, in mine. There is very limited parts availability for these--you can get "rebuild kits" for about $600-700 which include bearings, seals, maybe synchros, but not individual parts. You can also get "remanufactured" units from MINI or some aftermarket suppliers. There aren't any really good options in my opinion.

In reply to pointofdeparture :

Thank you! I actually read that thread a couple weeks ago and I was hoping things had magically changed.

I drive an R53 and it has never let me down. An R50 with the later transmission (Getrag?) should be pretty reliable. However, when stuff does go wrong, and it will, then the repair costs aren't cheap. If you want some fun get the MINI. If you want a cheap reliable appliance, get a Kia.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

I drive an R53 and it has never let me down. An R50 with the later transmission (Getrag?) should be pretty reliable. However, when stuff does go wrong, and it will, then the repair costs aren't cheap. If you want some fun get the MINI. If you want a cheap, FUN, reliable appliance, get a 3rd gen(2005-2010) Hyundai Accent hatchback.

FTMFW

First gen Honda Fit might be a contender here too..

Find the nicest Integra left on the planet and buy it.

It will cost less than a Mini clutch job.

You guys are all correct recommending other vehicles. It’s all very logical and I like to be logical.

I guess I just see the Mini’s as large go karts moreso than just about anything else on the road Miatae not included.

In reply to ebonyandivory :

in truth, they remind me of my dear departed A2 chassis Golf, to the point that the first time I drove one, I tried to find Reverse by instictively pushing the shifter down and forcing it left of the 1-2 gate.  Mini were even kind enough to only have a single turn signal indicator.

BUT... there's something about thw rearview mirror placement that makes me crosseyed.  And having the gauges in the center stack is just awful.  

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Integras are one of the best handling fwds ever, the prices are indeed criminally cheap right now. Just budget bushings and a clutch. 

I think I asked about these a while back and the response scared me away do bad I never looked back.

I'm more of an R53 fan, but in all honesty if you want a MINI to be a reliable daily driver, get a newer F56 model. I've heard through local club sources dealers are actually having trouble because the current car is so much more reliable than the previous R50/53 and R56 models. Apparently, you can get one that's a couple of years old off-lease for pretty cheap.

I daily drove an R50 for a few years and it was a great daily driver, but not reliable.  My Midlands trans went at 100K (I swapped it to a 6 speed from an R53), wheel sensors failed regularly, many bushings were shot at 70K, I had to whack the doors like Fonzi when the power windows would stick, the door latches that activate the power windows to move them down 1/4" when you open/close the door failed, etc..  I bought it used for $7K and I think it's one of the few modern cars I've had that cost more in parts then depreciation.   I loved that car, but got sick of the constant annoying repairs and switched to a  2008 Civic Si (also used for $7K), which is faster, more fun, and never seems to break.

Guess what part is apparently not available anywhere in North America.

Civic SI gets my vote..

No tranny problems (that I know of) with any of our 3 R50 MINIs.  We bought our 2004 new, and it is up to 127k miles. Both 2003s have over 200k miles. The one I have had since 2012 had a new clutch not long before I bought it. The last 65k miles on it are "mine".

In reply to Knurled. :

Couldn’t some melted metal fix that right up??

In reply to jfryjfry :

Yup.