2008 MINI Cooper S

Rating from corvettekid

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"I was looking for a Cooper s and found one on cars.com. I wanted a JCW with navigation and with the way you can specifically look up a vehicle with what you want for options helped me search and find what i want without looking throught pages of cars."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from History of German Cars

(4)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"I was looking a Mini-Cooper "S" for several months before purchasing this car used. It had 52K miles on it when I bought it. Previously I owned a BMW 530i "Sport" which gave me something to compaire it too. The Mini is unique and a car that must be driven to enjoyed. Mine has an automatic transmission, but other than that it is a stock vehicle. These little cars are fast and handle very well. My mileage in and around town and out on the highway has been around 30 MPG - always on premium gas. It's just my wife and I so we don't have people to pour into the back seat. It's a great "run around" car like going to the grocery store or out to eat. One thing you will notice about the short wheelbase is that poor roads will beat you to death due to the suspension. If I had to do it all over, I'd recommend first going to the local dealer or on-line to see what options were available for that year and pick out what ones are a deal breaker and only look for those vehicles. This is one area I overlooked and should have paid more attention too. These cars are pricey, even for little cars so take your time and look around. If youre looking on-line make sure you get to see the vehicle from all angles. Something like a moon-roof may not show up in the pictures. I saw several vehicles showing they were automatic when in the pictures they were clearly 6 speed transmissions. Also the radio's that come standars are OK but I find one that has an upgrade. Also look at the convience package that allows you to program your garage door opener code into it so you don't have to carry a garage door opener around with you. Have fun motoring - Ta! Ta!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Having fun

Rating from 1Wildone

(3)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		4 out of 5
Value for the Money:		3 out of 5
Reliability:		3 out of 5

"The car is nice and handles extremely well. As long as you are well versed at doing mechanical work on imported vehicles, this may be for you! If you intend to follow the recommended CBS maint. program, you'll need a fat wallet. Mini recommends you don't change your oil except according to their specifications. If you follow their recommendations, I believe, (as a mechanic of over 40 years) their intent is for you to wear out your motor using worn out motor oil to accomplish just that. Change your oil regularly, expecially with the Turbocharged engine, and you probably will have good service. They actually tell you that you can go 20K on an oil change. Maybe you can since it seems to me that the most maintenance I have to spend is refilling the oil. I know that when I experienced problems at Mini of Louisville after having a recall done, (for some reason when I picked it up it was now leaking oil & smoking), when I repaired it I looked down the oil supply tube to the Turbo and saw coking (oil oil caked up & covering the walls of the tube) that would have eventually plugged the entire line. I don't recommend Mini of Lou. either, as they did do a recall on my Mini and gave it back to me leaking profusely from the turbo fitting. I had inspected my MINI before taking it to them I had no leak before going there. Avoid Mini's unless you're full of $$$ of able to repair anything! Lord help you if you need service-before buying, skip the reviews and go to Mini Cooper problems on the web and see if you're really wanting to buy a vehicle that when it breaks, is always operator error, specifically if it's a clutch, turbo or one of the items that will cost you between 6-10K to have repaired/replaced."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from HockeyMom

(4)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"This car has a lot of pep and is a blast to drive. It also has more room than people think. As a hockey mom, we found out very quickly that the hockey bag and stick fit fine in the back end. As a musician mom, we also discovered that a hard cased cello also fits in the back end. Had some clutch issues immediately after purchase, but that was more dealer related than a dependability issue."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Transporting family

Rating from MINI owner

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"Last summer I realized that 85% of my driving is short distance-A to B to C a few miles at a time mostly on city streets and some freeways. But I own several high performance sports cars that get beat to death in that kind of driving. My answer is the MINI Cooper-in this case a 2008 Cooper S convertible. It is sporty, fun, comfortable and in the case of the Cooper S, plenty powerful. The MINI is not a stripped down economy car-there are plenty of creature comforts from automatic climate control to upgraded audio to heated seats and fully automatic convertible top. Mission accomplished. I have put in over 1500 miles in my MINI. It has put fun back into getting around, even from A to B to C. Gas mileage is great without sacrificing power and pep. Its a winner-no wonder I see them all over the area where I live."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from Vfrider1

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"Fun and great on gas, This is a drivers car. Carving up mountain roads makes for a great afternoon! The six speed manual and the Turbo charged engine are blast to drive."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from To Many Cars

(4)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		3 out of 5
Reliability:		3 out of 5

"This car is our extra and we don't drive it much. Haven't put enough miles on this car to comment on the reliability. The handling works. The suspension is tight and I LOVE the gocart stiff ride. Add in the 33 MPG for a turbo lagged rocket and what's not to love? It's great for weekend ticket hunting on twisty mountain roads. I wouldn't want to use it for a daily driver. My Nissan LEAF keeps the Mini parked."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Having fun

Rating from Wambat

(4)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"This is a fun vehicle for city or highway use. It is well engineered, appointed and the S is quite peppy. The electric or computer can develope a few glitches and they can develop a rattle but overall a great litttle car."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from JB

(3)
Comfort:		1 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		2 out of 5

"There are days when I simply love my S and days where I go shopping for it's replacement. I've wanted a Mini since I was in high school in the 80's (so those paying attention realize that was the original British Mini), so buying my 2008 S was not on done on a whim. The other cars I was considering were the BMW 3 series, Audi A3, and VW GTI. The styling, cult-like following, and pegging the fun-meter is what sold me on the Mini. Mini's relationship with BMW didn't hurt either. So let's get to the love/hate section: Love --------- Style, driving position, funkiness of the interior (you gotta love mood lights), acceleration, braking, road feel (only on smooth roads) Hate--------- Seats (my '69 VW Bug had better seats than these torture devices), Run Flats (BMW's absolute worst mistake, just simply awful), clutch (poor release and feel), Bone jarring ride (you really don't need to make a suspension this stiff to make a car handle well) Rattles, Transmission clunks into 2nd gear (dealer refuses to acknowledge this), reliability (which is offset by the fun factor). If I were to do it again, I might go with the GTI only because the VW interior is so comfortable and comes with real tires and a real spare (did I mention how horrible run flats are?)."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from h

(1)
Comfort:		1 out of 5
Performance:		1 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		1 out of 5
Interior Design:		1 out of 5
Value for the Money:		1 out of 5
Reliability:		1 out of 5

"I HATE MY MINI COOPER!Loved the look but bad car. I HATE THIS CAR. I HEART THE LOOK.I'M ALWAYS TAKEING IN TO GET DOORS FIXED!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Transporting family