2005 MINI Cooper S consumer reviews

I drove my 2005 Mini Cooper S daily for 13 years and love it. Unfortunately, my family has out grown it. I'd keep it if I could, but need something a little bigger.

Really reliable car and small for the little spaces to park and get around in my case it was my fioncies car because she doesn?t like driving big trucks.

Tasteful exterior and interior design with the performance to match. Great sound quality even with the convertible down. Excellent steering feedback on curvy roads too.

Love it! Bought my 05 r53 used, with 60,000 mi on it ! We are now at 230,000 mi, and still going strong! The key to owning a MINI is STICK TO THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE! This doesn?t have to be done at a MINI Dealer! Live and learn how to do it yourself! Mini Motoring websites are a Godsend! Join MINI CLUBS, MINIACS are a special little cult, not only will you save money, you meet some really great people! Happy Motoring!

I owned a 2005 MINI Cooper S Supercharged Automatic with over 70,000 miles. The car was an absolute blast to drive. I don't recommend the car for anyone looking for a comfortable ride, though. It's a sports car and handles like one. You will feel every bump you go over and I agree with others who say the ride feels "stiff", but I loved it. Unfortunately I only had it for four months when someone hit it while it was parked and totalled it. I do want another one! As far as the interior the toggle switches took a little to get used to but I loved how different it was. The back seats folded down which made it surprisingly roomy. Some people do not recommend this car for numerous reasons like the cost to maintain, size, premium fuel, uncomfortable ride, etc, but people buy a MINI because they want a MINI, not a Mustang, Camaro or Miata. The only problems I had with it were the hose came loose which drains the water by the power sunroof and had water on the floor on the passenger side. A friend of mine just pulled down the interior by the roof and reattached it. The sway bar did break which would've cost over $1000 because they would've had to remove the engine to fix it, but the garage I go to spoke with a MINI mechanic and he told him how to fix it which ended up costing me a little over $200. These cars are made by BMW so be prepared for more expensive upkeep, but I think they're worth it.

This car met all our needs. It was so fun to drive, has a lot of legroom and headroom. It gets great gas mileage, is low maintenance and looks great going down the road!

I love it. Tired of stick shift due to my age. Someone young will love it. Come look at it and see it

This is the second 2005 (gen1/R52) Mini Cooper S Convertible I have owned. The first I bought in 2007 and had a major mechanical issue with the convertible top which was later addressed in a service bulletin but otherwise no problems. The car had over 100k miles when I traded it in for a car I ultimately hated (Subaru Outback Sport) in 2009. I have spent the last 8 years biding my time until I could graduate my kids enough to put them in boosters in another gen 1 MCSC. Our second MCSC has been wonderful as well. These cars are smooth as butter, handle beautifully, are incredibly comfortable, and their appearance is to die for. I hope to own gen 1 MCSC's until I can no longer drive :)

Really zippy little car, gets great gas mileage. But I've had to fix way too many problems for it to be worth owning.

The 2005 Mini Cooper S is a very fun car. Very fast and great handling. Paddle shifters make the automatic transmission fun and aggressive. These cars look great inside and out...but there are some design issues. -The cup holders SUCK! The small ones under the radio are useless. The one hanging next to the radio can easily start dumping your drink all over your radio and climate controls. And the cup holder in the back is useless too. -The lever to recline the seat back is toward the middle of the car and involves moving the armrest to use. -When at stop lights the headliner at the top of the windshield gets in the way to see. I do love this car but there definately are some design flaws and I question the reliability of the electronics (my speedometer/computer went out at 130k and it was not the original).