2009 MINI Cooper S consumer reviews

What a great city car, it's got great acceleration and handling. It's a breeze to park. Very reliable, so long as you keep up with routine maintenance. Love the panoramic sunroof!

Always liked the mini, this is a fun little car. A lot more fun then i though it would be. IT is a great second car, for sundays, and days off. Cant wait to take it on vacation

Fun, fast & great on gas !! drives and looks new, but I bought it used. Cars.com. is the best way to buy a used car ! you can compare prices , find a car nearby or travel within your state to find your perfect car !

Go-kart action in an economically challenged world. Convertible makes it more fun. Plus manual transmition makes you feel part of the car. Turbo is a must.

Go-kart action in an economically challenged world. Convertible makes it more fun. Plus manual transmition makes you feel part of the car. Turbo is a must.

I bought a used 2009 Mini Cooper S convertible about a month ago and I'm having a blast with it -- the turbo engine makes it super zippy. It is a second car for pleasure driving, so comfort isn't an issue. If you're using it as a primary car, beware of the bumpy ride. For weekend use, it's just fine. Love this...so glad I took the plunge and bought a little convertible! It's very common for me to come out of the building where I've got it parked (wherever it's parked) to see people gathered around, peeking inside the windows. Happy driving!

We bought this car for my wife brand new in 2009. It's a fun car to drive with plenty of power and handles great in the corners, but you can feel every bump and rock on the road. We have 120,000 miles on it now in 2015 and the repairs are killing us. We had an extended warranty up to 100,000 miles and the brakes were changed a few times with other misc. repairs needed that were covered with our warranty and maintenance programs. Now the dime is on us and the car is smoking. We have only used premium gas and synthetic oil, but the dealer is telling us we need a new engine, which is normal for this mileage at a cost of $9100. The car looks great cosmetically, but we can't even sell it for that much, so beware of future repair costs, it is not cheap to maintain.

-We purchased this car for my wife, who is a Realtor. She wanted something that fit her, is distinctive/memorable, and is fun to drive. She got all three! -My wife is 5'3" and in most cars, the seating is uncomfortable and the windshield post obscures her vision of the road while turning. The MiNI offers great vision of the road. Further, the controls are all reachable and easy to use. One of the features we like the most is the blue tooth phone connection. It is our first one. As a Realtor, she is always on the phone, so the hands free operation is wonderful. I find the car to be comfortable to sit in too (5'10"). When you are in it, it does not feel small, but peppy and confident on the road. The gas mileage is nice too. -The Mini Cooper S stands out in the crowd of cars with a distinctive sporty look. It sticks in your mind as cute and sporty, just like my wife! -Of course the car is fun to drive! It is nimble on the road, quick in the corners, and has strong acceleration when needed. -My wife loves the car!

This is one naughty car. It looks good, sounds badass, and tight tight tight! It's a great car to chuck around and about. Steering is super tight, body control is incredible for the class, engine though a bit rough, eager and willing. The chassis is really kind of something else, so planted and everything feels just very solid and stiff. It'll make a great track car. Having said that, there are, to my eyes, a few issues. One is the ride. I don't say it's uncomfortable, but it is a bit harsh. I don't mind that because the seats are really strangely comfortable. But I do mind it, especially with optional 17" rims, that it gets unsettled by bumps mid corner. The thing is, I think the chassis this good doesn't really need such an overly stiff suspension. As I said, the steering is nice , heavy and tight, very well planted, but unfortunately, there's not much feel from the front tires, which is strange. Overall, there is something a bit artificial about the driving dynamics - while it corners incredibly well, it's difficult to make it flow through a series of bend. It's different on track or familiar back roads, but when you don't know the road too well, it's just not quite sweet. VW GTI of the same era is better in that respect, that if you are half decent driver, GTI will let you find the rhythm, and hardly slower at all. Speaking of GTI of the same era, it does have better steering than Mini. You do feel as little from the front tires as Mini, but it's simply because GTI's chassis is less bothered, meaning less to communicate, so where it counts, GTI's helm is much more informative than Mini's, which I found a little strange, as Mini's helm feels a whole lot tighter. Interior is a bit fussy, ad build quality is slightly questionable. There's good amount of wind noise from sunroof when closed (since new), and door panel squeaks after 25k miles, now driver side window makes funny noise as it goes up and down. And one more thing, I just don't understand the existence of sport button in a car like this. I mean, when in normal mode, the throttle response is absolutely lazy, nothing that I would want from such a sporty car. Why isn't it always in sport mode? It's an awesome car, I'm glad that I get to drive one on regular basis, but slightly let down by the fact that there's something slightly artificial about the driving experience, like it's trying too hard. But then again, it's still a wicked blast.

I love driving my MINI! She is a lot of fun, handles terrifically and gets great gas mileage - I'm averaging about 32mi / gal. I would only recommend purchasing a manual as it makes the experience that much more fun.