Opinions .... Don't judge

[ginge191]

So was working on a customers car the other day and his 'daily' was an R53 cooper s.

I'm looking for a new car for ~£2k, and this fits the bill nicely. 

But, when I've seen them I just see them stereotypically as a bit of a woman's car, but, the more I look at them, the more I think I'd like one!

What do people think?

[ADV_93]

Are they the ones with the bmw 4 cylinder chain driven engine?

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[1616six]

We've had our mini for 3-4 years now, it's Ambers but I love driving it.

You will get the usual comments but let's face it, it's no more feminine than the Megane

Watch Jamie's review of the Cooper S too

Personally I'm lusting over Soarers ATM. Go jap.

[ozonehostile]

I work on a r56 cooper s touring car and tbh they are pretty brilliant to drive straight out of the factory. Loads of decent aftermarket stuff available too with the popularity of the mini cup and challenge series. Pretty easy to work on too, and although parts are a tad pricey it's no worse than Renault sport stuff

[ginge191]

Hmm interesting.

I wasn't expecting a positive response ...

[Silky]

I've got a 205 GTI6 at the moment which my wife hates, recently been looking at the R53 too.
Wife used to have a Cooper and it was fun, the S is much better, I'd have one

[Jonny81191]

They do drive well, just make sure you get a decent one.. They suffer from oil leaks so be aware of that when you look at one. It's worth holding out for a decent one as there's a lot of rubbish about

[WiNgNuTz]

Hmm interesting.

I wasn't expecting a positive response ...

Hairdressers car, you'll look like a poof, and they smell of poo.


Happy now?

[bashbarnard]

i love driving them id never own one though. not on the basis that they are bad or classed as a hairdressers car. i like the mx5 ffs. i feel like i would be betraying the love i have for the classics which imo is a shame as they are generally good cars. you get a lemon in everything though just try and spot a good one.

[Toms306]

I like the exterior, nice black and grey they don't look girly imo...obv if you get it in pink it's a different story lol.

But the interior is just horrible, no way I could sit looking at that dash all day every day!

[C2K]

I enjoy driving the mrs r56 Cooper D, the only frustration being it's still on run flats and rides a bit harshly and can be quite twitchy on grids/drains etc.

I deliberately found one on 16s as the 17s were even worse for it.

[toseland]

Those minis are properl;y sorted handling wise..

older supercharged ones have problems with starved SC bearings at the back and they then rattle and fail..

[Poodle]

You already drive a woman's car and do a woman's job, what's the issue?

I do quite like he newer minis, but as said above - dash is vile and get small wheels for a decent ride, typical bmw issue.

[Matt-Rallye]

I had been hankering after a supercharged R53 mini for a long time and now having driven 3 of them i was sorely dissapointed. handling wise they are sussed! but seriously lacking in power. felt sluggish compared to my DCi megane.

Having driven a few later R56 turbocharged mini's (pug motor) they are much more upto scratch.

[Rippthrough]

Fecking suspension on them is terrible tbfh - yeah, they might have a lot of grip from wide tyres and stiff springs, but handling is poor on anything but smooth tarmac because they jump all over the shop at the first bump, surface change or pothole mid-bend.

[ginge191]

I had been hankering after a supercharged R53 mini for a long time and now having driven 3 of them i was sorely dissapointed. handling wise they are sussed! but seriously lacking in power. felt sluggish compared to my DCi megane.

Having driven a few later R56 turbocharged mini's (pug motor) they are much more upto scratch.

Yeh, this is my issue; 160bhp from a 1.6 charged engine...

[Seb_Ryan]

Also the turbo engines like to throw oil out of the lower part of the block (splits by the crank) and its a full engine strip down to sort lol

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[lolsteve]

Didn't like Ladysteves cooper R53.

powersteering was noisy, run flat tyres were expensive, the steering column would rub on your feet if you're a size 11 like me, the airbag wiring for the passenger seat was too short so would set the airbag light off if you moved the seat too far back and could be only turned off with a dealers tool, the drive by wire throttle loom corroded and had to be replaced, the suspension was harsh and the seats were not comfy. It was bought as a "reliable" car but just ended up costing too much to keep.

Overall its my least favourite car that either of us have owned.

JPs challenge 210 is a very nice car mind but that hasn't exactly been faultless either.

[reese]

I drove a friends R53 Cooper S a few years ago. Overall it drove nicely, a little twitchy in the wet, not as communicative as the GTi6 and I found the engine less exciting when compared to the GTi6 too. Overall a decent car though, they're quirky!