MINI DERIVATIVES BUYING GUIDE

Much has happened in almost a decade and a half in the life of the new MINI. From humble beginnings which started with the newly-interpreted Hatch  which is still MINI’s best seller the model lineup today now boasts some eight different variants. You could say this is oversaturation of the market, but we think it’s a clever long-term marketing strategy from BMW, because there is now a model to suit every lifestyle.

MINI owners are often loyal to the brand and so many move within the range when their family or work situation changes. In this sense, BMW is onto a winner.

In the past we have covered buying guides for the R50-R53 Hatch and R56 too, but this is the first time we are placing a focus on the other variants available, especially the earlier model versions of Clubman, Coupé, Roadster and Countryman as these will now be more affordable. We turned to the expertise of DanKan MINI Shop, Mrs MINI and Norfolk Cars MINI Specialists to find out how buoyant the secondhand market is for these particular MINI models. But not only that; we wanted to know which ones in particular are really sought-after and which models are harder to shift. We also asked what’s the best spec to go for (keeping in mind the resale value) and if they had come across issues with any of these particular variants.

MINI R55 Clubman

THE CLUBMAN  was the first model to sport a different platform to its Hatch sibling. Launched in November 2007 some 12 months after the R56 Cooper and Cooper S Hatch were introduced, the Clubman created a mixture of excitement and bemusement at the decision to introduce another retro-based model, with its van-style doors and controversial ‘Club Door’ positioned (for UK drivers at least) on the wrong side. However, MINI pulled it off and it was the ideal model for existing Hatch owners who wanted a bit more space. The Clubman boasts 24cm more overall length than the Hatch, 260 litres of seat-up load space and a huge 930 litres with the seats folded down, plus a flat-floor option with underfloor stowage. From launch, the 120bhp Cooper model was priced at £14,235, the 110bhp Cooper D at £15,400 and top-of-the-range, 175bhp S at £17,210.

All models shared the same engine as the R56 Hatch; the only slight oddity is that some early One Clubmans came with the 1.4-litre petrol, before MINI swapped this for the newer 1.6-litre unit in 2010. Interestingly, from talking to the experts, this is the model to avoid. “An early MINI One Clubman would not be a good option as the engine is unreliable,” explains Dave Butcher of DanKan MINI Shop.

“We’ve come across all sorts of general running issues including problems with second gear synchro and so we can’t sell these with confidence.” Norfolk Cars’ Neal Clarke finds that there isn’t much demand for a One Clubman and that there’s a small marketplace for people who want this kind of car, so he avoids buying in this model too. Overall, it’s the Cooper S version that is the most sought-after of the Clubman range and the higher the spec the more desirable it is. All of the MINI secondhand specialists we spoke to agreed that the Chili Pack is a definite selling point which gives (among other things) half-leather and a decent set of alloys, but DanKan’s Dave finds that air-con is a must too for his customer base, with sat nav a bonus.

It has been well-documented that the N14 engine that the Cooper S Clubman shared with the R56 up until 2009 has had its fair share of problems. One of the main issues has been with the timing chain tensioner. There is no official service schedule for the chain and guides or tensioner, but the first warning sign that something is wrong is often an increase in noise (known as the ‘death rattle’), combined with poor performance. Catch the problem early enough and you can just change the
affected parts – if not and the chain jumps, you could be looking at piston and valve damage and catastrophic engine failure. It’s worthy to note that Norfolk Cars replaces the timing chain tensioner on every relevant Cooper S model as a matter of course before selling it on. Keep an eye on the oil level too; Neal has noticed that the top-of-the-range S does like a drink and he has come across a few engines that have run out of oil and gone bang.   

The second common problem, especially with MINI owners who only use their car for short journeys, is the coking up of the inlet valves and ports. There is no actual fix as such for the problem, apart from to remove the inlet manifold and strip down the cylinder head for inspection and removal of carbon deposits, or to go for the cheaper, MINI dealer procedure at a cost of £275. This doesn’t involve the removal of the head, (just the inlet manifold) and crushed up walnut shells are blasted at the inlet valves at high pressure using a special machine.

We talked about how loyal MINI owners move around in the range as their circumstances change. Well, it seems the majority of Clubman owners have come from a Hatch, because they need a model that is more versatile with just that little bit more room. Tracey Hatton of Mrs MINI tends to find that her Clubman customers are mainly men, who want a diesel-powered Clubman to use as a workhorse and to eat up the miles, or a high-spec petrol Cooper S.

“You’ve got to know who your customer is when you buy a Clubman in and where you’re pitching it,” she says.
“From my experience, women who usually buy a Clubman are mobile beauty therapists because they can get a couch in the back with the seats folded down, or mobile hairdressers who need space for their equipment.”     
You can get a well-specced early Clubman for under £10k, but we hear it’s harder to source a similar Cooper S version (2007 until around 2009) for the same money, as there are fewer to choose from. So what of the rarer and hugely-popular Cooper S JCW Clubman? “This model is very desirable but impossible to find! I’ve had several customers after one; in fact I wouldn’t mind one for myself!” laughs Tracey. Laser Blue with a black roof and black wheels is a popular colour choice for the Clubman, so too are Dark Silver, Astro Black and Pepper White.

MINI R60 Countryman

THE COUNTRYMAN SUV’s chunky and somewhat bulbous styling split opinions right from the day it was launched in 2010. Cynical purists pointed out that this model was a MINI by name but not by dimensions and that this SUV was only a marketing exercise.

However, it came at a time when loyal MINI customers were asking for more than what a step up to the Clubman could give them space-wise. The Countryman delivered oodles of room (not just inside, but also compared to its market segment) and was a practical solution to having a growing family, with four doors to boot. What could be argued as even more of a selling point was the introduction of ALL4 four-wheel drive technology for the Cooper S and Cooper D versions from launch.

Sales of the Countryman prove that this model isn’t a white elephant, coming in second place behind the Hatch and it still maintains the same slot today. Dave at DanKan has found that going for a secondhand Cooper S Countryman or Cooper D versions are better options. “The body is heavier than people realise which can make the 1.6 quite sluggish and the gearbox ratio is designed such that it makes this even worse, so you have to rev it quite high. Therefore in my opinion avoid the Cooper and One models,” he says. “The secondhand market for Countryman is getting quite busy now. In the last year to 18 months it has gathered some pace and has quite a following.”

All three independent specialists advise on going for the best spec for your budget so you always have something well worth selling on in the future. According to Dave from DanKan, air-con is a must as are Countrymans equipped with 18-inch alloys, since these appear to be better-looking models as the wheels fit the arches better. “The ALL4 versions are quite popular. We’ve never sold one but we have been asked if we have any in,” he adds. “Because of the car’s size, some
customers expect it to have ALL4 and for that reason I think it’s a good version to get.”

The Cooper D Countryman is a popular model choice purely because of the great fuel economy and now that early models are starting to come down in price to around the £10-12k mark, Neal at Norfolk Cars is starting to look at buying some in to sell onto retail clients. He adds: “I’m not sure that people who don’t already own a MINI would go out and buy a Countryman, because there are a lot of similar SUVs in the marketplace to choose from, like the Qashqai, Evoque and Mokka. It’s a
natural progression to change and perfect for someone with a growing family.” 

MINI R58 Coupé

REVEALED TO  the press in June 2011 and formally-launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show later that year, the 1.6-litre turbo Coupé was the first two-seater new MINI. Its quirky styling and heavily raked windscreen raised some eyebrows especially the back to front baseball cap-esque roof spoiler – but the look was still most definitely MINI. The Coupé’s ‘floating’ roof is silver or black on standard models or red with the JCW, while body stripes are also standard.

An electric active spoiler on the boot lid rises at 50mph and lowers at 37mph to aid rear end stability. This niche model is based on the Convertible’s underpinnings but is stiffer due to additional bracing and rides on the same wheelbase as the Hatch, coming in at just 5mm longer and 29mm lower. Four version are available, starting with the entry-level 122bhp Cooper, then 143bhp Cooper SD, 184bhp Cooper S and finally the range topping 211bhp Cooper S JCW. Now MINI has always expected that the Coupé (and Roadster, which we’ll come to shortly) will only make up a small percentage of overall sales, but what has caught this model out more so is where it fits in the existing MINI range, as well as the marketplace. Initially MINI dealerships were pre-registering Coupés and “couldn’t give them away for love or money” as Neal from Norfolk Cars says, but three years on they’re now
coming into the secondhand sub-£10k bracket. However, DanKan’s Dave is still cautious of stocking the Coupé. “There are other models on the market that are a lot less money that may have slightly more appeal,” he states. “We wouldn’t be going out and putting two or three on the forecourt, but if a customer asks us to source one we would.” Tracey from Mrs MINI has had some success when it comes to selling secondhand Coupés and says that once people see this model ‘in the flesh’ they like it. The difficulty is that there are so few on the road, it’s very hard to compare. “I tend to find that the Cooper Coupé just needs to have a Chili Pack and not a lot more because of its price range, but the Cooper S Coupé needs more,” she adds. “Nobody wants to buy a Cooper S with no features, unless they are happy to retrofit, but this will need to be reflected in the price.” Some traders are a bit more cautious of the Coupés when they buy them in, because they take longer to sell being a niche model.

Neal from Norfolk Cars has come across a peculiar misdemeanour with early Coupés. He explains: “There was some kind of fault with the ordering system and so some Cooper S Coupés specced with a Chili Pack didn’t actually come with half leather as they should have done and so dealers had to go back into the system and manually add this on. I’d suggest anyone interested in buying one of these
early models to doublecheck it has the specced-up features it lists.” Aside from the Cooper S Coupé, Neal has discovered that the 2.0-litre Cooper SD is also desirable because of its running costs, but it’s the Cooper version that is at a good price point at the moment, coming in around the £10k mark.  

MINI R59 Roadster

HOT ON  the heels of the Coupé came the two-seater Roadster, which was introduced to the masses at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show and on sale in the UK the very same year. Seen as a rival to the Audi TT and Mazda MX-5, the Roadster comes equipped with a semi-automatic soft-top which fully retracts flat behind the seats in less than ten seconds. Even then there’s still a 240-litre boot, stowage space behind the front seats and a through-loading hatch. Just like the Coupé, the Roadster is designed around a three-box rigid body structure comprising of engine, passenger cell and boot, with heavily raked A-pillars to give a lower, hunkered down look.

It comes in the same model range as the Coupé too and is powered by the same four engine options. 
Even rarer on the road than the Coupé, our three independent MINI specialists have had limited experience of buying or selling the Roadster on the secondhand market, mainly because they are still fairly new and under manufacturer’s warranty. However, Tracey from Mrs MINI has sourced three to order for her customers. “I find it suits someone who wants to have the style and sportiness of a MINI but still needs the practicality that stops with the Hatch,” she says and continues: “Women tend to buy the Roadster; one was a medical rep and the cavernous boot was ideal for her to store all her boxes with samples in. Another lady was a pro-golfer and she found that she could get more than one set of golf clubs in the boot.”