[CINCYFAN]

Hey all - I posted this in the x3 forum as we own a couple of 2019s, but thought it made sense to post in the X1 forum as well.

My wife and I are looking for some advice as our youngest daughter has her learner's permit (though she's still 8-9 months away from being eligible for her actual license) and we are thinking about adding another vehicle. Currently, we have the two 2019 X3s and a 2011 Acura MDX. I drive the MDX occasionally and our older daughters drive it when they are home from school. We obviously have some time, but I'm wondering if anyone has experiences with the Mini Cooper Countryman or any of the "larger" four-door vehicles Mini builds. We're specifically looking at used versions...probably 2014-2018 models.

I also thought I'd post here as well as I believe the Countryman and X1 are built on the same platform and we've also considered getting a used X1, but I think I'd like to keep this around $20k (and hopefully a little less) and I'm not sure an X1 would come in at that price point.

Also, I will do an internet search, but wondering if anyone has thoughts on good Mini online forums. Obviously, Bimmerpost has been great and I'd love to find a good Mini counterpart.

Thanks, appreciate any thoughts folks might have!

[rice_rocket88]

I've only dabbled once in a while reading up on Mini's.. and they are unanimously a pain in the butt to work with. The countryman may have a little more "bmw" into it to work on since it does share with the X1 platform. I could see you getting a 2016 X1 for the 20K mark depending on how crazy the market still is near you. Mini's have a tendency to plummet dramatically in price as the age goes I suspect because the unfixable/too expensive problems start kicking in fast. A couple of times a year I come across some cool mini that's like $5,000 and I think about tooling with it as a track car or something, but then figure out there's something that needs a rebuild that is going to be time consuming/costly so I pass..

[Rich807]

I would spend some time on the mini forums to see what kind of issues people on those boards are dealing with. I do agree with rice_rockett in that Minis have had a bad reputation for a long time in regard to durability & maintenance costs. BUT, if the mini forums for the Countryman for instance aren't revealing anything much or more than say, the X1 forum here is apples-to-apples generation wise, then popping on a Mini might be a far more cost-effective option. Devil is all in the history details on the interwebs IMO

[jrveron]

IMO, considering the X1 and Countryman share the same platform in recent models (from 2017-ish, F60 model), they will have more or less the same issues. The bad reputation for mini mostly comes from the previous RXX platforms.

I believe the biggest concern is the year. As you know, older models tend to have more things to fix. Not going to say anything new here, but you know, keep an eye on the millage, city of origin, service history, etc.

Talking about pricing, Mini is cheaper than BMW. And IMO, you can see that, e.g., on the interior, but should be more than enough for a first car.

Last but not least, I believe you should consider personal preference. Mini has that young+cool vibe, while BMW kind of looks more executive. So maybe your daughter prefers one more than the other.

[thegrinchboy]

We had a 2014 Countryman All4 S before the BMW X1. Nice little SUV. Here's a good forum for Mini's. It's the same platform as this BMW forum. Enjoy!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/

[CINCYFAN]

Originally Posted by thegrinchboy

We had a 2014 Countryman All4 S before the BMW X1. Nice little SUV. Here's a good forum for Mini's. It's the same platform as this BMW forum. Enjoy!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/

Thank you!! What I could find in the Mini forums world wasn't quite as robust...this is much appreciated.

Also, my wife is now hinting that she wants to drive the Mini as well...so maybe we'll end up with one that's a little bit newer.

[thegrinchboy]

Originally Posted by CINCYFAN

Thank you!! What I could find in the Mini forums world wasn't quite as robust...this is much appreciated.

Also, my wife is now hinting that she wants to drive the Mini as well...so maybe we'll end up with one that's a little bit newer.

You're welcome. We loved our Countryman and my wife is considering them again for her next car.