2004 MINI Cooper S consumer reviews

Bought mine 4 years ago 128k miles now 150k fun reliable no major repairs expensive tires Not to good on snow fast 90 miles Get’s you in trouble

This was our extra car, I mostly drove it on the weekends, but I also loved driving it in city traffic. It has an amazing amount of space for a tall (6' 4") person like me. With its 6 speed manual transmission and supercharger, it was a lot of fun to drive.

I have enjoyed the car very much. great gas mileage with a supercharger, for a daily driver to and from I have enjoyed it very much, It handles like a house fly, which has saved me from a few stick situations on the street. if the handling isnt good enough just hit the brakes( you can't stop faster even if you hit a tree) only issue that I have had is that it is like owning a two seater car, even though there is a back seat. R53 mini cooper's can have there fair share of issues so find one that has had all the maintenance done and it will save you a fair bit of heart ache.

I bought my mini used, it had 43k miles on it. I want to be fair- I paid a ton in repairs on this car but realized our family mechanic of over 20 years was seriously shady. I went on youtube and found a channel called MODMINI. I started doing repairs myself and found that not only was my mini SUPER EASY to work on, if you buy the parts online it is pretty cheap overall. I am NOT a mechanic but I got my mini purring like a kitten for $122. The mini S is fun to drive, responsive, quick and well balanced- solid body too. I was very surprised to find that it handles great on Missouri ice and snow without chains. Great fuel economy. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW- original power steering pump WILL fail as will rack and pinion, struts/mounts, bushings- and the original coolant reservoir will rupture (I bought one for $54 and it took less than 10 minutes to replace it). It has been in the creek up over the hood TWICE and still running! Know that you are getting into a project with specific issues- but once they are fixed you are good to go. Not really a car for the family- if you want to roll with more than two people know the back seat offers very little leg room- but it is a rally car not a mini van! Pretty comfortable ride cross country- twice. 1st clutch change at 100k miles.

Absolutely meets all my needs very fun am actually reliable have never had any major issues just typical maintance I’ve never had a car that was so much fun I would own another one in a heartbeat

Cars meets my needs reliable,safe, fun, fast such a pretty car exterior and interior lots of fun to drive smiling the whole way in style

I got what I was looking for thanks to the listing on cars.com First generation Mini R53 in great shape, but needing some normal maintenance with the mileage it had

I love my ?04? Mini Cooper S. With over 160 horsepower, get up and go is exhilarating, all while accomplishing 25/34 mpg . The Mini devours cornering, like driving a go-cart at high speed. Mini Coopers turn heads with their sleek design. Inside design is like a Picasso painting, save the cup holders and storage compartments. The most appealing interior feature to me is the large centerpiece speedometer/odometer gauge, followed by the center located toggle style switches. Throw in the large front operable double moonroof, I love it! While very roomy for two, entering and exiting for rear passengers can be a bit challenging, however who promotes more than one passenger in a sports car? Turning ratio is great, maximizing power in each gear is easily accomplished at over 4000 rpm. You can easily do 60 in 4th gear with two to spare. After extensive research on my behalf I found the ?04? Mini Cooper to be the most reliable Cooper made. That is why I bought my and love driving my used ?04? Mini Cooper S.

Really good fun, characterful, the right supercharged noises, well made and still looks great 15 years on. At 120,000 miles a few problems but so you should expect that. If you are looking for a small fast car then a steal when used. Comfort is good in the front, trunk near useless, rear seats only good for luggage.

Very expensive to own. Expensive to fix. But if you're wealthy - worth it. Feels like a little race car. Loved everything about it !!!