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Mini Cooper S R56 thoughts please..

i am a mini fan, the later stuff with the better gearbox,

they build them just up the road from me in cowley, i am down to go on the factory tour, when you ring up, its like ringing Germany,

great cars, evidence is everywhere you look. :thumb:
 
I had a JCW Cooper S.

The only thing that went wrong with it in 3 years as the radiator expansion tank leaked.

It was fun but also one of the most uncomfortable cars I have ever owned.
 
OP - the grey R56 looks lovely. Tidy car - good luck with it!

Adamw - if you want a bit more oomph from your R53 when you get it, talk to the guys at 1320Mini. A few hundred quid gets you 215bhp via a supercharger reduction pulley and a few other bits. Great guys, they know their stuff :thumbs:
 
Looking at this CooperS it looks to me like its sitting rather high on its suspension :dont know:

Chap's wife at work had a R56 S a very hard unforgiving ride and with a bad back (oh er) forced her to sell it.

Mine has variable adaptive dampers so less of an issue :roll:
 
We've had both R56 and F56 MCS and Zingari's summary is spot on! Personally I enjoyed the R56 more than I do the F56, it was lighter and more agile with better handling than the F56 but ours had factory sport suspension and LSD with non runflat Michelin Pilot Sports on it which made a huge difference to the ride. We had no issues with chain tensioner or coking up which are common problems but I did have to cure a lazy driver's window.

Great cars in my opinion if you buy wisely.
 
Friend of mine has one. The only reason he still has it is the hassle of buying and selling cars; he tends to keep cars for a long time.

Other than that, he's had:
Radiator / expansion tank issues
Knackered wheel bearings
Popped engine mounts
Clutch issues (springs in the plate failed)
Calipers needing rebuild
All sorts of brace pad warning lights despite new sensors etc

It's been far from reliable and it was a good, low mileage one when he bought it.

Drive wise, when he first got it he was keen, but the novelty wore off.
 
For the record, our 2013 R56 has been pretty much faultless: the sole issue has been a binding rear caliper which needed a rebuild in November 2015. The car has been run as a daily, and more recently it has been substantially modified for hill climbs and track days (which of course have eaten a good few tyres, brake pads, and the original clutch at 42k km).

It has a better record than the 2006 R53 which has needed a new power steering pump, a new coolant thermostat, new boot gas struts and had some water ingress through a dodgy seal in the boot handle.

We still love driving them, and it is always fun to overtake 911s, Maseratis, Jaguar F types and the like at track days... usually under braking into the corners.



:bandit:
 
Many thanks for the feedback chaps,it's much appreciated. :thumbs:
We had to cancel the viewing on Sunday but we are going tomorrow for a look.

I see from the blurb that there is a sport button on the centre console, is that an engine or suspension thing? :?:
 
kas750 said:
I see from the blurb that there is a sport button on the centre console, is that an engine or suspension thing? :?:

If it's like the F series it should tighten up the steering, better throttle response and pop/bangs from the exhaust. I don't think adaptive dampers were available on R series as on the F it also stiffens the suspension if sport is selected.
 
Zingari said:
kas750 said:
I see from the blurb that there is a sport button on the centre console, is that an engine or suspension thing? :?:

If it's like the F series it should tighten up the steering, better throttle response and pop/bangs from the exhaust. I don't think adaptive dampers were available on R series as on the F it also stiffens the suspension if sport is selected.
:thumbs:
 
Dog 5hit cars and they always go wrong. not even that quick. they are cheap for a reason!

my brother had one and it was a nightmare from day one. not even highly tuned. piece of junk.

and the interior. jesus what a mess. the dash looks like it was designed by a blind guy on LSD via google earth. total mess and none of it makes sense!
 
Mini

I have to say my mate who has the village garage also says they are absolute crap and hates the things. He see's quite a lot of them aswell!
 
My Indy has a side line in repairing Insurance write offs to Cat D (as was) status. They know them inside out and don't class them as turds.

I must admit I like them in the F series and might be tempted for a new JCW when it gets the DST box :what:

Despite mine being a diesel given the business miles I do it manages to pump out 230bhp :whistle: Sticks to the road like shoite to a blanket :oops:
 
bit like a fat bird....great fun ride for a short period of time...but don't tell your mates you been out in it
 
:floor: . For me the dash looks like someone couldn't work their Spirograph and just drew circles everywhere. :eek:
 

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