Is MINI Cooper any good?

[dave_the_nerd]

ROFL.

No....no, they were not.

Yeah, but I am definitely starting to think I should buy a car that's EMP-proof.

 

[jlee]

Yeah, but I am definitely starting to think I should buy a car that's EMP-proof.

I assume you're joking, but apparently most cars don't really care all that much. For serious business EMP, this link claims the only direct danger would be from a nuclear weapon - and if you're close enough that EMP from a nuke will fry the electronics in your car, you'll have plenty of other problems to deal with first.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I assume you're joking, but apparently most cars don't really care all that much. For serious business EMP, this link claims the only direct danger would be from a nuclear weapon - and if you're close enough that EMP from a nuke will fry the electronics in your car, you'll have plenty of other problems to deal with first.

Semi-joking. I see newer cars, with all the electronics toys, and I just see a bunch of potential problems, combined with a bunch of stuff that will be obsolete (if not completely broken and/or unreplaceable) well before the car itself ought to be junked. A side-effect of working with computers all day - I don't trust the things.

Then I see one of these, and I think, "Gee, that looks like something I could fix if it broke. With hand tools, probably."

Admittedly, vehicles of those vintages probably have to be fixed more frequently, but I've got an '07 Focus on its fourth alternator, and my dad's last new car went through fuel pumps faster than tires. So I'm not exactly enamored of new-car reliability either.

I just need a shorter commute. And a garage. Then one of those old steel monsters is MINE!

 

[andy04]

haha, fun read, but thanks for all the input guys! We found one she likes, will be pulling the trigger in the next few days it seems, lets see how it turns out...

 

[Pulsar]

Mini ties for the worst / least reliable make on Dashboard Light's long-term quality index:

Dashboard light is a crock. Their statistical breakdown overly-penalizes newer cars and gives older cars a free ride. Seriously.

 

[gorcorps]

haha, fun read, but thanks for all the input guys! We found one she likes, will be pulling the trigger in the next few days it seems, lets see how it turns out...

Poor guy... Get every extended warranty you can on the thing. You'll definitely need it

Good luck

 

[bruceb]

My Pontiac 1999 Grand Prix 3.8 "K" died right smack in the middle of an intersection due to a bad Mass Air Flow sensor ... Not warning at all and it would not restart. With a carb, you probably could have restarted and moved out of the way. This is why computer engine controls are not good, unless they have a default or limp mode if something goes wrong. Obviously the 1999 did not have that. Not sure about the newest models.

 

[NutBucket]

A bad maf should cause the car to go into open loop limp mode. Either something else was wrong or GM really screwed the pooch.

 

[bruceb]

It probably does on newer model years, but it did not on the 1999 Grand Prix ... possibly an engineering oversight. The local repair shop said it was the MAF and the cost to swap it out was reasonable. I could have done it myself and saved the diagnostics fee, but IT DID NOT SET any OBDII trouble code

 

[andy04]

Update: She ended up getting a Countryman S all 4 fully loaded. Its a showroom floor model so it pretty much had every possible option installed. They gave around 5k off on MSRP, so got a sweet deal. Didn't get extended warranty yet, as I bought it from a different city, though of getting it from the local dealer. They said that as long as I buy it before 5000 miles the price will be same after that there is a processing fees or something...