Faults:

Broken hinge on rear seat - 10000 Kms

Pipe for air-conditioning broke - 95000 Kms.

General Comments:

The car was bought from a dealer Germany (I live in Germany). The red/white paint caught my eye, as did the black/red part leather sports seats and silver/black interior. I thought it was a new car but actually it was 18 months old and belonged to BMW Muenchen. It was apparently used by BMW staff. The car wore the registration plate MI-NI 56 for the first 18 months.

The car was basically as new inside and out, apart from some strange marks to the fluid-silver door trim. The dealer replaced all of these before collection. The car came with 2 different sets of alloys wheels (one set are the 5 Star Blaster). Both sets just like new; one set with summer tyres and the other with winter/snow tyres.

The handling is faultless. It is a hoot on twisty roads and equally as good as high speed motorway cruiser. I love the quirky interior design, including the subtle coloured lighting to the door-cards, seat-belt mounts, door-handle bezels - blue is best!

The build quality is generally good, although not perfect. The knobs for the electric mirrors and the stereo feel cheap and wobbly. I have had a problem with wind noise from the driver’s window at high speeds. The hinge mechanism for the rear seat broke on one side (repaired under warranty). Air-conditioning pipe broke (repaired under warranty). There are a couple of annoyances too, the main one being water dripping all over driver or passenger seats when you open the door during moderate rain. The water collects on the seal and pours off when you open the door. The same with the boot hatch.

Overall I am pleased with the car though and can live with its faults.

I am a fan the original Mini (I have a 1972 Mini) and despite the BMW vehicle being a very different car, designed at a different time for a different buyer, the new car shares some of the old cars spirit – built in the old Morris works in Oxford too.