2nd Gen R60 Countryman Looking into buying a Countryman - what to look for?

Discussion in '2nd Generation: 2007+ R55 through R61' started by jeffster06, Dec 5, 2014.

  1. jeffster06

    jeffster06 Active Member

    Apr 23, 2010
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    I am in the market to buy a second MINI (my 06 MCS is lonely lol) are there any specific things I will want to watch for when looking at a used 2011-2012 Manual Countryman S?


    Thanks in advance
     
  2. Motoring Magic

    Motoring Magic New Member
    Motoring Alliance Sponsor

    Dec 13, 2009
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    Motoring Magic Owner, Ventura County's ONLY MINI s
    Thousand Oaks, Vta cty, socal
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    ALL4JCW

    I am sure Countryman owners will chime in, of the ones I have worked on and driven, I prefer the JCW ALL4 cars. The rear seat buckets have been discontinued in favor of a rear bench only, eventually making the rear bucket cars more rare(if anyone will ever care).
     
  3. jeffster06

    jeffster06 Active Member

    Apr 23, 2010
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    Luckily almost all the 2011/12's I have found have the rear buckets, it's actually a must have for me. I'd love a JCW but it's still out of my price range.
     
  4. AAONMS

    AAONMS Well-Known Member
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    Jan 16, 2011
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    Ours is my wife's daily driver. We ordered and waited for the rear bench seat. Thought was that when folded down, there is a better surface. That, and who really cares about the folks in the back seat :) It is a manual All4 S with Sport suspension.
     
  5. mikeyt

    mikeyt New Member

    Oct 10, 2013
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    For what its worth the 2011-2012's with manual trannys had clutch issues. Find one that has already had the clutch upgraded to the newer design by MINI.

    X2 on the rear buckets. They are more comfortable for passengers than the bench seats.
     
  6. jeffster06

    jeffster06 Active Member

    Apr 23, 2010
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    I found a 2012 Countryman All 4 S. has the rear buckets and a bunch of other stuff that I could have lived without but ended up being a bonus. here's what I have discovered so far after about 2 weeks of ownership

    Comfort access
    Auto headlights and wipers
    Auto dimming mirror with garage door buttons
    Heated seats

    its a 6 speed as well and the clutch was changed about 20k miles ago, luckily it has the remainder of its 100k maintenance warranty so the clutch is covered up to 100k, at least this is what one of the guys at my local mini dealer told me (I did not purchase it there)

    So far I am happy with it, I still have my 06 MCS that is pretty heavily modded and it is even more fun to drive now that I have something stock to drive around everyday.

    One thing I am not to happy with and hoping I can find a better solution down the road is connecting my ipod to the radio, I only have the aux plug in the car no USB, does anyone know if it is possible to retrofit the usb plug or is there an ipod interface I can purchase aftermarket to connect up to the radio?
     
  7. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Sep 29, 2009
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    Interesting... I would have thought the clutch would have been exempted from the warranty.... Maybe warranted for manufacturers defects but surely not warranted on abuse...
     
  8. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

    May 15, 2012
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    11 years in the ARMY, 2 years of being a multitale
    North Denver CO.
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    In my month and a half with my R60, I have found the USB/AUX jacks to be useless for playing music from my phone.
    For one the AUX (headphone jack) is too lose and any cable plugged into it has to be positioned just right for it to work. :(
    The little Y cable that came with it for an iPOD/iPHONE hookup is a POS! Its way too short to be useful, and if I do try to use it, it wont recognize playlists, it will change songs mid song, or the flippin thing just wont work!
    Having a working AUX input for me is a must! I spend a lot of time outside of radio range, and I hate satellite radio. :(
     
  9. ejwjcw

    ejwjcw Active Member
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    Dec 14, 2013
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    I thought my cable was cool until I tried it a few times with my Droid. I almost never use it now.
     

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