Minis - anything to look for? (5 door Clubman)

[Tom_ed1987]

Hi all,
We are Thinking about a circa 2018-2020 Mini Clubman or Countryman as the next family car.
I'm erring towards a Clubman S as I like the rear doors & that it's less SUV-like.

Was wondering if anyone had any advice for what to look for?
Has anyone had one (or a similar era Mini as I guess they are quite similar?) & can offer any advice on general running costs/reliability?

In terms of spec/models/engines/depreciation, is there a particular sweet spot in the range? Is it worth paying extra for an approved used? Looks like there are a few nice ones in the circa £13-£14k range.

I see the Chilli pack is quite common, but also some others that have what looks like a wider satnav screen & panoramic roof etc which I guess are additional standalone options.

 

[Tom_ed1987]

Looks nice, good point on the doors

What sort of things have you had go wrong?
How does the approved used warranty work - looks like you get 1 year on purchase, can you just purchase subsequent years - is this indefinitely? Assume you have to have it serviced by Mini to do so?

The only real requirement stipulated is that it's a non-boring colour So in practice looking at what's for sale I think that means Red or Blue. I'd quite like a Cooper S and some cool options. Don't think we will be going for a diesel.

 

[Tom_ed1987]

@kona786 do you have the details of those grill spotlights on your car - were they a dealer fit accessory? I haven't seen them fitted to many cars for sale.

I found a Clubman Brochure from 2017 & am getting a bit more of a feel for the options & the overall market now. Narrowed the search down to basically a manual Cooper S Clubman in red/green/blue/burgundy & ideally approved used, unless I find a bargain outside of those parameters.
From what I have read the engine used in the Cooper S is pretty good, no real inherent faults or reliability concerns and returns very good MPG for what it is.