Modern Collectibles Exposed: The 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible 0-60 MPH Review 

Re: practicality: since it's a convertible it's oddly practical in that sense. We've hauled a weights bench, bars, all the weights, and a running machine back from buying on ebay since you're not limited by height. At other times, two bikes. Loads of bags of river pebbles for a garden project. This is a go-kart that doubles as a pickup truck.

I loved my 2006 Mini CooperS hardtop. The most fun and lively car I have ever driven. I wish I still had it.

Kris, you better let MINI know ASAP. The car's sticker says 2008 as does the ID plate on the car. Hard to believe that they would screw up so much or....you need to stop posting misinformed comments and google the dates that supercharged convertibles were sold in the US.

We bought this exact car brand new; except ours was an automatic transmission and fully optioned. We added the OEM driving lights to the front to give it a real classic MINI look. It was my wife's daily commute car and was garaged when not in use. I even did the fabric treatment for UV and water repellent by hand three times a year to keep the convertible top looking new; and it still looked brand new down to the last day we had it. I only hand washed and hand waxed it. We did all of the maintenance at the MINI dealer on-time including oil changes at 5,000 miles (we ignored the computer's 10K+ oil changes and did 5K full synthetic oil changes), belts, hoses, transmission fluid change at 30K, tires etc. After 6 years of ownership and 60,000 miles we junked it; piece of junk. During the time we had it, it went through: three sets of engine mounts that kept busting and losing their oil; two cracked thermostat housings; one cracked radiator overflow reservoir; one cracked wiper fluid reservoir, two sets of the rubber trim around the top of doors/quarter panels kept shrinking and cracking apart; a few other premature failure of parts; and a full transmission failure at 60K miles. Our best memory with it was taking it up the Pacific Coast Highway, across the Golden Gate, through the Redwoods and up the Oregon coast with the top down. Worst memory was the transmission failure. We junked the car in 2013 and never went back to MINI. The car was back at the dealer EVERY THREE MONTHS for another part failure; miserable. And over the six years, many parts were replaced two or three times. After the MINI, we bought a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L Grand Touring and put over 111K miles on it with only three small issues occurring after turning 100K.

I owned r52 I love it

It's a perfect, all around, topless wonder. Yes.

I own one, I love it!

In 2020, MINI R53 JCW and R52S (included JCW) are already collectible. The maintenance and the repair costs created a rarety for those are in good shape. Also, the not reliable (owners that cheaped the maintenance) ones are currently heading to the scrapyard.

agree, its a very nice car

The cooper s convertibles are difficult to find already. Cooper convertibles are a dime a dozen. But the S with the top down is such a nice drive. I do wish I had access to a supercharged one though, just to see the difference between the turbo.

Man I'm in Utah and was going to move to the mile high site and I was like YES I MIGHT SEE TFL CAR IN REAL LIFE!

Yup, Supercharges are thirsty. We think that MINI switched to the turbo to het better MPG.

I own an '08 Cooper S convertible, slowly making mods to turn it JCW-like. The smiles-to-miles ratio is through the roof (or well, through and through since there's no roof 🤣). Unfortunately I melted a piston due to a failure in fuel delivery, but can't wait to get it back on the road.

No, The Cabriolet was changed after 2008, the regular Cooper was turbo charged for the 2007 model year and the convertible in 2009.

From what I hear, the supercharged Minis were the most reliable. My friend had a Mini Cooper w/ 1.6 NA 4cly. I think the crankshaft or something went, cause one day it decided not to start. And it never did again, so it got junked.

It was mostly due to euro emissions regs coming in which take into account a makers entire fleet. The extra mpg is just a side effect of reduced CO2 - which was the requirement for the design. The turbo charged engine was a joint venture between BMW/PSA to get a good engine at a reasonable price. While technically better than the S/C engine a lot of people prefer the S/C for it's sound and character.

We have a 2008 Mini Cooper like this. Super charged. SideWalk Edition convertible. Less than 35,000 miles, garage kept. 6 speed. Same green color as this video. We are willing to part with it if you know a collector that would like it.

Thanks for the response! Really big fan of you two and the show. Keep it up. Always fun to watch. Heres hoping that they make newer mini versions> Dual turbos like some BMWs. Almost like a supercharger. Would be nice

I just bought one, 08’ Sidewalk R52 :)

Beautiful. Why remove the supercharger? Gas savings?

I agree. I was commenting on the nostalgia part. I think the only reason those old Mustangs are so collectible is because there just aren't that many of them in good condition, not necessarily because of the nostalgia. It sure helps, but I don't see that as the driving force. My point is that bringing up 40+ year old Mustangs was a contradiction to your point of them being collectible even though a lot were made. Almost any car would be collectible after 40 years, no matter what "they" say.

So I'm planning on getting one and I'm super duper excited. It'll be from California if I'm lucky (as I live in Las Vegas). Thank you for your review, you guys are wonderful!

Did he say it's a 2008? Did it come with a supercharger in 2008?

The official website of the BMW Group states that all Mini Cooper vehicles are produced at BMW's Oxford plant, based in the United Kingdom. The production of Mini Coopers and all other Mini vehicles is integrated into BMW's production network.

4 very small adults. im 6ft3 in a 2012 hardtop and no one will be able to sit behind me unless its a toddler with their legs crossed

2007 Convertible yes, hardtop no it is already on 2nd gen by then.

The Mini in this video has the Continental DWS UHP AS tires installed. A great tire, the best UHP AS in winter conditions (I use to have a set on my Camry SE), but did the Mini lose any of its sharp steering response by going from a summer to an all season tire? I noticed a huge difference on my RX8 between the summer and AS version of the P-Zero Nero. The AS tires felt like marshmallows.

Yah I am jealous of my uncle who lives right in Boulder! He has probably seen TFL car at least once!

You should review 2011 Acura tl

Can you review the Mazda MX5? That is a modern collectible!

Minis are fun

Yes I agree that too!!!

Is the '08 the last year they made the supercharged convertible?

The next modern collectible has to be the Pontiac G8

i know that this is offtopic BUT..........if u install supercharge on CNG run car will it reduce the CNG milage consumption? increase or decrease?

This will be my car!

Would you say a AbarthC is a Modern Collectible? How about a Hummer Alpha/H1?

That's a nice story but there's also a difference between collecting a car and buying it because of a personal/emotional attachment. If we agree that this 2008 Mini Cooper S is a modern collectible, will there really be that many young guys in the future that say, "I bought a 2008 Mini Cooper S because my dad had one."? Your dad happened to have a car that is now rare and collectible to which you had an attachment. Your attachment didn't make it collectible.

Would the 2007 be exactly the same?

For a collectible I'd go with one of the GP models. But I would love a 2008 MINI Cooper S JCW Sidewalk Edition Convertible in British Racing Green with the English tan seats and green canvas top.

OK, so it is collectible and fun to drive but can it get better mileage than a hybrid Lexus? ;-)

LOVE Minis. Just their wide range of customization makes all of them unique. You will rarely find 2 of the same Minis.

lol that's the other way around in europe all the un-reliable car are made in america / par from a few company / models, most likely due to different driving conditions weather and driving styles

He fell out in the first second lol

kinda sounds like the terminator, svt mustang.

Your lost all credibility when you claimed a Ferrari F430 is a modern collectible. Just like a ferrari mondial, 308 and 348s are vintage collectible?

Too much vignetting added to your video, makes it too dark

Mustangs aren't really that collectible unless they're 40+ years old or a special or limited edition.

That is not a 2008 car..... It's the first generation model, you can tell by the grille and how when you lift the hood up the headlights go with it

convertible is girly, hardtop is sick though

I don't get it. You tell us all the time how superchargers negate the high altitude penalty, yet here you emphasize there's a 2 second difference.

It's not a 2008 model seeing as it's supercharged. From 2007 all mini cooper s came out as turbocharged

Nah. Too many made, too common.

It's German not British

Not very spacious.

Another female car...

Made by bmw

a girl car