Which MINI HATCH Model depreciates the fastest?

The new-gen Mini went on sale here in 2002 and since then it’s been winning hearts amongst male and female drivers all over South Africa. Find out here if there are any under-achievers in the Mini range.

Quick history lesson

BMW took over the Mini name plate in the late 1990s with its acquisition of the British Rover Group, which had been producing up-dated versions of the original Mini launched way back in 1959.

For the 21^st century, BMW’s Mini managed to combine all of the attributes that made Minis such beloved cars all over the world. The modern car, launched in South Africa in 2002, was much bigger than the original, but crucially, BMW’s designers retained the proportions of the original. They also retained the amazing handling prowess of the original, and from the get-go traded on the huge run of motorsport successes that the original had racked up over the decades.

The new Mini came in Cooper, Cooper S, and later John Cooper Works form, with performance to match its handling. Later variants included the Convertible, Clubman station wagon, then the larger Countryman, and a bunch of rather niche models like the coupe that didn’t really make too much sense.

We are concentrating on the Hatch here, in terms of re-sale value

The Mini Hatch has been the mainstay model of the Mini since 2002. In its latest guise it comes in both three-door and five-door form. The range kicks off with the Mini One Hatch three-door, selling for R302 200. The automatic version is next up, followed by the Mini One Hatch five-door in manual and automatic. These models have low-power versions (75 kW) of the 1,5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged BMW petrol engine.

The Mini Cooper versions follow on in the Mini hierarchy, using more powerful versions of the three-cylinder 1,5 turbo (100 kW). These Cooper versions also come in three-door and five-door form, in manual and automatic versions.

The Cooper S models use a two-litre turbocharged petrol engine, producing 141 kW, and also come in three-door and five door hatch versions, with either manual or automatic gearboxes. The automatic model uses a new dual clutch seven speed transmission, which was introduced in mid-2018, and this has given the latest Cooper S a much sportier character.

The top-of-the-range model is the Mini John Cooper Works, which is available in three-door form only in the Hatch line-up. It can be ordered with a six-speed manual, or an eight-speed (fully automatic) gearbox. Click here for more data about the latest Mini models.

How well do Minis retain their value?  

The first thing you will notice about Mini re-sale values regards the fact that they are very strong. There are various reasons for this. The Mini remains an iconic brand amongst the young and upwardly mobile, and more-affordable used models in good nick are highly sought after.  For a host of quality used Minis for sale, Click here .

All trim and model types are popular used cars

According to dealers we spoke to, there is no particular preference for any trim level or model, as each Mini model has been carefully tailored to a certain type of customer, and all the hatchback models remain very popular used cars.

Some dealers report, however, that the John Cooper Work model is the most sought-after. Here's more information on the latest John Cooper Works model.

Another reason re-sale prices remain buoyant is that Mini has a guaranteed buy-back scheme offered to its customers through its own finance company, and this tends to keep re-sale prices high and stabilise them across the board, regarding different models, colour schemes etc.

Also, at the moment, Mini dealers have a special incentive to get existing customers into a new-generation Mini, and once again this results in buoyant trade-in offers.

Are there any models that lose their re-sale value more quickly?

In 2007, Mini introduced its second-generation car here, which looked very similar to the first, but was mechanically quite different. Replacing the (Chrysler-sourced) supercharged 1,6-litre engine in the Cooper S model with a Peugeot-BMW collaboration engine seemed an excellent idea! The Mini Cooper S was now a 1,6-litre turbo and the car was a lot more driveable!

Unfortunately, as time went by and mileages crept up, it became apparent that Cooper S models using this turbocharged engine are known to give a lot of problems regards failed turbos and oil leaks as mileage rises.

Avoid the 1,6-litre Cooper S models (2007 to early 2014)

Re-sale values reflect these problems, so avoid the Cooper S and John Cooper S models produced between early 2007 and 2014. Or make sure you get one at a good price, so you can afford any repairs that might be needed a few thousand kms down the road!