Around 10 years ago now, I was driving a second-generation (R56) Mini Cooper S. It was an absolute blast when it was running properly, which it almost never was. To this day, when one passes by and I hear the very distinct rattle from that 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, I can basically feel my bank account draining. At least I can sleep well at night knowing that all of those repair costs probably helped send my mechanic's kids to a nicer, better college than I went to.
