Hey Galactor,

I just went through almost exactly what you are experiencing. We just sold our 06' Dinan M5 & purchased an 06' Cooper S w/ 27k miles... I looked at over 300+ Cooper S's before I found the 'right' one. It was more difficult for us, b/c I was specifically looking for a car with no sunroof, lots of weight up top & we plan on racing it. So, I have bookmarked 20+ excellent cond cars with low mileage, let me know if you want me to shoot you some of the good finds I found. One in particular, which is an incredible S in Texas, quite far from me, but close to you probably.

BTW- I personally like the R53 02-06 MCS much better than the new ones. There is alot you can do with the superchared engine too & it has been proven reliable with power.

All the best,
Jonathan

 

PM sent!

 

Just want to thank everyone for their comments and suggestions; special thanks to those who sent me PMs with suggestions of local finds.

I already found "The Mini" for me! If all goes according to plan, I should be driving it back to Austin this Saturday

 

sweet....post up some pics bro!!

 

This is exactly the same impression I had when I took my '06 MCS in for service and they gave me a loaner '08 MCS. I felt the interior on the 1st gen cars was much more classy looking and had a better feel - not so plasticy. The '08 just felt bigger overall as well. I was so happy to give them their '08 back and hop back in my '06.

 

I would personally get the '06 S.
They are similar in both beaing MINI's....but personality wise....they are like night and day!! I HAVE know people that had a GEN2, sold it, and got a GEN 1 MINI. Test drive them both and see what you like best!!
Pros to getting a '06
-no "prince Engine or cold start rattle"
Much more Tunable by the user IMO.
Almost out of warranty-no warranty to void!!
More of a "edge" to ride/steering...more road feel.
Less upfront $$$
More well known tuners...more options!
I like the Older interior!!
Cons
out/almost out of warranty!!
older, high millage...harder to find a lightly used, tracked car.
some iffy items....but well know by most good MINI shops.

Many more, I'm sure....but heck....get what you like after you drive them both....the gen 2 is less edgey in general, and more mainstream IMO.

 

I had a similar experience as "Spooled". While the 06 MCS was waiting for a part I was given an 09 loaner for a week. I had plenty of chances to like it but was glad to get the 06 back for all the same resaons that Spooled pointed out. Both my MCSs are 1st gen.

 

Will do!
Thanks guys. I found an '06 with 20,500 miles and one year left in warranty. It has Sport/Cold/Premium packages as well as Harman Kardon system, rear fog lights. Got it for under $17k

I'm pretty happy with the purchase, picking it up this Tuesday.

 

Congrats on the purchase, welcome to the club. I personally prefer the r53 over the r56. Major drawbacks on the r56 are the design and the torque steer. I got a chance to drive an 08 r56, the power feels almost the same as the r53. I prefer the supercharge engine, power delivery is more linear. I am perfectly happy with my 6 speed auto. IMO, the standard transmission gearing sticks has long throw which I didnt like.

 

I just bought an '06 MCS with sport, premium, H/K, 43,000 miles, and the MINI dealer gave me a 2-year warranty! It was less than $15K ($6K below KBB) and is in spectacular shape. It definitely is a buyer's market! I love how connected to road it feels and the smooth power curve of the supercharged engine. I think the R56 torque steer is a bit annoying, but it gets better gas mileage than the R53.

I'll echo many of the folks in this post - the R53s seem to be more mod-able than the R56s. And, you can still find JCW kits for the R53 at dealers who are trying to get rid of them, usually for a discount. Just a note - in 2006 models, getting the S meant you automatically got MINI's upgraded sport suspension, unlike the current R56 builds where it's an option.

Enjoy yours!

 

Thanks. Based on all the posts I'm glad I posted this thread in the 1st gen section, otherwise it was going to bet messy hehehe.

In my case, I actually found the MCS manual to be less "nodgy" than my ex-335. I don't think I'm going to switch to auto until I start noticing signs of arthritis LOL
Thanks and congrats to you too!

I've read so many things about strut mount mushroming, etc that I decided to look for something with less than 30k miles; so in the end I was willing to pay slightly more to get that. Plus I was looking specifically for a Dark gray w/black roof model :D

Can't wait to get the car this week and begin the modding process. I'm not even gonna bother with cosmetics like I did with the 335....first in line are coilovers with camber plates.

 

Bump! Added some pics of my final purchase!!!