Hello all,

First time poster; you guys were highly recommended for any MINI advice.

I am looking to purchase my first MINI and hoping to receive some advice/insight. This is the MINI I am looking at:

http://www.prestigemini.com/VehicleD...-NJ/2300842433

From my initial look at the car (just from the webpage) it looks fine; low mileage, looks good cosmetically, clean CarFax, etc.

I am hoping to head to the dealership this weekend to inspect the car and take it for a test drive. From what I have been told, I should inquire about the timing chain tensioner and push to have it replaced if it hasn't already. Are there any other questions I should ask? What should I look for?

Thank you for your assistance and can't wait to join the MINI community!

 

Nice car! Test drive it and have fun. If you can do your own maintenance or have a thick wallet, buy it! However, if you do not have a garage full of tools...ensure that you have an emergency car repair fund with at least $2,500.00 in it at all times. Are you familiar with the N14 engine used in the Clubman from 2008 to 2010?

Another option is a warranty...this is a q. that you need to ask the MINI dealer about.

After review of the Carfax, it may need new tires...if you buy negotiate four new tires as part of the deal...tires are expensive (I'm not sure if they are run-flats ???) Also, the timing chain being replaced on July 12, 2014 is a good thing!

One more thing when you look at it...ask the dealer if the car has Bluetooth...just because there are buttons on the steering wheel, doesn't mean the buttons work.

Lastly...there is only one key in the picture...hmmmm...wtf?

 

Thanks for the reply! I believe there is a warranty included.

Regarding the N14 engine, is there something I should know?

 

A decent warranty on the powertrain would mitigate the financial risk to you with the engine.

MINI dealers have lots of tires on hand....don't leave without good tread. And if there is truly only one key with the car, I would definitely ask the dealer, wtf?

 

Well since you asked..

The N14 is the "older" of the two Turbo Prince engine designs. Its had its fair share of issues. Namely..

Carbon buildup due to the direct injection - this requires the intake manifold to be pulled off and have the backsides of the valves clean by the dealer (or quality service center) this is not a "fix it with chemicals" type fix cleaning - it involves walnut blasting.

Timing Chain issues. The N14 has been known to either back out the main timing chain tensioner bolt / or slack the timing chain. Neither are good. One leads to large scale oil loss - the other leads to a knocking sound on startup and then engine death if the chain snaps/slips/guides fail.. This was a "campaign" done be most dealers - check to BE SURE its been replaced with the updated parts.

N14s also consume a bit of oil get in the habit of checking oil often, and doing more changes than Mini says to. The N14 gets HOT and cooks the crap out of the oil and the turbo lines. (this causes turbo failures, low oil issues, etc..)

The Clubman "Body" has few issues outside of the R56 (gen 2) body line, mainly the only one is to check for the "Spare tire" well for water - make sure its dry - some Clubmans leak water from the back seals into the spare tire well. (yes, you can carry a spare that fits the rear wheels!)

I love mine, more room than the other cars, just as much fun, real head turner - good luck!

BTW - plug in the last 7 of the VIN here to get a better idea of the car and how its equipped.

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

 

Excellent response! Thanks!

The timing chain was changed on 7/12, so I should be set there.

Regarding the engine itself, I don't know what work has been recently done with it. However, they provide 3 years/36,000 free unscheduled maintenance and 4 years/50,000 mile warranty, including free roadside assistance so that should cover me for a little while.

Going on Saturday to check it out. I will let you guys know what I find out.

 

A nice touch on that car is it looks like it has the rear fog light: that toggle switch position is blank on 99% of the Clubmans I looked at (including the one I ended up buying).

 

Are you sure about this warranty? The 3yr/36k 4yr/50k maintenance/warranty are for new MINIs only.

If you buy used car that passes MINI's Certified Pre-Owned/CPO inspection (called MINI Next), you get a 2yr/50k warranty and your maintenance is covered for 6yr/100k.

Given that this car is a 2009 and has 64k it's not a CPO car, the original warranty is also expired. Confirm this with the dealer. If this is the case, the dealer may try to sell you a warranty, maybe a 3rd party one. It's worth considering.

Now let's talk about the options on this car. It's nicely loaded. I ran it through a VIN decoder.

Lots of "looks" options: White turn signals, chrome line interior/exterior, wood trim, black headliner, and Carbon Black Leather seats (heated). Those leather seats are better than the fake leather that comes stock and is a $1k+ option . Chrome line interior and wood make it more upscale; the plastics on a base car without this can look "cheap" to some. White turn signals, clean look!

Sport package with Xenons and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC). It does not have the optional sport suspension; some people say it makes the ride too harsh, so probably better it doesn't have it.

Comfort Access, again a good nice to have . Power fold side mirrors and Parking sensors. I consider myself a good parallel parker coming from San Francisco, but the sensors makes parking so easy. The pre-2011 GPS, while horrible, gives you a big screen which looks better than the big speedo. Cold weather package.

HIFI sound system, much better than the base 6 speaker setup. Sounds decent if you like balanced sound (bass is lacking if you like that type of sound).

In the end, this car has mostly every option in the catalog. It's a good price considering original MSRP. With the money saved, you could swing for a warranty. Use that as a bargaining chip during negotiations. Either, lower the price, lower the finance rate, or discount the warranty.

Lastly, have them pull the full service record. Not all people take care of their MINIs like we do.

 

I went to take a look at the car on Saturday, but as soon as I arrived the sales rep said the car was sold.

I was immensely disappointed as I really like the car. They showed me other Coopers, but they didn't come close to the one I wanted.

I will keep looking around for one like that; it would be greatly appreciated if someone could find something similar as Autotrader, etc. aren't really providing decent results.

 

That's unfortunate, because for the price it was a good car. And a big plus...it should have been a "MINI next" certified pre-owned vehicle (per - MINI.com) with a new timing chain...and a warranty!

MINIs are a lot of fun to drive and the Clubman is a very nice car. Just be careful buying one with the N14 engine, two important questions that you need to ask the seller are:

1). How much oil does the car consume?
2). Has the timing chain ever been replaced?

Good luck and keep in mind that the newer Clubman S models (2011 and fwd.) have the N18 engine.

Thanks for the update.

 

mine has the rear fog bulb etc but no switch. Geez to save $5

 

That's too bad. Like I said, it was well optioned for the price. Don't give up. Instead of AutoTrader, try running a search on Cars.com For example, I found this little gem, a low mileage Hampton edition, still under factory warranty, newer N18 engine. When the Hampton package was available, it added $4500 to the sticker price. http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...8625/overview/

You might have better luck finding a used MINI at a non-MINI dealer. Since they likely don't know how to sell them, they tend to sit on the lot and then the price discounts from there. Also, they don't always factor in all the little options which is what makes a MINI so expensive (and unique), nor do they know what they are worth. You'll see a MINI with stock faux leather, mostly base options and another with lounge leather ($2K option), various discrete packages ($1-2K each), etc., both with similar mileage and they are priced the same.

When I was shopping around, a Lexus dealer had an ok mileage 09 JCW (tuning kit) Clubman for $13K. It was gone instantly.

 

If I knew then what I know now, I would stay away from the 2008-2010 (N14 Engine) I do love my car it is a 2009 Clubman. I have owned it just over 2 years and it is problematic. turbo oil feed line, Water pumps, timing chain (twice but both covered under recall) Check engine light continually coming on, Vapor sepaerator, thermostat... sorry I am not a car person I am just looking at my invoices. I LOVE mini and will buy another one.... but I feel that the N14 engine is nothing but heartache and don't recommend.