Hey guys,

Need some advice. I'm planning to buy this 09 mini cooper with 91000 miles with cold weather package and bluetooth + USB/iPod adaptor for $7800. Do you think it's a good price? Will this car last me another 1-2 years without much hassle if I take good care of it? The car looks really well maintained and recent works include:
1. Brake fluid flush, water pump and serpentine belt replacement @ 64k miles
3. Four new tires @ 79k miles
3. Brake pads and rotors replaced @ 82K miles
4. Antifreeze/coolant flushed/changed, thermostat replaced @ 83k miles

I test drove the car and everything felt good. Still, just to be sure I made an appointment with the local Mini dealer for a multi-point inspection. Do I need this $130 inspection or just a regular pre-purchase check up by a local garage/mechanic is good enough?

I was reading about the carbon build up and it kinda made me worried. Please post your 2 cents and thanks in advanced

 

dont think this car will have carbon build up issue as bad as the 07-10 cooper S. As this is a justa, no direct injection, so the valves can be cleaned by fuel through normal use (top tier gas of coz) lol Should be much more reliable than the cooper S But is the engine sound at 0:05 to 0:14 come from the car itself? coz it sounds a bit weird and noisy and rough...... maybe i'm wrong

 

Thanks, so carbon build up shouldn't be a problem as long as I keep pouring in 93

Yeah that engine sound is from the mini, the idling sound felt kinda odd to me too but I'm not an expert on mini so.....

 

its as rough as a direct injection, but it shouldnt do that..... not only keep pouring 93, 93 is the octane rating. u need to make sure they got enough detergent in the gas to be able to clean the carbon.

 

Get the inspection. Not just any mechanic though. Either the dealer or an independent that is familiar with MINI's. You will sleep better....
Your list indicates it's had pretty much the same maintenance as mine at similar mileage.
Carbon buildup is not typically a problem with non-S Cooper's
I am the original owner of mine. I still like it and plan to keep it at least a couple more years.
I'm at 83K miles.

 

kool thanks, will keep that in mind

 

Yeah I'm gonna get the inspection done by the mini dealer. The seller called me today and said he's having issue with the thermostat, it blows hot air for a bit then blows cold air, then hot air again. He said he will adjust the price accordingly to fix this. I'm guessing this shouldn't be a big deal?

 

Could be as simple as low coolant level, but then again, that would probably be a leak somewhere. As others suggested, get it inspected..

 

It's a nice looking car!

 

Get the inspection. One thing not on the list of repairs is the timing chain tensioner, make sure that the inspector is aware of the repairs that were completed.

The key has a record of any work done at a MINI dealer, repairs/warranty. If the above work was completed at a dealer, they can confirm the parts that were replaced.

Good luck,
Mike

 

Got it checked, no issue.


The seller had receipts for all the work that was done to the car, and it checked out with the dealer too. They checked the key history and it matched.

 

Thank you everyone for all your input and advice. I got the car checked by the dealer as most of you suggested and after the detailed inspection the dealer pointed out these recommended repairs:

1. Battery Replacement
   $287.97
2. Oil Filter Adapter: housing and gkts, include exhaust clamp
   $1325.25
3. Oil Pan Gasket
   $429.23
4. Alignment
   $169.99
5. Spark Plugs- Platinum x4
   $226.00
6. Engine: vanos solenoid exhaust
   $378.40
7. Software Upgrade
   $195.00
8. Engine: vacc pump o-ring
   $137.14

Total

$3406.14

Now I know dealer tries to oversell and over-charge everything, so after driving the car for another 30 miles and some bargaining, I bought the car for $7300.

None of these problems required immediate attention plus there were no battery or check engine light on the dash. Dealer pointed out the engine oil might leak in the future if I don't get it fixed soon but no issue right now. Later I got the battery checked at 2 AutoZone stores, and both said the battery is good. I drove 200+ miles over the last 24 hours and it drives like a new car with no issue or noise or vibration other than the alignment is very slightly off.

What do you guys think? Did I make the right choice buying this car?

Anything I need to worry about from the repair list?

Thanks again for all of your support

 

Welcome to the MINI world. It looks like you did sufficient research to feel good about your decision. Don't look back, buyers remorse is very common.

Assuming that the battery is original, it will need to be replaced. MINI's seem to get odd electrical warnings when the battery is on its last legs. You have gotten 7 years out of the battery, that is a good life. I replaced mine with one from NAPA and have not had issues. $125 and 1/2 hour.

The oil dipstick is difficult to read on a MINI. The issue is that the oil drains down the tube that the dipstick sits in, so it can give you a false reading. Ideally, you want to let the oil drain for an hour or so before checking the level. You need to understand how much oil your car uses (or leaks). Several of the items that the dealer quoted are related to oil leaks. Some cars use 1 quart every 1000 miles, so be aware of the oil level in your car. These engines are not Hondas, most use oil.

If your tires are good, I would get the alignment done before they wear too much.

Are you confident with tools, or do you have an independant repair shop you are comfortable with? Plugs should be about $60 to buy (check out one of the vendors here, like ECS tuning), They require a special socket to change (another $25). Jobs like the o-ring on the vacuum pump are simple if you have some tools. Other jobs (oil filter housing) are more involved.

The software update sounds fishy to me.

There are lots of good threads here that you can learn about your car.

Congrats on your purchase. Enjoy your MINI!

Have fun,
Mike

 

i'm looking to this numbers, and these got me thinking. turkey is a very cheap country sometimes, i just changed my battery with a same-spec varta, that was just 65 dollars, alignment, 10 bucks (yup 4 tires).

we are paying twice as much (2 dollars/liter) to the gasoline though.

sorry, just wanted to say something out of topic

 

mbwicz - Thanks for the mention , hopefully the snow up there is melting off and everything is ok.

Just start shopping here to save:

2009 R56 MINI Cooper ( Non S )

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2009-Cooper-R56-Base-Coupe-L4_1.6L_N12B16A/

If you need help finding something let me know.


Thanks

 

mbwicz

Hey Mike, thank you! Loving the car so far and no regrets or remorse

Yeah I'll replace the battery asap, it was indeed the original battery. Thinking of buying the battery and replacing it myself, doesn't look that complicated.

As I mentioned before, currently there is no oil leak in the car. Last time the car had an oil change was back in February, and when the dealer checked the car last friday they said the oil level was normal. The seller said he didn't put any oil since the last change. Just to be safe, I'll keep checking the oil level every couple of weeks.

Tires are pretty new, more than half of the threads remaining. Will get the alignment done.

I work on my bikes a lot. Even though I never changed the plugs but it doesn't sound that hard. Will check the 'how to' threads before I start.

I don't know why it needs a software update, everything works as they should in the car except when I connect my iPhone through the USB slot, it says 'ERROR'. Can't play music from iPhone but car's bluetooth works fine for phone call. Currently playing music from a flash drive.

Mike, thanks again for all your valuable inputs!

 

Thanks

 

10 bucks alignment, only in my dreams here. But I guess the gas price kinda balances it out :p

 

My oil filter housing is leaking too. Take this into account when checking your oil. Go to walmart and buy a 5 gallon jug of mobil 1 0w-40 and add as needed. $1400 is robbery. y indy mechanic quoted me $640 for the job. (it is a tough job)

Anyone care to comment on the vanos solenoid, though?

 

Wait, so the dealer tried to upsell on the oil pan gasket and filter housing gasket, yet the car isn't leaking yet?

Damn dealers.

Also, do the plugs yourself. You can get the plugs for $15 each, plus another $15 for the 12-point narrow-wall socket you'll need to remove them. The vacuum pump O-ring you can do yourself, too, and the part itself is $5-6.

Car seems like a solid buy, though. The N12 is a fairly solid motor - just make sure you're putting the right oil in it and changing it every 5-7k miles (don't do the 10k+ oil changes).

 

Yup, already done that, although it gives me different reading when checking the oil level

 

Thanks, made an appointment this Tuesday for oil change.

Do you know if there is any good DIY video or article about changing the plugs and O-ring?

 

Spark plug DIY @ Pelican parts (contains both R50/R53 and R56 content): Click here

Couldn't find a DIY for the vacuum pump O-ring, but the O-ring itself can be found here.

 

I'd like to know what they are doing for the alignment to be 169.99... and for spark plugs to be over 250.00. Guess I was surprised but then not really surprised at those prices they quoted you. If that makes any kind of sense at all.

 

Well, the spark plugs alone are probably $100 @ dealer price, plus an hour of labor at $100-150/hr. That alignment is way overpriced, though - I'd expect $100 for the alignment, not $169.

Still, it only takes 30 mins or less to do a plug swap, and you can find the plugs online for a lot less than $100. I paid $15.16 per plug at TheBMWMiniPartStore.com when I did the plugs in my fiancee's R56.