Hi everyone -
My husband and I are going to look at a 2013 Countryman S ALL4 on Monday and I would love some advice on whether or not we should purchase it. It's a manual with 50,400 miles on it, so just out of warranty and that makes me a bit nervous. But it is within our price range, has all the bells & whistles we have been looking for and my husband loves the looks of it. Are there certain things we should be on the look out for in terms of possible future problems? I have wanted a mini since they first came out, so obviously I really would like to get this car, but I don't want to buy something they we can't rely on. It seems like the 2013's have better reliability ratings then the 2011/2012. I did see the thread about the possible clutch issues and it was built well after they made the change 5/2013 I believe. I have seen the carfax and it looked ok - except early on there were a few notes about charging the battery and then changing the coils? Is that something I should worry about? Thanks for any advice, I really appreciate it. I am very excited about the possibility of actually finally owning a MINI, but I don't want to make the wrong choice for our family.

 

The battery charging is pretty common when doing diagnostics. Buying just out of warranty is scary unless price is cheap enough to cover potential repairs. GL

 

We just bought a 13 CM S All4 but with a mere 3 months left on warranty. If its gonna break its gonna break. Maybe see if the dealer can offer you something aftermarket if you are not skilled behind the wrench. At that mileage you MIGHT have a chance at a "good faith" warranty repair if it is under the time limit still. I would not exactly count on that though.

Things I looked for were the turbo oil pipe leaking and the oil solenoid up near the pan leaking. Oil leaks in general. Helps to get them to put it up on a lift to poke around.

Once home I opened up the air box to find the filter was probably never changed...couldnt hurt to have them do that at least.

Also make sure you get 2 keys....maybe mats. Things often get overlooked when buying!

 

Is the car at a MINI dealer?

The key with a MINI that is out of warranty is to have a maintenance shop in mind ahead of time, unless you're going to do your own work (DIY). I say this because the MINI dealer charges BMW prices for repairs.

Here is a link to repair shops: http://www.minirepairshops.com/

I agree with iwashmy car about getting two keys...

The only other thing is run-flat tires...if it has run-flat tires...be aware that they are expensive to replace.

 

The MINI is at a BMW dealer, our closest MINI dealer is about 2 hours away. Which is one reason I haven't purchased one yet, it is quite a ways to go for warranty repairs. I should say my husband is actually fairly handy with cars. He's not a mechanic but does our brakes & rotors, oil and routine maintenance. He used to manage a local auto shop in our area so learned a lot from the mechanics that worked there at the time. Most of his experience is with Hondas though. I did see a few shops in our area from the link you supplied - thank you for that. I'll ask my husband if he knows if they are reputable or not, he is a good source for that kind of info as well. As for the tires - I'll have to ask Monday, I'm not sure what is on it at the moment. I'll also mention the oil issue to my husband and ask him to inspect it carefully for any potential leaks.

 

Because your husband is handy, then if you buy the car also pick up a MINI fault code reader. They are cheap...then if you get a Check Engine Light...you will be able to diag it right away.

Also, there are lots of other shops that work on MINIs today, in the early days not so... the link was just a suggestion.