I am heavily debating whether I should buy an '06 Cooper S, or wait till next year's '07 models are cheaper and get one of those? I have heard many, many pros and cons of both and I'm finding it hard to decide. The qualities I want in the car are exceptional handling, and easy on the eyes. Any tips?
Also, when you go through a dealership, when buying a pre-owned MINI can you pay to have such things as chrome mirror caps and Xenon headlamps installed there at the dealership? (Or does it depend on the dealership itself?)
Chelsea

 

I'd say buy an '06, if you can find one. Or is a pre-loved MINI okay ? Regardless, the '06 is not known to have many problems while the '07 is the first year of the redesign and the jury is still out on it in regards to dependability and reliability. Me... I would never buy any car in the first year after major changes in the drivetrain.

As far as aesthetics, let's not open that can of worms AGAIN. There's much debate on whether the changes to the MINI in '07 were for better or worse. That is a personal opinion so you'll have to decide if you find one sexier than the other.

And I'm not sure if the '07's actually WILL be cheaper. That's a pretty big assumption. These aren't Fords or Chevys that the dealer can't move off the lot at the end of the model year.

 

Thanks for the heads up! That makes sense about not buying the first year of a car when they've changed so much. A pre-owned MINI is definitely okay!

 

04-06 I would say are the most reliable. I'm partial but I like the R53 styling better but again personal decision. Those years will also have some warranty left.

 

are you saying to wait 12 months just to get an 07 that may be cheaper after someone has USED it for a year??? Not sure how much you will really save and keep in mind you will Not know how the car was driven or taken care of??? plus one year of the warranty will be Gone... I just ordered mine and it was $20,450 - thats better than I could find a used one for and its now right at the end of 07 and the 08's are just around the corner...

Buy a used Mini then have the dealer install Xenon headlighter... My dealer charges $160 an hour labor and I can only imagine what the cost of the lights are before the labor - there goes your savings...

Hey, its your money and its your year to wait...

 

One thing to remember (and only one of the reasons I bought an '07) is that MINIs hold their value after you buy them. If you're waiting for a price drop, you'll wait quite a while. Even a "pre-loved" MINI a year old is probably going to sell close to the original price...

 

Well, it might actually take me 12 months just to save up for a large down payment on one anyway..hmm, and so I suppose it's better to get a MINI that has the Xenon headlamps already installed to save the labor costs. Makes sense.