Did some searches and found that this site not only has very valuable information on the Mini, but has a huge following as well.

I'm looking to buy a 2002 Mini Cooper S that has 140K on it. It's my co-workers car and it's got some overheating issues and I believe it's time for the engine to be rebuilt or replaced. I'm trying to figure out how much money I'll have to dump into it to get it running dependably again, before I actually purchase it. If you've got some recommendations for service shops, please let me know. I live in the SoCal area 12 miles east of Los Angeles. Thanks!

 

Replying to my own post, but hopefully this will help someone down the road. I purchased my Mini Cooper S and took it to Minicorsa in Van Nuys, CA. Danny of minicorsa has been great to work with. Those that attended the barbecue at minicorsa last Sunday, and stayed around for a while, got to see Danny remove the engine and tranny from my car. Jan of RMW took the engine the same day, and as of now it has already been rebuilt. The car is suppose to be ready early next week. I can't wait to start driving it.

Anyone looking for work to be done on their MINI, I highly recommend minicorsa and RMW. Danny and Jan are great people to work with!