Coming in to ask questions and etc. Helping the old man out on his potential purchase of a 03' R53 with 54,000(asking 13,500) its in great shape. Just trying to find out more info for him(he is 69 and the internet intimidates him)

Little info on me..
38 yrs old, married, Mustang lover(but like Minis alot, probably reason dad likes 'em.)

Hoping to find problem issues on an '03 S.

Thanks for the info.

-Jason

 

03's generaly had a lot of issues. Most say buy an 05 or 06 if you can find one.... They had a lot of incremental impovements.... Both in rattle reduction and in relability. I cannot speak about weather it is a goog price or not, but take a look at MotoringFile.com (I think the spelling is ok), they have a used MINI buying guide for the gen 1's.... What to watch for etc. Just search for it on their website!!! It is a great source for a lot of your questions.
Good luck.....and when you do buy, be sure to join a local MINI club....you will have a blast, and potentialy save lots of $$$ with info you learn.

 

Thanks for the info...he decided to skip on this one for now. Your info really helped, along with some other info I gathered. He really wants one, but generally needs something slightly bigger. I suggested he give it a while and look into Clubman's. Still all MINI, but with more room.

Thanks a bunch!

 

Well at 72 I figured I didn't have time to waste so I got my MINI as quick as I could. I agree with the caution on the 02-03 but when you get to the 05-06 range the prices start to get close to new one. Many of the dealers still have a good selection of 09's. And you might be able to get a little off MSRP now, I think you might want to check this out.

Good luck to both of you - Ben

 

back after some time(long time)....update on the search.
Parents found an 08 S in Ivory. Well equipped. 18,000 miles and got it for $21,000 and its very clean.

I can't wait to drive it!

Thanks for the advice.

-Jason