Hello all, I've been spending the last two weeks trying to find a mini S. I currently have a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but really don't need to drive it all the time when it's just me in it. Therefore I'd like to keep the Jeep parked excepts when needed and get a little mini as my primary runaround car. I'm currently scheduled to look at two mini this weekend, both 2003 S models. One has a lot more goodies on it with 84,000 miles, the other with less, has 74,000 mile and had a new clutch put in it 10,000 miles ago. It's been owned by a women for the last 1.5 years.

Anyone tell me what I should ask or look for on this model year and mileage that would be cruicial to my decesion? I don't know much yet about what needs replacement on these vehicels at certain miles. I do know I have concerns about timing chains being changed, but not sure, nor can I find the miles on Minis at which time they should be changes.

Any advice would be helpful, and thanks in advance.

 

If possible, I would steer clear of 02-03 build MINIs as those were the first 2 years of production so there stands a high chance of there being alot of bugs/issues. I don't want to scare you though; there have been many people with 02s and 03s with no problems.
If you can afford it, I would seriously go for an 04-06 S.

Things to look for are:
Make sure Powersteering fan is working and the powersteering pump works as it should, it's a $600-700 part. The powersteering pump should be whiney but not extremely loud or making any grinding sounds.

Make sure there are no oil leaks. It will be hard to tell because the oil can blow off after driving so it may leave very small traces.
Most common places are the crank case gasket and oil pan gasket. The gaskets themselves are cheap but the labor to get to them is high. You pretty much have the front of the engine to get to them.

Check the thermostat housing for leaks. Another common problem is for coolant to leak in this spot or at the expansion tank so check that for cracks.

Also, the supercharger usually only last about 100,000 miles. However, there have been several people whose last longer than that. Likewise, some fail much earlier. Just make sure it's not making any ticking or grinding noises.

The best thing you can do is take these MINIs you are looking at to a reputable service station, preferably a MINI dealer or BMW specialy shop for a pre-purchase inspection.

How much are they asking for these 2 cars?

 

The red one, without the sunroofs and navigation system is $9,500. The green one with all the goodies is $10,500. I found out, after driving two hours to see the red one, that it had a 20 inch crack along the windshield. I have no idea what the cost is to replace it so that would be a bargaining item. The green one is 3 hours away and I'll see it tomorrow.