cooling fan won't go on?
 

i just purchased a 2003 mini hardtop automatic. it's in beautiful condition, low miles, drives well, the whole deal. i've only had it for a couple of weeks, so i've been going through all of the usual steps getting it registered, inspected, etc.
when i was getting it inspected, my mechanic said the only problem he found when going through the car was that the cooling fan did not go on. now, he's been a mechanic for over 30 years, but i don't think he has a lot of experience with minis. i called the dealer i bought it from and his mechanic (who only deals in minis and bmw's) said it is normal for the cooling fan in minis to kick in only when the air conditioning is on, so there really is no problem.
being someone who knows very little about how cars work, i'm wondering if anyone here knows if this is accurate, or should i have this potential problem inspected further?

Have the car looked at by a mechanic that knows what they are doing with a MINI...the dealer is a good start...if it is too pricey, http://www.greasysgarage.com/main/
is about a 40 minutes drive away....does great work on MINI's.