Anything i should check out before purchasing this car? it has 56k miles, is a 6spd manual, looks good, chili red with stripes. it seems super cheap to me, and its listed with OBO, so i could probably get it even cheaper. my main concern is i am not sure what to check for/ask about before purchasing a mini, as this would be my first...

 

Here's the basics on what to look for in buying a Gen 1 MCS.

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

 

+1

 

That's great advice jtbrown. Thanks for posting that link. I'm one of the very few that have a 02 "pre spec" MCS, which means I have one of the first cars delivered before custom orders where being taken in the US. My car has all of the updates to cure most of the what ails the earliest models, but I do have a persistant dash rattle that has not been fixed because it's a major pain to pull it all apart. I'm saying all of this just in case mastermini runs across a pre 04 that is exceptional. Have a MINI mechanic or an trusted independent look at the 03 before you buy it --they know what to look for.

 

that link was awesome. a lot of good information. it seems that i should sock away a few k's just incase something goes wrong, but with the price of this mini, i dont think that should be hard. although, from what i have read, i should put it in something not readily available, as upgrading a mini starts the day you buy it, and becomes almost an obsession. anyway, i should have this car purchased hopefully next week, baring any major problems with the mini, so as soon as i do, i will post some pics of my soon to be awesome MCS. if anyone else has anything which the link didnt cover, please let me know. thanks

 

Also, i am from PA, and do professional photography. if anyone wants some professional pics of their mini (after i get mine...lol) i would be more than happy to take some for you.

 

Another thing to look at that the guide doesn't touch on is the front strut towers. A common problem is 'mushrooming' of the tops of the strut towers. Apparently there's a design flaw in that the steel is apparently a little too thin; too many hard hits on the suspension can result in the strut tower top deforming and rounding (hence the term mushrooming). Once the strut tower top rounds, it affects the alignment. If the towers are okay and you get the car, one of the first mods you want to look into is a set of strut tower protectors - a few companies make them, M7 and Craven come to mind off the top of my head, and I'm sure there's others.