My name is Scott, I'm a huge car nut and have owned all types of trucks, cars, and sports cars. I'm not entirely sure how many cars I've owned in the last 20 years I've been driving... My wife and I have wanted a Mini Cooper S ever since they were introduced, and are considering purchasing our first. I've been looking around for a low mileage '05 hardtop, I like the looks and would prefer the supercharged version over the later models. I've found 3 for sale, all '05 with 39k, 45k, and 55k on the odometers... All priced in the $14k to $15k range for retail asking price. What has me scratching my head is when I pulled the Carfax reports on them, they have all had 4 to 5 owners? I walked on the first one, a beautiful '05 chili red S model with 55k on the clock because it had 5 previous owners and had been auctioned 3 times... I figured it's easy enough to find another low mileage car, but everyone I find seems to have the same story? This is a car we plan on keeping for a longtime as a fun extra vehicle, but this has thrown up a red flag for me. Thoughts?

 

4-5 owners in the span of ~6 years does seem a bit high. I do know that a higher percentage of many MINI owners own multiple cars. In many cases the MINI is a weekend/recreational car.

One other consideration for first gen MCS hardtops is to look at 2006's, as it was the last year of that generation, often considered by enthusiasts to be the best year of the superchargers, and clearly the most reliable of the 1st gen, and I would have to assume the most collectible. Plus as it is an enthusiast's favorite, maybe you will have better luck finding a pristine 1-2 owner vehicle.

 

Thanks for the response, I had misunderstood and thought the '05 was the last year of the supercharged versions...

 

Sugguest you look on the NAM Marketplace classifieds.
The MINI's listed there are usually well maintained and documented.
The 06 MCS is the top of the line of the 1st Gen. cars.

 

Scott, I ran into the same situation. Really liked the first gen S and could get one for 13-15k. Found a beauty, but it had no record or maintenance history. I called the local MINI dealer (had the VIN) to see if they could help with a history. Turns out is had huge engine problems (like a valve job/head gasket if I remember). Also had multiple prior owners and the last one only kept it 6 months. I ended up passing on that car and just could not look at another used one after that. I bought an 2011 (new) and I'm very pleased. Yes, it was double what I planned on spending, but it has a warranty and I can sleep at night. I also talked to my BMW mechanic about these cars in general and many people drive them VERY hard (expected of course, I didn't want something that looked good but was beat mechanically). My advice is to call the dealer with the VIN of any used MINI you are considering and make an intelligent decision. Matt

 

All very good advice, I appreciate it!!! It's kind of hard not to expect these things not to have been driven hard, that's exactly how I plan on driving one... Right now I'm having fun negotiating with a sales manager via email, instead of in person. He has no idea I used to sell cars for a living!!!

 

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

 

Wow!!! I really appreciated the link to the buyers guide. Lots of good info there also.

 

No worries, as you will see in that buyer's guide, the auto trans in all supercharged MINI's pretty much was junk. If your looking for an auto trans, don't even waste your time on a gen 1 (R50/R53).