Hi!

I'm new! And I'm thinking of buying a Mini.

I am a lifelong Saab enthusiast but with the latest death sentence out of Sweden, I've realized I can't take it anymore-- my *******' wagon has nearly 150k miles on the clock and is about to hit the stage in her life where she will need almost everything replaced, so it's time to move on.

I'm looking at a few different options but I know for sure I want a Mini. I'm torn between an '03 MCS, 95k miles, which appears to be a base model, or an '03 with 80k miles and all the goodies but no supercharger. I haven't had a normally aspirated car in a million years and I'm afraid of getting a little bored, but my years of owning Saabs have spoiled me on things like gadgets and moonroofs that break so I'm a little worried that the S would end up boring me, too.

Any tips? Is the mileage supposed to be intimidating or just shrugged off? Should I run screaming from both of these cars and look for something else? Bring a friend? (I lack a Y chromosome and, despite having owned and worked on my own cars, even selling them for a big local dealership, used car salesfolk seem to think that means I don't know anything.)

Also, what do I need to know about these puppies, anyway? My companion has one that he loves, he reports no major trouble, but he isn't much of a car guy and couldn't describe in any great detail the minor troubles.

Thanks!

 

It would be valuable to know your $$ budget. Yes, I'd say that mileage is important to consider. As the old saying goes--" buy the newest model/lowest mileage car you can afford". With the mini it's very good ( IMHO) advice. I think you've hit the nail on the head, a mcs would be a lot more fun than a base model if acceleration/performance is important to you. Remember that the Mini S changed from a supercharger to a turbo in 2007 with the exception of the convertible which changed a few years later. So----- look around, buy the newest, lowest mileage Mini you can afford and get the S for sure!

 

That's funny. A guy near me is selling his 1976 Saab 96 wagon plus a parts car and I was sorely tempted. It's terrible news about the Saab museum selling off its collection!
I have a 100k+ 2003 mini that has been a great car, and I bought it with high miles (almost 90k). Right now I'm looking at replacing front control arm bushings and one short axle. Other than that the repairs have been pretty minimal.
2003 non-S MINIS have less reliable transmissions than the S models, but mine has had no problems. Changing the gearbox oil is a good idea with high mile MINIS despite factory claims that the fluid is 'lifetime'. For both models you should check out the cooling fan for the power steering pumps as they are known to fail. It would be really helpful to know how each car was driven in its previous life. I think mine wasn't driven too hard by the original owner.
I'm thinking about selling mine actually, but not for a few months.

 

I bought the S!

On the way home the CD player stopped working. Says "no disc" and won't eject the disc I know is in there.

This should be fun.

 

How much do you drive? you went from 150K down to 95K doesn't seem like much of a drop to me. How old was your Saab?

 

The Saab was a 2006. I drive about 12k miles/year.

It's not about trading up, per se-- it's more about getting into a car with a steady stream of parts. Which just wasn't happening with Saab, and with many things starting to go and those parts having become no longer available, it was time to defuse the time bomb.

I plan to buy myself a brand new car for my 30th birthday, so I will probably trade this Mini in for a new one then