Hi everybody! I've been MINI hunting for awhile, trying to find one that has everything I want at a price I can afford (gotta start used). Anyhow, I test drove one I liked today. It was an 05 S with 50k miles for $15,500. It's got the cold weather, convenience, and sport packages and the Harmon Kardon sound. It's pepper white with black bonnet stripes. Anyhow, I took it for a test drive and it ran beautifully. All seemed well until we opened the hood and saw brown fluid in a bunch of places. It seemed similar to oil, and definitely wasn't anything like ArmorAll. The guy asked his service department head about it, and he mentioned a rust protectant that was dripping. A little googling has led me to suspect Cosmoline. Does anyone know anything about this? Does that seem legit or like bs? I really like this car, but can't afford to get hosed as I know MINIs aren't cheap to repair.

On that note, does anybody know a shop in the Catonsville, MD area to get it checked out before I purchase? The guy offered to let me take it to a mechanic but I don't know any in that area (I live on the opposite side of Baltimore). I'd feel better if I got the all clear from a mechanic.

 

You can get a Gen 2 07 or newer for 15K

 

Trust me, I'd like to. But I can't find anything around here, and I've cast a pretty wide net. I only have a few things I'm being really specific on - it has to be an S, with decent mileage, and a manual transmission. I looked at another one last week that was an 04 for 14k. Anything 06 or newer seems to go for 16-17. If I thought I could find a newer one in my price range I'd hold off, but I've been looking for two months now and haven't had much luck. I had a couple others I liked but they sold before I got to them.

 

Sounds like a leaking motor mount. Pretty common. Pretty inexpensive for the part, and quite easy to replace. Like "oil change" easy.

Buy the car you want. Nothing wrong with a 2005. These cars prices are more mileage than year driven, and 50k is pretty low.

 

Leaking motor mount is usually black fluid and only found directly under the motor mount (on the passenger side of the engine bay). I remember seeing this yellowish-brown dried fluid in the engine bay of my two PW minis. If I remember correctly, it was below the strut tower supports and on the body of the car - not necessarily on the motor or electrical component. Also the "fluid" seemed to be around where things were bolted, welded, screwed, or otherwise mounted to the car. I remember the "fluid" looking and feeling more like dried up wood-glue. Saw this on both my cars so I assumed it was normal, considering I bought one new from the dealer.

 

Thanks everyone for the input! Based on what Miami just said, this doesn't sound like motor mount fluid. It's a light brown color, similar to oil, and it's spread throughout. I think the best thing at this point will be to have it checked out by a mechanic who is familiar with MINIs, and I found one just a few miles away from the dealer so hopefully I can get that done in the next couple days.

I just need to remember to be patient and I'll find the right car. I have been itching to get one for years, so now that I'm actually so close I'm finding it hard to wait. Especially since my boyfriend just bought a car a week ago and his son bought a car a month before that - and I was the one who started looking first! I do have the tendency to overthink things, but I know MINIs aren't cheap to repair so I need to get one in the best condition possible.

Whether it's this one or a different one, I'm excited to soon be joining the ranks of MINI owners.

 

Congrats! As always, posting pictures is the best thing to do when asking what something is. Also, if the fluid you are concerned about is still in a "liquid" state, then its probably not what I was referring to (dried up wood-glue like).

 

Yeah, I wish I'd thought to take pictures. It wasn't until I was home that I got the idea of posting to a MINI forum. Oh well. We'll see what happens when I get it checked.


Edit: BTW, see you made a new purchase yourself. Congrats!

 

Fox, check out C3M on www.meetup.com. Its a local Mini club. Join and post your question there!!

 

Thanks, hopefully picking it up tomorrow!

 

It may be worth it to look out of the area. Used car prices seem to be inflated in the DC/Baltimore area and you may be able to find a better deal with a bit of traveling. Just make sure you look at the carfax and bring along someone who knows their way around cars or arrange an independent inspection before the purchase. Also, keep in mind that you need to get an MD inspection done as well and set aside some cash for registration fees and the like. That said, I still got my comfortably-loaded '06 MCS from NJ for a much lower price than comparable cars in the area. Plus the little road trip was perfect for breaking the car in and seeing what it can do.