$10-12,000, what year MINI would you buy? I recently sold my old car as it failed emissions. We are planning to save for a decent down payment, but will finance for about $10k. I've wanted a MINI for four years and have done some research, but hope to keep doing more. I know I want a MCS. This will be my every day vehicle to cart around by 2.5yo. So what year would you recommend?!?!

 

2005-06

 

I'd try to find a 2006 MCS. For $12,000 it might be tough to find one with low miles. I'd pick that motor over the N14 though.

For a few more thousand, this one looks cherry: http://goo.gl/JQnat

 

Also factor in the cost of maintenance once you start owning it and which mileage it is at. Bought mine for $9K with 81K miles on it. Over the year of ownership, I have put over $5,000 in maintenance costs into the car... so keep that in mind.

 

Thank you. I was thinking about an '05 or '06 at first, then looked up the crash test ratings and saw that the '07 and newer were better for rear crashes. But after doing more research here, the issues with the '07 make me nervous. We figure it's still safer than my 1996 Geo Prizm. I sold my car a few weeks ago, but we can survive on one vehicle, so I think I'll take my time to find the right car. I think I'll stick with the '06 MCS with as low of miles as I can afford. Thanks for the tip on maintenance!! Good to know what to expect! Thank you all for your time.