Hi,

I'm new to the forum and will hopefully be part of the tribe in the next couple of weeks! Had many minis in the family growing up in Africa in the '70s and still love the car. Fond memories!

I have been looking at manual and S versions of the Cooper and Clubman. For my $8-11K budget, I have looked at 2003-2005 Cooper S and '08 Clubman. All have fairly high mileage - 75K - 130K.

Preventing me from pulling the trigger are the issues that I have read on edmunds and other sites from current/past owners and don't want to be stuck with a $ lemon!

Any input from owners on what to look for/avoid when purchasing would be appreciated

Do these cars hold up well with high mileage?
Turbo/supercharger issues?


Thanks!

 

With the R53 (02-06 S) the supercharger's oil should be changed right around 100k and all the parts inspected...however, the W11 engine (found in the R53) is perfectly fine running much higher mileage than that. There's an R50 (non-S) with over 500,000 miles on it and still running strong...there's also an R53 with over 284k on it somewhere on this forum...

I bought my R53 without really knowing what I was getting into. As soon as I bought it, I had to replace the passenger side tie rod end and had to replace the front LCA and sway bar bushings soon after. I later found a $600 receipt stashed away inside of one of the car's books for "bumper weld and reshape" so I'm guessing these problems were due to a previous owner being not-so-careful in a parking lot.

Other than these issues, the motor mounts are prone to failure on nearly all first-gen MINIs...especially the 05-06 as, for a reason that I still do not understand, they decided to make the upper motor mount oil-filled. These mounts typically don't even last 40k. It would be a good idea to replace this mount with a nice aftermarket mount (loving my Vibra Technics mount). Another point of failure for these is their weak front strut towers...these are prone to mushrooming...especially the 02-05 (apparently they implemented a "fix" on the 06 model but there have still be cases of mushrooming). All it takes to fix this is set of reinforcing plates. In the pre-facelift R53s, the power steering pump fan could also fail causing the low-speed fan to fail as well. There's a simple fix to this problem where you just install a resistor in the circuit.

The most recent point of failure that I'm now going to have to address, that I've read about on here as being a common problem, is the oil pan gasket is prone to leak on the first-gen MINIs. When I was under my R53 during my pulley install, I noticed a small amount of fresh oil on the bottom of my oil pan. Its not a bad leak, but its there.

All this being said, I'm still happy with my purchase and LOVE the look/sound/performance/curb appeal of my R53. I know that the turbocharged (S) second-gen MINIs have more engine-related reliability issues, such as the timing chain, tensioner, carbon buildup on the intake valves, etc. I've read of these second gen S models blowing engines at as low as 40k miles...

Hope my long-*** post was helpful...The best advice I can give when purchasing is have someone who is familiar with MINIs check out all the problem areas on it...

Good luck with your search!

 

Hi submitaweasel, your post was very helpful, esp. regarding the 1st gen (supercharger) vs. 2nd gen (turbo). There's an '03 with 130K miles that I will look at today and will prob. look at other '03-'06 models. will definitely get a mechanic to check the car out before purchase. Thanks again!

 

We've got an '04 S (90k mi) and an '08 Clubman S (100K mi). I change oil/filter every 5K mi. Both have been very reliable. The '04 had the PS pump replaced under warranty. It has Koni FSDs, stiff rear bar, Milltek exhaust, R56 front brakes, under chassis brace, fixed neg. camber plates, 15% pulley and cold air intake. I've done about 10 drivers' schools with it and love to drive it. The radiator has a small leak and I replaced the battery about a year and a half ago.
The '08 Clubman S has had the timing chain and tensioner replaced and Koni FSDs installed in the last 10K mi. It is our travel car because of the extra room and better gas mileage.
Anything else you'd like to know?
Btw, my daily driver is a (employer-owned) 1-ton Chevy Duramax.

 

Thanks twocute, your feedback suggests minor issues and general wear and tear with either option. I guess the best way to buy a used car is to get it checked out by a professional.

I have heard of issues with the turbos on the '07/'08. I have an opportunity to buy an '08 clubman s manual (turbo) with 115K miles and not sure pitfalls of this car given its mileage but will check it out further with an independent.

Thanks for your input.