Hey All!
I am about to buy my first mini, and any words of wisdom would be appreciated. I wasn't sure if a Mini was for me until my boyfriend made me test drive a used Cooper S, I'm now addicted. I didn't buy it because it wasn't optioned like I wanted. I am about to buy an 09 Cooper S out of Texas that is well optioned like I want. It is being sold at auction house dealer and is thusly not Mini certified. It has 9 months left on the original warranty, how much should that scare me? I've seen posts/reviews that say no one should own a '09 S out of warranty because of a carbon build up issue; how big of a problem is it or any other issues y'all have come across? The dealer offers an extended warranty, it seems fairly comprehensive, but I saw the premium charged for it and I thought I could do without it. Now I'm not so sure. What do you think? Thanks!
Also: I live 165 miles from the nearest Mini Dealer. The car is a Manual w/ 36k on it.

 

How much $ are they asking?

Do you have the right to get it checked out before you purchase?

 

Sight unseen? Hope you can get an independent MINI knowledgeable opinion on the condition before purchase. Get the extended for your piece of mind. Make sure they cover the thermostat and housing, chain and tensioner as well as the carbon build up.

MINI's are FUN!! I love mine... and it is an '07. (But they are not Hondas or Toyotas that will run forever without problems.)

 

If your on a tight budget then I would reconsider. Mini's in my opinion are pretty expensive to maintain when out of warranty and with no extended warranty. If you budget well and have a repair fund that is adequate then I say go for it.

 

The mini has 36500 miles in it, and they are asking $17900, but I think they are motivated enough I could get them down in the 16s. I have the right to inspect it, but I have found that every time I use an independent inspector, they miss things that I see. I'm fairly smart with cars, but have no experiance with Minis. What will most likely happen is I will put a deposit on it sight unseen and inspect it when I get there. I have found the warranty to be a joke the more I research it so I think I will take my chances and just use the remainder of the factory warranty. So what should I look for besides the obvious signs of abuse? Thanks =)

 

Get the VIN and have a MINI dealer run it. See if it's had a timing chain fix, HPFP and WP replaced. Those are common issues with the MCS.

 

Go to your credit union or bank and ask them about what extended warranty they would recommend. Figure it this way, it's their money at risk, so if you buy from them they are one more advocate if you run into a problem getting a covered repair done.

I was having a cigar with a car salesman yesterday. He told me he makes more money selling the extended warranty, glass etching, paint protection, etc. than he does selling the car. I know for a fact that the gap protection and extended warranty are about 1/2 the cost when purchased from my credit union.