Hey all,

I'm a car fanatic and have had a bunch of different cars and motorcycles. I've test driven Minis from every generation as they came out with the intent of buying one but always found something else. I recently sold my 2013 Subaru BRZ and am looking for a daily driver car with decent amenities and some fun to drive factor.

I plan, tomorrow, on picking up a 2004 MCS with 51k kms (~32k miles). It had the clutch / flywheel replaced under warranty about 15k kms ago. The current (second) owner has just had some seals replaced to take care of some leaks. I initially wanted an '05-'06 but there are none currently around that fit my requirements.

I hope to drive this car every single day and rack up the mileage on it, considering it comes with a plethora of records is there still a high probability that it will become a money pit?

Look forward to any advice.

Thanks!

 

Welcome tawheed! I don't know much about R53's so I can't help you, but I'm plenty here have the knowledge you seek.

 

I purchased a 2004 MCS in October to be used as my daily driver. I'm a design rep for an alarm company and put a great deal of miles on yearly. So far I have driven my S just over 5000 miles since pick up. I would advise ensuring that the spark plugs are snug and have not begun to work out as my S was faced with a blown spark plug that the dealer covered under warranty. I have checked them a few times since and all is well.

I had a great service record to verify that the car had been cared for so most of the bad bullets can be dodged. You can also tell by the way the car's exterior and interior have been cared for that the car was well taken care of.

I would absolutely purchase this car again, my time with it has been the most fun I have ever had on four wheels.

Best of luck with your new Mini, I think you will be very pleased!

 

tawheed,

take extra time in inspecting the car for the following.

supercharger for grinding noise
power steering system for leaks
coolant reservoir for cracking
asked if he/she replaced the cooling fan resistor
front lower control arm bushing for sloppiness.

i'm sure someone else will chime in and do search here for the stuff i mentioned above.

 

Hi Tawheed,

I can tell you that, as a daily driver, I LOVE my MINI. I've had a 2008 and now a 2011. Even my non S model gets out of the way fast, allows me to weave in and out of traffic, and parks with ease.

As my daily driver, things like reliability, getting up to speed on highway on-ramps, ease of parking, and gas mileage are important to me...and the MINI meets my daily commuter needs. Other things I considered: cup holders (seriously...can they fit my daily dose of large iced coffee), ease of getting my gym bag in and out of the backseat or the boot, and fun factor. The on and off ramps are my favorite part of the commute and my car has to be able to handle them when I have a little spirited fun!

As for your Money Pit question, hopefully someone else here can help with that as I've never had a 2004 model and I usually trade mine in every 3 years or so.

Good luck!

John
www.DrivingMyMINI.blogspot.com
@DrivingMyMINI