Greetings NAM - impressive forum. I'm hoping to join for real with an '09 JCW Hardtop with 48K miles. I just drove it tonight and now I see what all the hoopla is about. This is a driver's car!

I do have a question for anyone who might be listening. On the CarFax, the very first entry is at 11,097 miles, "Vehicle offered for sale" at a dealer. So what happened to the first 11k miles? The salesperson (not a BMW/Mini dealer) thought maybe it was a demo vehicle or used by Mini for promotional purposes. Should I be concerned about this car's infancy? Is it something to avoid like rental cars?

Thanks!

 

Well, not all dealers or repair facilities use or report to Carfax. So, in reality, Carfax is not a very good tool. Your best bet is to use a 3rd party inspection service. And thoroughly inspect it yourself.

Good luck if you decide to purchase!!!

 

Not sure if this is relevant, but I bought a bike a few years ago with a "clear blue title". Well the title wasn't clear and had been a reissue for the bike, but I can't remember what the wording on the title was, dammit. It didn't have salvage on it. After some research I found that when titles get lost (intentionally perhaps?), a new reissue title is prepared. This is especially 'useful' if you're selling a vehicle that has been salvaged before and you don't want it to have a salvage title. Underhanded? Hell yes. I got stung by it. A little more research and I found the bike had been a salvage, but was being sold under the guise, and perfectly legally, of a 'clear blue title'. This was in Texas. Food for thought.

 

I bought a demo chevy malibu in 07 and it was a great car

 

Thanks for the responses.
A couple people suggested that if the car was kept by Mini, it was probably serviced according to the schedule.

I got the dealer to put it up on a lift today to get a look under. I did see a very small oil seep from the seam between the tranny and engine and another small seepage from the front of the oil pan. This doesn't seem right to me for a car with only 45k miles. Yes they were very small but I worry about the main seal leaking. The dealer's going to look at it. It also may still be under warranty (4 yr, 50k mi) due to the fact that it wasn't reported as titled until it was sold in 2010.

Would you be concerned?