Hi all,

I joined the site to gather info to help me in purchasing my first MINI. I'm a long time car and motorcycle guy that has always been a fan of MINI. I started this by looking for a cheap, energy efficient commuter car to keep the miles of my new-ish truck and burn less gas. I was originally looking at TDIs and Civics and the like and then realized, I've always loved the MINIs, why not get something I really love to drive again (I recently bequeathed my 5-spd 528 to my son). So here I am, trying to become an educated buyer. I must admit, the recurring complaints and unending discussions about problems people have had with their cars gave me pause, but I'm not new to forums and know that people don't chime in when they don't have problems nearly as often as they do when they do have problems, so I'm trying to keep that in mind. I'm not a glutton for punishment and do not have unlilmited reserves of time or money, but I can turn a wrench when needed and will not rely on this vehicle to keep my job (truck in the winter and bikes in the summer).

So, I'm sure I'm here to stay....just need to find the right car. With what I read, and after much digesting, I'm in the hunt for an 05-06 "s" or JCW with relatively low miles (I know, not too original, right?). If I eventually convince myself that the R56 MCS problems are sufficiently under control (read: recalled or similarly dealt with, hopefully before my purchase), I'd seriously consider a Clubman (also have a new baby that may need to ride with me occasionally).

If you're so inclined, feel free to offer me advice or tell me how misguided I may be.....or even let me know if you have a car for sale that fits the bill. I'm in upstate NY.

Thanks to all the NAM contributors for all the info you have already provided....craig

 

Welcome to the world of MINI and to the NAM forum!. Someone else on this forum recently noted that if you actually read all the problems and complaints on this (or any auto forum), no one would ever buy a car. While the ratio of MINI problems/complaints to praise in most threads seem very high, they're good way to get technical advice and input, and check on what to look for in a used car. A JCW or "S" may be more fun to drive and push through the corners, they do tend to have a few more problems when driven hard, and may require more attention along with regular maintenance above the "recommended" MINI intervals. Like many other European imports, MINIs (like their parent BMWs) are not inexpensive to maintain or fix when something goes wrong after the warranty/maintenance contract is finished. But they sure are a lot of fun to drive!

For whatever used model/year you decide on, have a thorough mechanical inspection, look at maintenance records, etc. and read the forums to understand the types of problems some (but by no means all) people may have had.

Good luck with your search!

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback KennyR.......just got a chance to reply.....been looking hard.


yeah, I'm not skeered anymore. I think all of these things I keep hearing about are manageable....half (or more) of the battle is knowing what to watch for. I have several Ducatis so this is a concept I'm pretty familiar with.

 

Well, I found one. I'm the proud owner of a 2006 MCS in Royal Grey. Haven't picked it up yet.....can't wait to get into it.

 

Just getting a chance to check back in.....pick up was delayed because of the weather and then the holidays were here.

I realized when I went back to pick it up I got the color wrong....it's actually Dark Silver with a black roof and mirrors and a checkered sunroof. I found the original sticker in the glove box: premium, sport and cold weather packages with the anthracite (does that just mean gray headliner?) and chrome-line (chrome trim on the cup holders, etc ?), rear fog lights, H/K sound, black leather....guess that's it. I'll attach some pics if I can.

 

pic post try number 2.

 

Sharp looking MINI, thanks for posting the pictures. I really enjoy seeing all the different features and combinations. Welcome to NAM, and enjoy your new motor!

 

thanks. Loving it. There does seem to be an infinite number of combinations....no two alike. I guess that's part of the appeal.

 

I'm the original owner of a 2007 Mini S Hatchback, 6 speed manual, and love it. I suggest you look at cars like mine. It's great fun to drive, looks neat, and has been reliable. What more could anyone ask??

 

One MINI is enough for me right now. Why...you trying to sell?

 

Hi again everyone!

Apologies for reviving my old intro thread, but it seemed appropriate given my MINI's journey. My sister moved to NC a few years ago and needed a car, and I was building a house and needed less stuff to worry about. Long story short, it lived in NC the last few years but is now back home in NY. My sister being the car-killer she is, it's a little worse for wear. Part 2 of our journey begins!

I'll be reacquainting myself with the accumulated knowledge here (thanks to all) and ask specific questions in the appropriate forums, but figured I would provide a rough sketch of my plan here.

The car now has 109K miles on it and has a suspicious clunking in the front......and bald tires.....and the battery is gone for some reason. My end goal is a fun street car for the summer when I can't take a bike. eventually...some day...maybe some autocross or track days. but for now, strictly a street car. No lowering planned (NY roads are BAAAD) and I don't want to go too stiff. The only aftermarket stuff I did that persists are the plates for the shock towers (Cravenspeed if memory serves). I was having too much fun in stock form to worry too much about it. But now that it's back in my hot little hands......

-I replaced the battery with an AGM ACDelco....good price on this at RockAuto based on my limited research.
-I'm considering Falken ZIEX ZE950 to get started....cheap, right size, decent performance reported for the street. Please offer personal experience with these if you don't mind.
-I'm told it's got a bad strut....which is not at all surprising. I'm planning Koni SA front and back, but will do the front for now so my wife doesn't have a heart attack from a single purchase (see below).
-One wheel bearing was changed on the front, but I think it may have been a junk yard pull and it ended up with mismatched lug sizes on the front. all that being the case, I'll put new wheel bearings on the front.
-I always wanted to do the SC pulley reduction so I'll do that (15% likely....happy to hear opinions on that). Water pump also.
-while doing the pulley, I'll do new ball joints and urethane bushings on at least the control arm and swing arms and maybe the engine mounts. What else should I be thinking about here?
-I'll let the pain fade then start on the back (shocks, bushings, wheel bearings if needed, etc.)

Specific questions I have so far and haven't found answers to yet:
-I gather a bit of negative camber is great for handling, but won't affect tire wear too much. sounds perfect for me. It seems the IE fixed plates are popular, but PowerFlex also offers a ball joint that gives the same adjustment. Does anyone have any thoughts on which is the better way to go? Does the PowerFlex ball joint offer better wear characteristics than a Lemforder (for example)?
-What are people's thoughts on combining the 15% SC pulley with a lightweight, 2% bigger crank pulley? Way mentions the following on their website: "When combined with the uber-popular 15% reduction supercharger pulley a synergistic effect is achieved. The ratio is exaggerated such that much less energy is required to spin more revolutions. " I take this to mean that the effect is greater than the sum of the parts.....any comments on where this would put me on the reliability/accelerated wear spectrum? closer to the 17% pulley, or worse?

I'd love to have the power, but not at the expense of a significant reduction in engine life. Unfortunately, I don't have a good intuition for what the effects will be. thanks to all who care to comment or offer advice. As I said above, I'll likely post specific questions later as I try to make decisions and can't find what I need.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

I really enjoy seeing all the different features and combinations. Welcome to NAM, and enjoy your new motor!