Hello, new guy here from Norman Ok. Don't have a Mini yet, but looking for that just right used one. I see ive got lots of reading to do.

 

Welcome to NAM; you found the right place for all things MINI.

If looking at pre-owned, you have a lot of choices: "justa" Coopers or an S. First gen S (supercharged) or second gen S (turbocharged), manual or auto, topless or hardtop.

If you're considering a first gen car ('02 - '06), check out the buyer's guide on Motoring File, which you can find here.

After you do some test drives and narrow the range or thin the herd, take your prospective car to a MINI dealer or experienced independent shop for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection), especially if buying from a non-MINI dealer or private seller. It may be $150 or so, but it's a wise investment and will make you aware of what might need to be done in the near future.

Happy hunting, and let us know how it goes.

 

Thanks, good advice, and its got to be an S. 6 speed.

 

Welcome to NAM, YO MUDA and yes, you've got lots of reading to do. Let us know when you finally decide on the MINI of your dreams. Oh, and don't forget the pics. We just love pics here at NAM. Happy shopping.

 

Welcome, being in Norman if you see a GP running around it's one of our customers David say Hey.

 

Thanks for the welcome guys.

 

Welcome, I'm an Okie in northern oklahoma. Best advice I can give you would be to look for one that you can get an Mini Cooper CPO certification on. A warranty is probably the most important thing you can get on your Mini Cooper.

 

Man, I don't know now. Some of these post on here are talking about all the problems with these cars. Some owner/posters are saying don't buy one. reliability issues. I gotta do more research.

 

Depends on the year and model. Base models - good! Certain years of "s" good. The 2006 "s" good. The 2012 base is good. I have a 2008 and 2012 that both have been very good cars. I'm told the secret to a good Mini is changing the oil frequently. Just some knowledge and thoughts and advice......

 

Consider all the thousands of MINIs on the road compared to all the tens of MINIs that people complain about then take all the negative things you read and add a grain of salt. Mine just got back from a major kerfuffle that turned out to be something that could happen to anything with more than two moving parts.
Have you visited Jackie Cooper MINI in Edmond yet? They're on top of the MINI game and can be a good resource for you.
Once you get behind the wheel start thinking about MITO next October.
http://www.ozarkmini.com/
Well run MINI rally and lots of fun with some outstanding runs and a blast of a holloween party.
Here's another valuable URL to a website containing almost everything you need to know about the care and feeding of your MINI including where to find the best independent shops.
http://soopercooperinfo.com/
Also, a must have.
http://www.lightinsight.com/ I think those are also available from Way Motor Works now.

 

Welcome. NAM is a great forum to learn about and appreciate all things MINI. Since we purchased our 06 R53 new I don't have any personal expertise on the purchase of a pre owned MINI. Having perused through the many MINI forums for the past eight years I have concluded that if in the market I would search for a pre owned MINI based on the following: 1. A CPO from a dealer. 2. Know the owner and how the MINI was operated and maintained. 3. If you find a good candidate with an unknown history possibly consider getting an extended warranty which can provide a fiscal peace of mind. Before I would go to the expense of a PPI, I would review: http://www.soopercooperinfo.com/Used...questions.html. If I felt comfortable with the answers from these questions I would continue with a PPI from a qualified MINI repair station. A preowned MINI that has been properly maintained and hasn't had the living pi$$ driven out of it can be a rewarding experience both on the road and on the hoist. Good luck.

 

To list a few things to look out for.
Stay away from the CVT automatic transmissions which were discontinued in 2007.
If you want an "S" model the earlier supercharged ones are more reliable.
The primary complaints with the Mini Cooper are the turbocharged "S" models. It is not uncommon for these "S" model Mini's to have serious timing chain problems which can be very expensive to fix out of warranty.
Mini Cooper has issued a letter to dealers to fix defective timing chains on certain "S" models out of warranty but this is somewhat subjective and dealership dependent.
We bought our Mini Cooper from Normon also and believe this dealership to be reputable.
Also since the "S" models are direct injected you will have to have them "walnut blasted" on a regular basis to clean carbon off the valves @ around $300 each time.
The non "S" models (refered to as base model/justa) are relative trouble free and are for the most part reliable.
On standard shift models the clutch can be expensive to replace when it goes out.
One thing every Mini Cooper owner should be aware of is that the oil dip stick designg can give false readings resulting in running Mini's with too low oil. This could be a contributer to a lot of the timing chain failures and turbo models also tend to use a lot of oil, so keep a very close eye on your oil level.
Of course, as I've already said, a warranty is always good insurance and an CPO car adds 2 years/50K miles to the warranty.
If you can live without the "S" model. the base/justa in an automatic is a pretty reliable Min Cooper.
If you must have an "S" model I do recomend you get one under a warranty.

 

+1 on this and buzzsaw's but to clarify:
The turbo issues i.e. walnut shell blasting because of carbon buildup, timing chain issues, oil use are all associated with the Gen 2 S models. The Gen 1 S with the Getrag 6 speed manual is pretty much bullet proof if taken care of and not abused. (mine's an '06 with 80K and doesn't use a drop of oil - knock on wood)
Gen 1 includes all hard tops up to the year '06 and the convertible up to the year '07. Get a drop head. Topless motoring is motoring at it's best.

 

Isn't it sad to see someone read up on here and decide they don't want a MINI anymore? Really, do we come across that negative? I have have owned two, the first with over 110,000 mi, and the second one of those scary r56 MCS turbos. And it's not like owning a Honda, in terms of zero troubles, but I'm not all bitter and frustrated and disillusioned on the car or brand. These cars, particularly N14 engines, are fussy about fluids and being maintained within spec. But if you're cool with that, it's totally rewarding. And the local MINI owners club is filled with cool folks and fun activities.

 

I don't think it's the forum that's coming across as negative. All the postings have been truthfull about the problems Mini Cooper owners have encountered and it is up to the potential Mini Cooper owners out there to decide for themselves about the reliability issues surrounding the Mini Cooper.
I don't think this forum had much to do with the Mini Cooper being classified as the most unreliable in the rateings, Mini Cooper and BMW own that distinction.
It is a good thing when potential buyers can get honest answeres from owners on forums like this.
It is what it is, no sense glossing over it.

 

I not giving up guys, Ive only just begun my research for a mini and which one. Im not ready to purchase until around May. I do appreciate all the advice and info im getting on here. You people are very helpful and I thank you so much.