Hello Everyone,

I am in the mists of looking for a new (new to me) vehicle. I currently work for a shop that specializes in VW, Audi and Porsche. With that said, I have been a BMW man myself owning a E30, E36 M3 and also a E46 M3.

At this point in my life I am looking for a car that would be fun to drive and give me nicer feeling interior as opposed to lets say a VW GTI or Audi A4. I have always been a small car type of person and I love the idea of driving around a go kart.

From doing some reading on NAM I am leaning towards am R53 2005 or 2006 MCS or JCW (if I can find one). I am a person that loves to mod his cars as well so it would be something I would enjoy tinkering with. I do want to find a car with good service records and not something I will have to spend months on end fixing poor service history.

I do have a couple of months to look since I am currently in a lease till August. Just wanted to pop in and say hello and share my experiences in finding a car.

-Phil

 

Welcome!!
Good ones ARE still out there....as are some crappy ones!!
Find a good minimally modded, adult driven, well matained car a r53 can be a great car...
Find one that has been incompetently cared for, driven by a jerk, or wailed on...it can be a $$$ exoerance!! There are lots of threads on what to look for, and if you look at motoringfile.com. there is a decent buyers guide that goes year by year on gen1 mini's (r50/52/53)that lists changes and improvements.

 

Zippy,

Thanks for the info. I have been on motoringfile.com and have read the changes in models. Which is why I am narrowed down to the 2005-2006 production dates.

I am not too worried about milage but I do want something with as close to 100K as possible. Also ZERO accidents is a must for me with a squeaky clean title.

 

Accident wise...
I would say the LONGER in the past it occured, the less it is an issue...maybe sub-$1000 would have zero bearing on relilibility... Likely a bumper cover... Not much more...
If you can find a one or two owner car, it is a good sign....good cars a kept, and problem ones are flipped....

 

Well I just got back at looking at this one: 2006 Cooper S 143K

The car looked VERY nice and was very clean. The current owner uses it as his "Sunday" car to the beach. He is not out of range for price (a tad higher than I want) but the car looks and feels very well sorted.

The only downfall of the car really is the color for me. I am not a huge fan and also it does not come with factory Xenon headlamps which was a bit of a bummer.

I have a couple of other cars I am wanting to look at and also I want to see what else is out there.

I do have to mention a JCW that I saw today but was in absolute disarray. I really feel sorry for the car as it was in a really ruff shape and the dealership wanted way too much for the car in its current condition.

 

Well it looks like the owner of the car linked above and I have come to an agreement. I will have pics of delivery sometime this week as long as all goes well.

 

Congrats....I hope it all works out. That R53 is very clean looking though....looks like it was very well maintained

 

Well, I am a proud owner of a 2006 Royal Gray R53!

I had my team here at work look over the car and everything looks great. There are some things that will need a little attention:

Oil pan gasket (sweating)
Power Steering Line

Other than that she looks to be in great shape.

I am not a fan of sticker so I am on to remove these... This will be a process. LOL.

I do have a couple of months to fix these items since I am not really driving the car right now still I get some parts ordered and installed. I still have a VW Jetta on lease till August so the Mini will be on light duty till then. Might as well get things done to it while its sitting around.

Here are a couple of pictures of the car I purchased from the PO.

 

Congrats on the new ride!

I too am new to NAM and will be looking for a Mini Hatch for my ~15 mile commute to Boston.

I will probably be looking for an S as they seem to get good mileage and I am a "spirited" driver.

I prefer having some warranty on the car so I will be looking for an R56/57 generation car.

I never owned a rag top but I would need a roof rack of some substance that could be used at all times - top down or up. Is there such a thing for the Cabrio? I'll be hauling 2 bikes and windsurf gear at times. If not, I'll stick with the hard top.

I will continue to review the site and appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

 

jrc22sjki - Thanks a lot. It took a while to find one that was a clean as this. Trust me I looked for a while.

I got the "S" because at heart I drive spirited and could not afford the R56 model that had the least amount of known issues so the next best thing for me was the R53. I am excited to put some tuning bits on the car but like everything - one step at a time.

I currently have a thread where I am asking owners of Thule and Yakima roof racks for their opinions. I really dont want to drill into my roof with the OEM roof bars. Luckily the R56 models have accommodation for bars and no drilling is required.

I have never heard of a rack that could be used on a convertible that once you retract its roof it would still be functional. You may want to look at trailer hitch attachment system.

 

Congrats thirdlobe! Fine choice indeed

 

ThirdLobe - nice find and Congrats. The '06 S is probably one of the best MINIs made. The engine comes with all of the upgrade to make it compatible with the JCW upgrades. 208HP here it comes. Graphics on a MINI is a personal choice. Make it your own, that is what MINIs are about. Hope you have years of enjoyment.

jrc22sjki - the Gen II MINIs have a great roof rack setup. A suggesting is to get an S (08-09) with the mechanical LSD for spirited driving. But that might not have the warranty you want. With later models you will need to get one that has the DTC option to get the same function but it is done with the brakes through the ABS system.

 

A slightly overdue welcome is in order for you, thirdlobe. You went from no MINI to a fantastic looking MINI in no time flat, congrats. Thanks for the great looking pics. Happy motoring and please don't forget to promote the MINI wave.

 

Really appreciate all the welcomes!

I took some time to remove the decals on the car and I plan to wash, wax and clay the car over the weekend. This way I can make sure to remove all the adhesive residue from the car.

 

Congrats on finding the "right" car for you!!

 

We are looking forward to the final reveal.

 

Finally got all of the stickers off. It only took me three days to do it. I will have some updated pictures on Monday. I have a buddy that owns a detailing company coming over to help with the car.

 

PITA!

 

So here are some pictures of the car after the stickers were off the car and I gave it a fresh wash, wax and clay bar.

 

I swear your MINI looks BRAND NEW!!!! Wow!

 

Thanks! It really did come out well!

Earlier tonight it looks like I scored a great on a used Yakima roof rack system for my bikes. I need to get some odds and ends for it but I think it was well worth it.

I do have a couple of calls into vendors we work with on getting some sort of deal on some parts they offer. Better be good. That's why I am in the "Biz" LOL!!

 

WOW! Your MINI looks fantastic, thirdlobe. Thanks for the pics.

 

Nicely done

 

If this is a type that sets on the paint, try putting a piece of clear package tape on the paint under each of the pads. This will keep the paint from being rubbed by the pads.

 

Great idea! There is actually this type of tape that is a little thicker and I know it's been used to protect paint. I just need to find the name of it.