Greetings all!

I'm looking to be part of the family with the purchase of my first Mini!

I've got a specific vehicle I've got my eye on, so if anyone can pull a carfax or autocheck for me, I would be super grateful!

Please PM me for the VIN.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

What year is the Mini your looking into? If its one with the N14 engine (07-10 model years) then my advice would to just steer clear. Way to many problems to deal with. Car is a blast to drive but definitely do all your research on problems with them before you purchase. Just trying to look out.

 

The specific one I have in mind is a 2003 MCS. And it's got a lot of miles (143k).

I have the luxury of driving the car around, and it's REALLY fun so far. I plan on taking some time this weekend to investigate and check things out to the best of my knowledge. I'm not sure if the mini dealership can provide me any service records based on the VIN.



Is it me, or are the wheel studs really long?

 

Those are not stock wheel studs. Stock hardware are bolts.
You are looking at a MINI with the W11 engine, a good solid engine. Take good care of it by being very attentive to all the fluid levels and change the oil AT LEAST every 5K miles. Find an independent BMW/MINI shop who will take good care of everything for you.

 

If you're buying from a MINI dealership, they have to disclose the service history if you ask. If it was not serviced there, they should be able tell you where it was last licensed so you can call around to the local dealerships in that area to figure out where it was serviced so you can determine what its general service history was. However, with mileage that high, it's WELL outside its warranty so the original owner may have stopped taking it to their dealership and started taking it to an independent shop (chances are good though it's been serviced by MINI all along). If it was originally serviced at another dealership, you can contact their service department and tell them you're considering purchasing but wanted to know if there were any issues you should be aware of to prevent getting surprised, many will be accommodating. If there is something, you can ask them how much it would cost to repair.. I'd also ask the service folks what appx. mileage interval was the MINI serviced... 3500 miles? 5000...10,000? These MINIs need to be well maintained. At least then armed with this information you will be better informed regarding the risks and you can keep it in your pocket for price negotiations should you decide to move forward (personally I wouldn't share my findings AT ALL. it's not in your interests to do so)... Carfax is definitely useful to identify lemons but they give no indication how the MINI was treated/maintained. Yup - those wheel bolts are worrisome as suggested above. investigate further.

I hope all goes well and you find yourself in your treasure! Happy motoring!

 

When we bought our clubman we took it to the dealer on the test drive. They scanned the key & told us everything that had been done. It had only 31,000 miles & was dealer serviced.

I'd recommend doing the same. You might even see if they would do a complimentary vehicle inspection for you. You may learn a lot if they will do that.

Good luck.

 

Has ebay headlights on it also it seems. Auto check is a good place to start but if the car was taken to small shops or owner wrenched your not going to see much.

 

I haven't had the chance to get the car inspected by a pro, but just looking under the hood I saw this. Looks like there's some sort of leak/crud near where the front (passenger) sway bar bushing is?





Found some oil leakage under the car as well. More pics to come once I see underneath...