Hey all, I am new to the community. I living in the Hudson Valley area of NY and am looking to buy a commuter car. I am looking for a Mini, my budget is no more than $4k. I have seen a bunch online in my price range, but I do not know much about the car. So I called up my nearest dealership and they told me about this community. I have seen the cars go for the price range I am in but are over 100k miles. Is that ok? Lets get the ball rolling, if you have something for me please message me and if you have any advice, I am wide open.

 

Avoid the following:
2007 – 2010 R56 S model (N14 engine)
2009 – 2010 R57 S model convertible (N14 engine)
2008 – 2010 R55S Clubman S (N14 engine)
Also - the JCW used the N14 thru 2012

Too many problems with the N14 engine. The other thing to avoid is the Gen 1 MINI with the CVT.

Good luck to you.

 

Are you prepared to drop a few thousand in repairs after buying a four thousand dollar car? If not find a different make.

 

If you can find a '05 or '06 with manual gear box either S or not, post as much information as you can get about it here and the peanut gallery will be glad to advise. There were notorious issues that needed to be examined to see were they already dealt with.
The engine and manual gear box for those two years are as near bullet proof as they can get.

 

Probably need to spend at least 6,000 for a decent one, unless you want a justa.

 

One more thing... if you are unsure of the options or the type of engine that a MINI has, use the BMW VIN lookup.

http://www.bmwvin.com/

 

Mini is not an inexpensive car to keep. Parts and repairs are unfortunately quite expensive. Tires can expensive and do not tend to last long (15-25K is normal) even under the best of circumstances. And when you fill it with fuel, it takes Premium.

I bought mine as a fun car to drive... and they are a lot of fun and don't drive it year round up here in Maine. At the $4-6K range you could get a good one, but those require a lot of research and maybe some travel to find. Mini owners tend to be pretty **** (guilty as charged) about their Mini and a lot of them have meticulous maintenance records. I would stay away from any that have been driven year round in Maine, since they could have some rust issues. Pick from Jersey-Maryland southward if possible.

I encourage anyone to drive a Mini, but I also try to prepare them for what they might encounter. I didn't buy without first finding out as much as I could about the brand, so you're doing good there. I probably spent 2 years on the learning curve once I got serious about buying one. Don't jump into one without a good paper history. There's quite an impressive knowledge base on this site and definitely a bunch of helpful Mini enthusiasts.

The advise in above posts... spot on. Let us know what you decide or find.

 

Thank you all very much the advice is great. I will keep you all updated on what I find

 

Had another thought.
A couple years ago we toured a bit thru up-state. Drove a section of the Taconic, over the Hudson and into the Catskills, beautiful countryside and great MINI roads. We drove it all top down, the only way to motor. Keep you eye out for a decent convertible...you'll be glad you did.

 

This might help: . Good luck.

 

Welcome to NAM. I'd suggest reading up on this buyers guide HERE to help you. I'll give you an idea for what to look over and out for during your purchase. I'd highly recommend getting a PPI (pre purchase inspection) by a shop that knows MINI's well. They will be able to tell you if it's a good buy or if a lot of work will need to be done.

 

Man, all of you are amazing!!! Thank you all so much for your help thus far.

 

Flyn' I actually take the taconic a few times a month for work, thanks for the thought!! It is beautiful up there. Another place to check out for great driving roads (they use them to shoot some car commercials) are in the Bear Mountain area.. Great driving

 

I second the motion. Great Mini roads.