I finally purchased my first MINI. I found a Black 13,000 mile R52 2006 Cooper S Manual Convertible. I have always wanted a MINI and decided that now was the time. The original owner was an attorney that apparently put around 1,000 miles on it per year.

In the first few weeks, I have replaced the rubber trim around the convertible top, I had my mechanic do a full inspection and he replaced the ignition wires, thermostat housing, one strut. He also changed the oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid and transmission fluid.

I added StaBill since it won’t be driven much over the winter and plan to get a batter tender.

I am disappointed with the quality of the paint, a lot of scrapes and scuffs for the mileage and will have a body shop see what they can do in the spring. I will be adding some rally stripes in the spring as well.

I want to keep it stock, however, I am going to get a back-up camera to link to a GPS. While I have already learned to back into a spot instead of backing into traffic, but I would rather have a camera.

My first question for the group is: what else should I be concerned about at this point?

 

Welcome to the forum and nice looking car.
Good deal with the low mileage.

 

Coolant? Anything rubber should be closely inspected, hoses, tires?

 

Thanks for the feedback. The tires were replaced in 2015. (I haven't checked if the replacements are run-flats - it would be nice to know.)Tires were the first thing I checked. With the low miles, the fact that the tires were replaced told me that it was maintained. The list of repairs that I had to do made me wonder. The coolant was flushed with the thermostat housing change. I think the rubber in the engine was inspected by the mechanic. I told him to fix anything that needs to be fixed. (It is great to have a mechanic that you trust!)

 

Hi and welcome to the NAM family.
You may not know this, but Gen 1 with the W 11 engine are pretty bullet proof.
Things that you need to know:
Only use full synthetic engine oils. Mini recommends Castrol.
Transmission should get almost 2 qts. MTL Redline oil it is also full synthetic.
Run flats ride hard and eat wheel bearings and many of us opt for regular tires with a 12volt air compressor and patch kit. Some chose to use the spare tire that the base model uses, just nowhere to stash it.
The power steering hoses are notorious leakers and screw type clamps with fix that most times.
The hot water expansion tank is old, and the plastic tank can split and always at the worst time. Either buy a new OEM, ot an aluminum or stainless replacement tank.
The clutch is hydraulic and gets it'd fluid from the brake resurvior , but only takes it off the top, so make sure the fluid is at the proper level.
One other part that ages and goes to hell at the worst time, is the crank vibration dampener. The rubber rots, then spins and you get no supercharger boost, charging or Ac. It is better to be proactive and replace it, or at least have someone that knows Mini, look at it. Even low miles will still have hardened rubber, from age.

Congrats and we wish you great times with your Go-cart!

 

You got the VERY best MINI you could possibly get hands down, well done!!
I would add to the already good lists.
A pair of strut tower plates to prevent tower mushrooming.
Black Wow for the black plastic trim.
Either RaggTopp or 303 for the canvas.
Use a dry lube only on the top folding scissor joints.
This is the tire repair kit I carry. The bag also carries an extra qt of oil and a few cleaning supplies: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...fType=&from=fn

And, to really enhance handling, install a heavier adjustable rear sway bar either 19 or 22 MM. It is the very best bang for the buck you can get for handling. You won't believe the responsiveness on those crooked roads.
The most important thing to remember is topless motoring is motoring at its best.

 

Wayne,

While the MINI handling, manual transmission, convertible, uniqueness and other factors led me to buy the MINI, I also looked at sites like this one to find a fairly reliable car. I expect far more ongoing maintenance on a 13 year old car than a new Civic, however, some of the cars I looked at had big issues. Porsche 911 996 and their IMS bearing... BMW M Roadster and the twisting chassis ... BMW Z4 (built prior to June 2006) and the sticky steering and so on. All of these cost thousands to repair. The thing I heard (before doing any research) was issues with the reliability of the supercharger on the Gen 1 MINIs. I don't see much discussion about supercharger problems on this or other enthusiasts sites. Should the supercharger be a concern?

 

Welcome and Congrats on such a low mileage find

I would do a brake fluid change first in addition to what you have already done.

Also would consider going ahead and replacing the crank pulley with an ATI damper and a new belt. It may be low mileage but it's already 12yrs old so the rubber in it has been drying out still.

Otherwise enjoy as it should be a great car.

 

Great looking car!

Don't know if you found them yet, but Philly Mini is a very active club with good people.

Cheers!

 

Stephen,

I may look into Philly Mini in the spring. Philly is a bit far. Baltimore would be much closer, but I have not found a MINI group in the Baltimore area.

 

I don't believe this is a big problem. Can they go bad? Yes, but I have many Minis that have over 160K miles, still running the original super charger. You can do an oil service, which is a pita, but doable.
These superchargers are screw type and much longer lasting than the ball type!

 

Welcome, nice r52. Wow 13K miles thats super low. Nice find. I have 280K now on my r52.

 

Follow up after several years of happy motoring: I have decided to move on an sell the MINI. It how has almost 23,000 miles. In the 9,000 miles of my ownership, after the initial service to bring it up to my standards, it has needed an O2 sensor. Beyond the O2 sensor, I have done the basic maintenance, changed the oil and all other fluids, rotated the tires, replaced the battery (although Advance Auto parts tried to convince me that it did not need to be replaced).

I have finally decided that a convertible is not the best option for me with a family history of skin cancer.

I am extremely grateful for all the incredible people on the forum who have provided guidance along the way. MINI owners and members of the forum in particular, are incredible people. I am proud to have been part of the community.

I have listed it on the forum marketplace. I have not listed it on AutoTrader yet and hope to not need to. My preference is to find someone who is looking for a great, trouble free R52 MINI and not someone who is simply looking for a used car. I realize that finding a buyer on the forum may take longer since most people on the forum already have their MINI, however, I think it is the best way to find the right owner for it.

If anyone knows of someone looking for a low milage R52 that was well maintained it's entire life, send them my way.

 

For me, I told the mechanic to change all fluids as well as fix anything that needed to be fixed. Having the coolant flushed was part of what I asked him to do from the beginning. I can't say if he would have done it with the thermostat housing change.