I just bought a 2006 Mini Cooper this morning for a 24 Hour of Lemons race. It should be a fun adventure for myself and a group of buddies. I am familiar with wrenching on cars, but have zero experience with Mini’s. I restored a 1989 Land Cruiser, and have always had fun working on friend’s projects.
She was a FB marketplace purchase. The engine runs really smooth and the 5spd clutch seems to work well. Very easy shifting. She’s definitely a Monet, good from afar, but up close she has the nicks and dings, faded paint, and worn interior of a 20 year old car.
I am mainly going to be interested in maintenance and upkeep with some mods and tuning that would help in a crazy race, all on a budget. A few quick questions:

What are some good sites for parts? New/used etc.
Are there readily available manuals?
Is there anything I should watch out for as I dive under the hood for this year of mini?
We may have some parts for sale, mostly interior.

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. I am used to car enthusiast forums and will try not to ask too many questions that are easily searched. In advance I apologize for noob questions
I will dive into the forums and start to figure some things out and look forward to this new experience.
Thanks
Tim Stromatt
Houston, TX