Hello
I'm from Mexico and I'm planning on buying a 2005 mini cooper S...

any good / bad experiences???

I've read that automatic transmission is a pain ....

that suspension in Mexican roads tends to be noisy

that it is a very fun reliable car but expensive in maintenance & services ...

any advise??/

by the way the car has 40,000 miles aprox

thanks a lot for your time!
regards!

 

I used to drive a 2004 GLI that I sold this february ... great car!!!

before that I had a 2000 Mystake, sorry Mistique .... good car ...

before that a 1999 toyota camry (lived in US)

before a 1998 contour SVT

before a 1994 Jetta Jubileo

so as far as you can see I have had long term reliable cars

 

I drive an '05 justa...no major complaints...but from what I see on the boards the "S" models aren't as reliable. Can you get the maintenance records...I think if I were to buy a used MINI I'd wanna make sure it got all it's scheduled maintenance and inspections...not to be to nosey do you feel like the price is fair for the car? or is it a too good to be true?

 

06 MCS automatic (previous) owner here. No issues at all. The auto trans works as advertised all of the time.
I put 90,000 miles on mine, one the roads of Nuevo Mexico and while the suspension could have been softer, it wouldn't have been near as much fun!
I do not think this is a bad choice. The 05/06 R53 is regarded as the best of the bunch. If the condition is good, and the price is right, go for it!

 

the price is really good!!!!
but they didn't gave me the maintenance records

anyway, what should I inspect or do as a "update" maintenance???

car got like 37,XXX miles (aprox 60,000 kms)

thanks!

 

I would say please please please have it professionally inspected, preferably at a MINI dealer (should only cost about 1 hr labor). MINI will give you a detailed report of what needs to be done (but be careful, sometimes if you don't have a reputable dealer, some needs might be inflated some!).

Not sure if the 2005 still uses the electro-hydraulic power steering pump, but if so watch out for it (make sure the fan under and just behind front bumper is turning nicely).

My 2003 Cooper S has 75k miles and I track it regularly (that is where most of my miles come from). It doesn't burn any oil, even at track events, and has been utterly reliable. That is just my experience, some others may have different issues.

Good luck! The supercharged S is a great car, and I love mine!

 

Yes, the auto in the "S" is rock solid, the CVT in the regular MINI is prone to problems if not maintained correctly.

 

what is a correct maintenance for CVT????

 

if it's an S, it doesn't have a CVT.

if it's an S and an automatic, it has a 6 speed Aisin. Which DOES need periodic fluid drain and fill, contrary to what MINI says ("lifetime" fluid my butt).

 

The 2005 MCS is the best car in the world. End of story.

 

Periodic as is every 10,000 miles??? Or as in once a year? Jajajaja