I recently bought a 2004 MINI Cooper S. When I looked at the vehicle, I heard that it had a slight exhaust leak in the left rear area. Nevertheless, I bought it anyway because I was planning on doing some exhaust work to my Cooper S anyway. Under further examination, I noticed that the muffler has an exhaust leak on the side closest to the left tire, and the resonator may have a small leak in the rear also. They are both very rusted out, but the cats and exhaust pipes seem to be in good condition still. Due to the small exhaust leaks, it is a little louder than my buddies '06, but not obnoxiously loud like some vehicles with bad exhaust leaks. I'm looking for the best exhaust setup on a budget. I'm not going to spend $800 on a whole new exhaust, nor even $200. I thought about deleting both the resonator and muffler, but after a small amount of research, that may be too loud? I've never heard a straight-piped R53 before, so I don't really know how loud it would be. I want something that is a decent bit louder than stock, but nothing that is extremely loud or straight up annoying to drive daily. The more pops and crackles, the better. This MINI is my fun, short distance, daily driver. I like loud exhausts, just nothing insane. What are some of your ideas to achieve my goals, while on a budget? Do you think straight piped would be too loud? Looking to spend $0-$100 and do the job myself. Thank You!

 

find a local exhaust place and have them make an exhaust system for you. Cost will depend upon muffler and the shops hourly rate. Cheapest option in my opinion. Also yes a straight pipe will sound like crap.

 

The "one ball" is always a cheap way to go. Just lop off one muffler and route the main pipe to the one that remains. Hence, one ball. This will make it louder but not by much. Taking out the mid-pipe resonator will also make it a little louder - probably - but again, not by much.