So, does the sweet little Justa for sale on AutoTrader.com belong to an EIMer? It seems to be calling to me so that I'll be MINIed up in time for the British show and the Swamp Fox parade.

 

I couldn't find it when I did a search...is it off the block now?

Edit: Oh, maybe I found it...is it the LY/W one with sunroof and 94K miles? If so, it's not from anyone on the EIM roster.

 

Yep, that's it, thanks. Not sure I want a used one but it might be okay if I bought it from a "friend".

 

Hard to judge the condition without seeing it in person. From the description provided by the owner, it sounds like it was appreciated and well taken care of. One owner is a big plus, as it implies that they've been happy with it for many years. Mileage is about normal for an '04. Definitely a nice color (one of my favs). The manual transmission is good as it removes concerns you might otherwise have over a high-mileage CVT.

A good record of preventative and corrective maintenance would be a confidence builder. There are a few likely wear items (e.g., front control arm bushings, power steering pump motor, brake rotors, crank sensor O-ring, etc.) that might need to be addressed at some point soon given the 94K miles on the clock and the almost 8 years of age, but maybe the owner has already dealt with these things.

The normally aspirated engines on these model year cars are pretty rock solid -- even more so than the supercharged engines. I know of several running around with over 200K miles on them.

Good luck with your search!

 

Are front control arm bushings related to the mushrooming strut issue? I'll send the owner an e-mail and ask about these maintenance items. I'd seen several forum posts with good things about the 04s so this is sounding promising.

 

Different things. The strut towers are above the wheel wells accessible via the engine bay. The front control arms are under the car behind the wheel wells. Many times the rubber bushings used to mount the control arms to the frame start to dry out and crack around the 75K - 100K mile mark. An inspector knowledgeable of the MINI could check their condition fairly easily.