Hi all,

My wife and I are considering purchasing a F56 MCS. We found a 2014 Volcanic Orange MCS with 36.4k miles, non CPO for $20k. I'd rather go for a CPO car but this one is specced very well (head up, Connected, etc).

What are owners thoughts on whether I should take a risk with only a year of warranty left on this beast? Hold out for the right low miles CPO or brave the idea of big repair costs down the road?

What say you? WHAT SAY YOU?!

 

The first question would be to ask if it is up on all the maintenance bulletins - I'm a '16 owner, but did read some posts about bearing issues (or similar) that led to some motors being replaced...

That aside - I think when it comes right down to it, you're going to need to be the one to make that decision... any used car is only as good as how it was treated/driven and how frequent and correct the maintenance was... You can do your best due diligence, check with pricing guides, crawl around the car looking for hidden issues and things that CARFAX may not have caught, etc - but it's going to come down to if *you* think *you* got a good deal on the car...

Personally, (being raised by a father who never bought a new car), I'd go w/ my gut, and if the car looks good, has a solid maint history, drives well, has plenty of tread/pad avail, interior in good nick, pedals not over-worn, and so on and so on; and if my gut said "this is the one" - then go for it... but be prudent and recognize that the discount you get may be used short or medium term to fix an issue. but I'm also pretty insular to the opinions of others and so long as I'm happy - I'm happy... Out of the 14 cars I've owned over the years, only 4 have been new... (one is only 4 weeks old)

Also - w/ the warranty still in place - you can pay $200 or so to have a dealer do a thorough bumper to bumper check before purchase to see if they can find any issues with the car... should be fixed under warranty, and that could give you some additional peace of mind...

Best of luck in your decision!

- Will

 

Yeah you have a year left of warranty, the price sounds good, it was probably over 30 grand new, and you'll have the opportunity to buy more warranty later from a 3rd party if not the dealership.

 

I'd think hard about looking for a CPO car. This one's almost out of warranty and is a first year model. Two strikes IMO. Admittedly I'm biased though. I found a nicely optioned '15 MCS CPO with warranty until 2019 or 75K miles.

 

They generally don't give you a CPO for nothing, you are paying for the warranty one way or the other. I struggled with this topic and with a Mini, leasing a new one wins for us. Three years and done!

 

Thanks for the replies. I think we're going to pass on this one. I'm pretty set on a CPO vehicle so I think I'm going to stick to my guns. The first model year, high miles combination doesn't sit well!

 

Good luck and post up what you get.

 

Think you are making a wise choice. The used car you were considering may be or turn out to be a great car. Then again it could be a money pit. Big gamble. Odds are it would probably be okay (providing all the maintenance was done on time and all the Tech bulletins were acted upon).

We bought our 2105 MCS new and will likely trade it just before I lose the full factory warranty (maybe a bit sooner as I crave a full JCW).

 

I am the Finance Manager at a Honda Dealership so my vantage point is different than most. CPO's are gone over with a fine tooth comb, services are brought up to speed and the car ends up being as close to new as possible. CPO's often qualify for additional finance APR discounts from the manufacturer which often helps offset the difference in price.

 

I work at MINI dealer in NJ close to Paramus. CPO's are gone over very carefully. They are up to date on maintenance, etc. On the F series manual trans 2014-early 2015 production dates as they had bearing problems and most end up with a new engine. The problem was part of a recall, and would have been fixed before sold on the lot. CPO will also get you lower interest rates: 1.9 for 60 months for top tier credit.

With a CPO, you'll be fine. You will get balance of the original warranty and no cost maintenance as well. If you have any questions, send me a private message.

 

Mini dealer employees, good to hear your perspective.
If you buy CPO from the dealer, does the dealer automatically extend the warranty?
For instance if I bought , from the Mini Dealer, a 2014 CPO w/ 1 year warranty remaining on the original warranty, what would the warranty be from the dealer when purchasing the CPO?

 

I purchased my 2015 MINI with 5,000 miles on it as a CPO...the dealer extended the original warranty to 4-years / 75,000 miles.

After all of the problems I had with my 2008 MINI Cooper S, there was no way I would have purchased another MINI unless I had a warranty.

 

If the vehicle is a MINI NEXT 5/75 car it comes with one extra year and a total of 75,000 miles on the car. This coverage kicks in at the end of the factory warranty. The MINI NEXT will come with 2 extra years or 100,000 miles total on the vehicle. There is a $50 deductible per service visit. You can extend a NEXT CPO warranty up to 7 years total for an additional fee. Also you can add the no cost maintenance up to the 6 years or 100,000 miles. I would always consider a CPO car over a non CPO car just because it has already been given a VERY thorough shakedown by the dealer before it qualifies. CPO gets tagged to the VIN as well so you can take it to any MINI Dealership for work, and it includes roadside assistance as well.

 

Yes that is what they gave me on my 2015 MINI. The car was already almost a year old with 5,000 miles...and they extended the warranty to 5 years /75,000. So as for me when I drove it off the lot I got 4-years / 75,000 miles...I'm very happy that I have the coverage.

 

Same here. '15 model with 5K miles. 5/75000.

 

Just spend a few hours negotiating at the dealership and get a brand new one.
I just picked up a 2016 MINI Cooper S F56.
Starting Price $24,100

Deep Blue ($500)
Media Package ($750)
Premium Package ($1,800)
Destination Charge ($850)

MSRP $28,000
Purchased for $24,000

Under the starting price!
The dealerships are hard and make it seem like they don't profit much on MINI's and usually only give you $300-500 off or so.

Remember warranties are also negotiable!

But if you don't get it loaded like mine, I'm sure you can get a 2016 model for the price of a used model!
Probably around 21k.