Help! Can't decide which one to buy!
 

Hello all - this is my first post and I hope to be part of the Mini club soon. I have narrowed down my choices between two cars and can't decide which one I like better.

Here is the first one: https://www.miniofalexandria.com/use...XP7C52F2C60262

It is a CPO 2015 Cooper S, 6MT with 20k miles for $18,500. Has every option I want except for the upgraded headlights - plus it has the fancy leather which is a plus for me.

Here is the next one: https://www.flowminiraleigh.com/used...8348628aa4.htm

It is a CPO 2016 Cooper S, 6MT with 35k miles for $18,000. It has every option I want except for leather - I believe it has the sensatec. It also doesn't have Navigation of the HUD, and the other one does, but those aren't deal breakers.

Originally - the lighting package was a mandatory item for me, but I really like the extras the first one has and the lower miles. I drive quite a bit at about 18k miles per year and would keep the car for around 4-5 years.

What is everyone's thoughts? Also - how are these prices?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the group!

I'd say Neither, they both have a fixed roof;)

but I may be biased

Funny thing, is that this is a concern since I am coming out of a 2013 BMW 328i convertible to get this car. I'm sure I will miss the convertible, but I am not a fan of the Mini convertibles and both of these appear to have the dual sunroofs, so that will have to do.

Any thoughts on other items regarding these two cars? They both seem to be slightly overpriced, but I'm not sure.

Credit for at least going with 3 pedals:)

If you are buying from a mini dealership then there will be a premium for that.
I couldnt go back to "just" a sunroof after owning the 'vert (mini convertible has a sunroof function anyway, which is nice), but Im not sure I'd be quite so sold on it if it was my only vehicle and I lived somewhere with less friendly weather.

Yeah - I live in the mountains near Asheville, NC and this will be my only car and one that I will use to commute in for about 18,000 miles per year.

Any other thoughts on the leather versus the sensatec? How many miles have you put on yours and any issues that I should be aware of for the 2015/2016 models?

If you think too much it will make it even harder to make a decision. I would personally go for 2016 model because it would be 3rd year since 2014 as many issues should of have been resolved by MINI. Also because it has black interior(seats, doors) + black 17 inch rims. The rest is the current wear and tear of the car. This car looks similar to mine which is also 2016 Cooper S 4door, which I acquired recently

Thanks for the heads up. Yes, the 2016 is the one I am leaning towards. I probably would have pulled the trigger had I not stumbled across the other one with the really nice leather seats and only 20k miles.

What are your thoughts on the headlights? I've had HID headlights in my cars for many years, so that is another big concern to me about the 2015 model. What is your opinion on the sensatec seating? Will I be sad it isn't leather?

1) The LED headlights great, probably the best I have had. They illuminate the road nicely. (Pictures of your 2016 show the same lights as mine)
2) sensatec? Do you mean fake leather? If yes, then the seats are soft and have good support when I go into a turn. They are pretty much like leather :)

I would hold out for one with LED headlights, they are so much better than the regular ones. We have 2 2019 MINI's, one with the LED, one without.

If you can, do a test drive at night to check out the headlights in a driving situation.

Thank you - and yes, I've decided to hold out and get what I really want. I'm looking at a couple different ones now - 1 has everything I want and the other few are missing 1 item on the list, but have better pricing or are closer....

We shall see.

Hold out for what you really want, especially if the color is up for grabs.
I agree that they both look a little more expensive than I would expect to pay, though, I was looking for a base four-door when I was searching. So my gauge may be off.
For what it's worth, I had a great buying experience at Flow Mini of Raleigh. Given that dealing with car dealers is not the best experience in the world, I would recommend them compared to others I have dealt with in my life.
I'm 3000 into a 2019 base 6mt and am a very happy customer.
Happy searching, then happy motoring!

Ugh - decided to wait until I can find exactly what I am looking for - there are literally 0 in the United States currently for sale. LOL.

Oh well - the hunt is on!

Good luck check cars.com, car guru, carsforsale.com etc,..

Thanks man - I check every day, sometimes more than once a day, because it seems when something pops up that I want, it sells very fast.

FWIW- I bought a ton of stuff from ECS for my BMW, you guys are a good company.

Thanks for the support! When you get the MINI you know where to go for future mods. :)

Alright - so an update, everyone.

I found a MINI that fits every option I am looking for! The only issue, is that it is a bit older and higher mileage than I was originally planning on, but it is priced accordingly.

This one is a 2014 with 41k miles on it, certified (so a little bit of warranty left, expires in 11/19) and priced at $14,900.

I've done some searching and can't find anything that really stands out - but is the 2014 model something I should avoid, or does everyone feel it should be okay? I plan on keeping the car for about 2 years and until the miles reach around 75,000. (I drive about 15-18k miles per year).

My nearest dealership is 100 miles away, so I am concerned about anything that might cause me issues. I can do minor wrenching myself, but nothing major and nothing that requires MINI computer coding, etc.

What is everyone's thoughts? Here is a link to the car:

https://www.miniofmonmouth.com/Vehic...-NJ/3197874873

It looks like you really like Pepper White huh? Great MINI color imo! I do prefer the black roof and mirrors on PW but the all white 2014 looks really nice too! I really like the multi-spoke silver wheels on the 2014. I didn't notice if the 2014 has Harmon Kardon Sound System but the 2016 one does....if you are in the car commuting alot the HK system is a huge bonus. As for sunroofs, that's up to personal preference. We have two MINI's, my F56 JCW has no sunroof but the R60 Countryman S All4 has the sunroof option (it also has a few things I don't care for & lacks a few things I'd like to have, but we bought it used so I understand what you are going through very well!).....the S/R stays closed so far, but we haven't had it over a summer yet, so I may like it. You might want to compare warranties as well, since the mileage between the two isn't that much.

Good luck whatever you decide!

I appreciate the input - and yes, my current BMW has the HK radio, so I agree that it is fantastic.

What are your thoughts on the 2014 models? Do they have any bugs that the new ones don't which I should be aware of?

There's always the door jam rub....check to see if any paint has rubbed off on the B-Pilars/Door Jam location...very common issue. If I was looking I'd honestly most likely stay away from a 2014 unless the dealer shares with you every thing that has been serviced or corrected. I believe there was issues with the clutch on some cars, or maybe it was the crankshaft bearings (I think this is it!)...others might recall more than I can right now. The fix generally was a completely new engine! :-)

You can also try autotrader dot com and do a specific search for the year and model you want by region or no distance limit...this is how I found our 2015 Countryman S. I almost pulled the trigger on one in Colorado until we spotted one closer to home that we drove home instead of having a sight unseen car shipped.

Interesting. Any specifics or links for the engine issue? This one is MINI Next certified and the service records show that it had the front brakes replaced during ownership along with a few other minor items and then the certified inspection replaced all four tires, the rear brake pads, and did an oil change. Seems pretty tip top.

The engine issue would certainly concern me.

Currently - this is the only one in the United States that is a fully loaded manual transmission 2door, which is what I am after. There is one other one in Oklahoma, but it is a 2017 and a bit out of my price range, plus it isn't certified and has an accident on the carfax.

The crankshaft bearing issue is a well known problem. You can search on this forum and the F56MIni dot com forum. Not all cars had the issue I believe but before buying one I’d at least ask the dealer selling the car. It may be fine and if it’s what you like I’d probably go for it

I don’t put a lot of faith in Carfax either. If a car is warrantied and checks off all the boxes, even if it’s beem repaired due to an accident, depending on what was repaired, I wouldn’t walk away before checking it out. I’m sure a lot of buyers walk away from perfectly good cars and that just leaves the door open for someone to score a great car for the money!

I firmly believe the F56 MINI is a great value for the money!

i reaches out and it looks like they performed work to rectify the bearing issue (see attached).

It appears to be exactly what I’m looking for so I made an offer of $14.000 all in plus tax. I’ll likely know tomorrow. The current price of $14,900 is actually a pretty fair deal but I’d be remiss if I didn’t try to get the best deal possible.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...330ed6c40.jpeg

It never hurts to ask questions and let the seller know you know the car you are contemplating! Good luck and please let us know how things go.

I am not going to give my opinion on this option or that option, but what I will say is if you really want "what you want" why not look Nationwide? I sold my 2016 JCW 9 months ago as the manual [which I prefer] was not agreeing with my new hips and spine plate and screws!!!
I looked just about every day as I do have also a Jeep for Forest Roads or City and finally found one in Las Vegas "exactly" with the options I wanted [2017 JCW]. Booked a one way flight and drove it back. [720 miles].

I am actually enjoying immensely the steering paddle shifting!!!

Definitively worth it as this one is a keeper. Might even get the extended warranty even though it only has 19,000 miles on it. Monday the Sport exhaust is being installed. I would never spend that "extravagant" money on a JCW if I was not going to keep it... Just like the Jeep with full quad tip "Ragazon" exhaust, "Go Pedal" and Auto Flash"...

Just a thought. I don't like to compromise and I will not buy brand new either! Let somehow else take the devaluation. In my case, a year and 9 month old, originally 17,500 miles, less than half the sticker price! Crazy...

well. They sold it to someone else first thing this morning.

There is is another one that is exactly what I want, and is a great price, it it’s a bit out of my budget.

It is basically the exact same car, only a 2017 with 18k miles on it for 19,900.