i may be in the market for a cooper s. The years i am looking for is 2002 to 2005. So my question is, what years are better then others and what should i be looking out for when buying a used cooper s??
thankyou very much and hope to be a new owner soon
cheers

 

2006. Just before the refresh. Good trans, less miles. We would love a new member of the NAMily!

 

Being somebody that works on them I'd look for an 05-06 car. I personally drive an 06 everyday.

 

www.motoringfile.com has a great buyer's guide on the front page, upper right hand corner. Hope to welcome you aboard as a MINI owner soon.

 

I agree, get yourself a good '05 or '06, you will be happy with either one.

 

thanks for all ur info...but my plans with the car is to use it occasionally for a second car, but my main reason for buying one will be for a weekend corner carver to have fun on the streets and to sometimes go to the track and take a driving course it will not be my everyday car..and also to do some modest modifications to it...
so my budget is around 13000.00 canadian dollars and i can get 02 03 with about 70,0000 km on it not miles...so would you still not recommend a 02 or an 03 mini s?
thanks

 

If you don't mind spending a lot of your spare time in a garage with it, then go for it.

The 02s and 03s have their share of problems, they're just not aging well from what I've been reading about them, it's part of why I opted not to buy a used MINI.

 

If you are set on an 02 or 03, I would go with an 03.
However, I would suggest on 05 because starting in 05 the transmission had better gear ratios.
I had an 03 and now have an 06, and I like the transmission of the 06 better.
Also, I suggest looking for a car with Limited Slip Differential (LSD).

The 03-04s have their problems but so do the 05-06s, just different problems. Getting an 03 and having some extra money to add mods would not be a bad way to go.