Howdy, I am looking at possibly purchasing a used Mini. After bumping around on this forum for a while I have read many posts regarding the life of both the clutch and the supercharger. I would love to have an "S" with manual trans. However I am wondering if I might be better off with a non "S" with an automatic trans. I realize it will take a bit of the fun factor out of it....but at the end of the day the cars main job is to get me to work and back every day (80 miles round trip).

So my "theory" is that by eliminating 2 parts (super charger and clutch) that are more prone to wear over high miles I will be less likely to dump thousands into it down the road. I say thousands because I would have to pay to have work done as a bigger job is way out of my league. I can handle basic maintenance stuff though. Also the thought of having a repair equal to 1/3 the value of the entire car scares the hell out of me.

I realize nothing is guaranteed as far as the life of a used car, but I think eliminating two expensive parts that are designed to be replaced sooner or later might be the move to make.

I am looking at an 04-06 model with about 50,000 miles on it.


All thoughts and opinions are welcome and appreciated.

 

Elaborated.

Stay away from Non-S Autos OLDER than '07. The CVT tranny in those models were prone to catastrophic failures. Replacements costing 7-8k.

Driven correctly a clutch can outlast the engine. And rebuilt S/C can cost sub 1k. Good condition used ones can be even cheaper. Recently a member pulled their S/C apart at high miles during an engine rebuild. It looked pristine.

If you really want to avoid having to replace the clutch 1k-1.5k job. you can get an S Auto. The Aisin tranny in it is a very solid auto.

 

An '06 manual S is a great car. I'd go that route.

Good luck with your search, and...

 

Thanks for the welcome...and the opinions. Is there a significant difference in quality once you get to the 06 model year? I realize this has probably been covered here......but this is a big forum with lots of threads.....so if someone could school me a bit it would be appreciated. Perhaps there is a sticky somewhere I havent found yet that can help?

TIA

 

Yeah, the search function on this forum doesn't work well anyway.

in '04 MINI started rolling out a refresh of the R53, '06 was the ultimate culmination of this. Some of the more notable changes are Headlight redesign, and coated S/C veins (more efficient boost production). There plenty more changes. The changes were "Big" but not night and day.

If you are looking to purchase a MINI, look on the Marketplace here. There are plenty of used ones up for sale, and I have seen some AMAZING deals on there.

 

For grins, here's a link to the first gen buyer's guide on Motoring File. Great resource.

I have nothing more to say, for the Lady hath nailed it

 

I had an 06 MCS and LOVED it. Manual, yes. I would definitely say take a look at the Marketplace here. Amazing deals!

 

As important as which MINI you get is how it was treated by its prior owner(s). The best model which has been abused is not as good as the worst model which has been well maintained.

Common opinion is that the 05 & 06 are the MCS to get. Having said that I have an 04 I got used which has been an dream. I purchased with 16k and now have over 63k with only normal maint.

 

Hi,
New member here. I've been thinking of purchasing a MINI Cooper for quite awhile but have to sell one of my other cars first (I have three 60's British cars as well). You know, the old spouse imposed, one in, one out rule (I actually agree with it as I'm running out of room!). Also I'm getting tired of all the work involved in keeping three 1962 British cars on the road.
But anyways, I digress.
I'm seriously thinking of going with an automatic MINI, even though it won't be a daily driver as I'm getting tired of the manual shift plus my wife and other family members could drive it easier. I gather there is two types of transmissions avaliable, CVT and Aisin. I understand the CVT is the one to avoid. Is ther a cut off year for this gearbox? I thought I heard 2004 as the last year this box was used but was that just for certain models?
Thanks,
Alan

 

The CVT was installed in non-S Automatics before '07. In '04 the design was improved upon, so it was no longer a death trap. But I'd still avoid it base autos until at least 07.

 

Buy the newest, lowest miles, nicest car you that will fit your budget, and buy what you want, not what you think you should get.

There are many threads here of people who bought a justa Cooper and wish they'd gotten an S. Likewise there are plenty of folks for whom the Justa is exactly the right car to have. A lot depends on your driving circumstances, where you live etc.

If all your driving is done is crowded, slow moving city streets, and automatic Justa might be just the ticket. If you're in the mountains, you'll find a forced indution car will be a whole lot more fun, and so on......

 

If it's not a daily driver, why not go with the stick?

 

Thanks for clarifying that, Matt. I know this may be a stupid question and one that I could probably solve with a little digging but since you're here... what exactly is the difference between a MINI Cooper and a MINI Cooper S? I looked on the MINI Canada site and there isn't an explanation, at least on the quick facts part. Maybe one has to go to "build your model" or whatever it's called. I'll check again.
Thanks,
Alan

 

Hi Martin,
I know, that's what I've always felt but lately I've been thinking maybe I should at least look at an auto, test drive one anyways. I'll probably test drive both and see what I think then buy a good used one.
Thanks,
Alan

 

Ooops, sorry, I was thinking of the difference between the MINI Cooper Classic and the MINI Cooper, both have the same hp etc., is it just some cosmetic differences?

 

that site is great....thanks!

 

This is the type of information a Mini rookie like me needs.......thanks for the info Agarwaen!

 

WONDEFUL !!! I was hoping i could by a new MINI S in my spiced orange color...but it now looks doubtful so i was looking for that article for 2 days now and SOOOO happy its posted here !!!

SO I should be looking for a 06 Man S ?

 

I agree, answered most of my questions, a great resource. Thanks.
Alan

 

No. You should be looking for an '06 manual JCW!

 

The differences between '05 and '06 are so slight that it should totally come down to condition and mileage, as the deciding factor among the two. (Not to mention price...an '05 is still new enough that it should still have a useable price advantage over an equivilant '06...all other things being equal.)

 

At Mini Mania this past summer, people were saying the same thing. Get an 05 or an 06. Or if you're looking at a convertible, you can go for an '07 or '08 as well as those are also 1st gen cars.

 

I have a gen2 justa with automatic, it is plenty quick and I don't think the S drivers are having that much more fun than I am. I prefer the auto to the manual as I have the choice of shifting or going shiftless and being agressive when I want, which is most of the time. Don't go away thinking that the manual S is necessary, it isn't no matter what their owners claim.

 

Stay far away from non "S" automatic. Auto tranny is known to prematurely blow and it is a $7,000 plus job to fix. Get a Cooper S auto or standard instead.

 

^^As mentioned further above, this is true of the early CVT-equipped cars.