Hello, i have always wanted a mini cooper ever since i can remember. When it came time to get my first car, i was given a 1997 ford ranger(Mazda B4000), but i was never really satisfied with it because of my love for minis. Now, i have some money saved up and am looking to purchase one. I want an S for sure, and am looking for something in the $6-$9 thousand range. Is there anywhere you guys know of that i should be looking? Can i even get a mini for this price range?

Thanks in advance

 

I got my '03 S for 8700 with 75000 miles. It can be done. However, do factor in that any used Mini is likely to need to have the front suspension bushes replaced, which will cost me around 700 bucks. I also needed new tires, 500, along with an oil change, which was 85.

 

Agree'd....

 

So i should be prepared to spend around 8k on the car and then at least another 1k on fixes? Sounds perfectly reasonable. Just need to save up about another 1k then ill be there!

 

Yeah, just be prepared is all. There are probably higher mileage examples out there for less than I paid for mine, but around then a clutch replacement and new brake pads and rotors are probably due, and that could cost even more.

 

I have an '04 MCS with 70,000 miles that I just sold for $8500 to my brother-in-law. It has front bushes replaced 1 week before warranty ran out.

 

Should have sold it to me! ha ha jk. But where would you guys recommend looking besides Craigslist? and what problems should i be on the lookout for?

 

He got the "keep the wife happy" discount, which was good for exactly $1000 less than the dealership offered.

Problems I've heard about include clutch burnout at <32,000 miles - mine was fine at 70K miles but I would ask if the clutch had ever been replaced. Also, my car has a gremlin which makes the headlights stay one sometimes after turning the switch all the way to off.

In general, would check the electrics. My car's passenger side window motor went out within a year of ownership, as did the sunroof motor. Both replaced under warranty in 2006-2007 or so. No problems since.