I've been reading a number of threads and read the buyers guide on motoringfile which have been very helpful but I am wondering if you guys can offer any tips on what I should be looking for when I search for my first mini? This will be our second car and I'll be using it mostly to commute to work which is about 50Km on highway and using it in a carpool with 4 adults part of the year (summer). Unfortunately preliminary budget has me looking at an 2005 base cooper model with about 130,000 KM mileage to get the price inline with what we can justify. I'm fairly set on getting a manual but wouldn't be opposed to at least trying the auto/paddles...esp if it meant stepping up to an S

Anyway the MotoringFile seems to strongly suggest avoiding anything older then 05 and avoid the auto's in non cooper S models. So unless you guys tell me otherwise I should concentrate on finding a 2005 or newer manual or a Cooper S in manual or auto.

Other then crawling under the car and looking for obvious oil leaks what else should I be looking at?

 

I hate to be a wet blanket, but you need to ride in the back seat of a MINI for 50Km and see what it's like. Unless your adult carpoolers have no legs, they will be miserable. Unless you buy a Clubman.

 

I got one last day.

 

I had the same comment.

Four adults in a MINI for other than a short lunch drive runs from fairly uncomfortable to darned-near impossible, given the sizes of the humans involved.

 

A Countryman would be the only Mini I would think of having 4 people traveling comfortably.

 

I own an SUV that I can use for those times that I need to commute with the car pool if the MINI is too small so that isn't really a concern as most of the time it will just me myself.

So assuming that isn't a limiting factor what should I be looking for with regard to known issues and how to spot them?