Hello!
If I have a budget of $12,500.00 which MINI should I look for? I do not know much about cars (obviously) but I do know I want a manual MINI.

It would be my daily drive (50 miles round trip M-F) and some driving on the weekends.

What should I look for when shopping around? Any tips on what to avoid?

I'm not a fast driver so I do not need a lot of speed. All your input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

It's a delicate balance between milage, year and condition.

Base model will be best. Better still is one with all the service records.

And an owner who doesn't care if want you to take it to a mechanic to have it all checked out.

Best of luck with your quest.

 

^^THIS. If you're not a car person, you'll definitely want the base MINI. Less trouble prone than the Cooper S. Lowest miles you can find, in combination with documented service history. From there, the rest is just personal taste...colors, options, etc...

 

I picked up a 2006 base, fully loaded (excl navi), in manual, with 30k miles for $13.2K from a BMW dealership. Had all the records, in excellent condition. You could probably do better from a private dealer.

 

When you find a car that you like and is within your budget, do yourself a favor and arrange for a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI). Especially if buying from a private owner or non-MINI dealer, this is $100-$175 well-spent. An independent mechanic with MINI experience or a MINI dealer should be able to do the job, and you'll know exactly what you're getting into before signing on the dotted line.

Good luck with your hunt!

 

I just spent that exact price for a Mini I bought last week.

Here's what my $12,500 bought me...

• 2005 Mini Cooper S with 41,000 miles - clean title, no accidents, clean history, well maintained
• Dark Silver with Black Roof and Mirrors
• 6-speed manual transmission
• 17" web spoke wheels
• Leatherette interior
• Sport package
• Chrono package
• Premium package

The Blue Book value was over $14,000, but I was able to negotiate with the private party selling the car for the $12,500 price. It took about a month to find what I was looking for, and I had to travel out of state to buy it, but I'm very happy with the car.

Good luck in your search!

 

Great! All this info is very helpful. Hope to join the fun ride soon. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

Recently picked up my 02 MCS for 10.5. Garage kept, 46k miles, all dealer service records. There are amazing buys out there is u just take your time to find them.

Best advice i can give is be patient and shop around a lot. I was shopping for three months till i found mine and had to drive 3 hours round trip twice to get it.

 

Overall, I'd get the cleanest, no-accident-history, relatively unmodified, lowest-mileage, first-gen base Cooper you can find with the Getrag gearbox. That would be a 2005 or 2006 model which should be within your price range.

I'd also recommend private sales so you can interview the owner and get a feel for the car's history. But you will need to be very patient and wait for the right car - most of the private party sales on CL are salvage title cars. But the right car will come along. The dealers have more cars, but they're going to cost you a grand or so more.

- Mark

 

I bought a 04 cooper S for Exactly 12.5k with 60k miles and mint condition last week. Paid an inspector 150 bucks for a PPI and picked it up soon after that.