[!First Post!]

::My attempt to make a Long story short::

I've begun the search for a Mini Cooper for my girlfriend (and me ). We had a certified 2010 Base Hardtop lined up with 39K miles, and good options ticked for under $15k, but it was sold before we could get the funds in place (her previous car was totaled by an insurance company). So now that killer deal is gone and we're on the hunt for something similar. I'd love a Cooper S, but more than likely it'll have to be an 05/06 to fit within her price range. Otherwise we're concentrating on 2010s and up, hopefully certified with an extended warranty.

Which brings me to my biggest question/concern, the dealer we are working with advised sticking with certain model years; 2005/06s and 2010 and up. She said to avoid everything before 2005, 2007/08s, and only go with 09s if they're certified. She's been way cool, tracks her Mini, and seemed to know her sh*t, but I'm not entirely convinced.

What is everyone's experience here, is this mostly true? This really negates a large chunk of Cooper S hardtops that are hitting the perfect age of affordability and performance.

I tend to prefer the R50/R53 size and design (especially the interior) but the R56 would probably make her feel better with lower mileage and perhaps even warranty.

Any advice or feedback on what to look for would be greatly appreciated. I'm crazy excited to get into the Mini brand and get sucked into yet another modding obsession via my girl's ride. I have a couple BMWs myself and haven't been satiated yet, so bring on the Mini Bimmer!

Thanks in advance!

 

Sounds like a good plan imo.
The advise on years is generally accepted in the mini community!!
While folks HAVE had no issues with ones outside the above suggested timeframes, but sticking to them will limit your exposure to a number of issues!!
Since so many mini's are owned by first time owners (the older ones), do a good prebuy, and imo, stay away from a car if it has been "modded" for performance, even if the paint is perfect. Some modded cars are fine...but the ones owned by less,responsible folks have been run HARD.
ONE TIP...no matter Which Mini you buy, be sure to tech your signifigant other how to check her oil REGULARLY!! Many mini's do burn oil at a rate of close to 1 quart per 1000 miles or so...cars hold about 5....and some folks try not to check it for most of an oilchage...up to 15,000 miles...(many consider 7500 to be more prident)...many have gone BOOM!! and the mini does not have an ADD OIL LITE...so dipstick checking is a must!!

 

This is great advice! Thanks for confirming our dealer's statements, your explanation makes much more sense to me. I certainly didn't know about the lack of an Oil Light, I believe her now totaled Jetta was the same. There certainly will be some education on the upkeep of her car, my hope is that she catch the enthusiast bug and get hooked on Mini as I'm sure I will.

Thanks again!

 

Totally agree with ZippyNH about the importance of checking and changing the oil. Unfortunenately it is very difficult to get a good reading of the oil level on some models. There have been several threads dealing with this. The following link is to the thread I made for reading the 2011 and later dipsticks. Some of the information in this link is useful for earlier MINIs. I don't think the 2nd generation Justa's (Later than 2006)are as sensitive to the years made as the S's. The Justa's also have much fewer issues. Good luck in your search.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-dipstick.html

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

From reading this forum intently, her advice and that of Zippy and byron is very good. The first model years of the first Gen had issues that were fairly resolved by 2005/6. Then the second Gen came out (in the Hardtops, not the convertibles, which lagged a year I think) So 2007/8 were new engines and also had troubles. The newest updated engine came in 2011, that resolved many of these issues, including issues that kill engines dead. So at this point, the most reliable, statistically speaking, seem to be the 2005/6 and then it jumps to the 2011, IMO. The 2010 was the last of the N14 engines, so still possibly has issues, time will tell.
That being said, you should seriously consider a straight Cooper engine, at least give it a chance. Sure, it doesn't have a supercharger or a turbo, depending on Gen, but it's tremendously fun in the twisties, and the Gen 2s have a 'sport button' that gives it a little more spunk. A straight Cooper engine is much more reliable overall, cheaper, better on gas, and might just do the job for you. Give it a fair trial, because if money is a concern, facing a big repair bill down the line is not a happy prospect. Take one out and run it around, doing some good cornering and having a little fun. Unless you drive all the time like a race driver, you might find that the straight Cooper is a good compromise and will save you in the end.
The oil is SO important, it should be stressed that if you buy used, make sure to get a full report of maintenance on the car before buying. See, in a nutshell, the timing chain tensioner needs a good full oil level to keep from chaffing and ripping its guide to shreds. If the oil has been neglected, this nasty problem will come back to haunt you in a terrible way. Since people were told that an oil change interval of 15,000 miles was recommended... **many of them didn't check the oil regularly between changes**. Dirty oil is bad, no oil is worse. And because the turbo heats the oil up much more, the oil turns into a sludge faster, clogs the system, gums up until it can't easily pressurize the tensioner, particularly in cold weather... and pretty soon things are banging together that shouldn't be.
Good luck! Spend some time looking at your options, and reading the stock issues area here, and show us what you end up buying!

 

JoanieB is absolutely right. I owned a 2007 MCS and now own a 2011 MC. I have never regretted getting the justa instead of another S as explained in the following post. One other thing I did not see mentioned is the warranty will not pay for damages caused by user neglect. If you use gasoline with over 10% ethanol or you let your oil or radiator coolant get too low and it causes damage, its your cost. I mention the amount of ethanol because when the high pressure fuel pump on my 2007 MCS failed, that was the first thing they checked. Fortunately I was using one of the top tier gasolines they recommended so it cost me nothing.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...26-post14.html

 

In my last post I tried to emphasize the importance of proper maintenance. I think I left the impression that MINI is looking for excuses not to honor their warranty. My experience with warranty repairs has been all positive. All the repairs on my 2007 MCS and 2011 MC have not cost me a penny. If the repair or update could be done during normal scheduled service it was. If the service took longer than an hour the dealer either drove me or provided a loaner. My dealer has been excellent in suggesting ways to make my MINI last longer and their service and repairs have been top notch. I would like to also point out that my 2007 MCS was the first year of the 2nd generation, the year the S models had their most problems. During my ownership and the previous ownership the only major problem was the high pressure fuel pump. I checked the records for maintenance and repair by the first owner before buying the 2007 MCS. The records showed the car had been well maintained and almost trouble free. I feel my two MINI's are examples of how reliable they are if well maintained.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B