Hello to all!

Considering buying a Mini Cooper S as a second "fun" car. Although I like the older R52/53 supercharged Mini, I think I want to go with an R56 which is more fuel efficient and likely has some "kinks" worked out from the first gen 2002-2006 coupes.

To that end, I have come across an '08 R56 6-speed manual coupe with sparse service records (owners must have taken it to shops that don't report to carfax) and almost 97K on the clock. It has nearly every factory option including nav, park distance control, bluetooth, HD/satellite radio, peripheral alarm, lounge leather, factory aero kit (not the JCW), web spoke wheels (which I like!) I called a Mini dealer and they told me it had all three major "campaigns" done...timing chain and tensioner, aux water pump and turbo heat shield. It's going for $10K which seems reasonable compared to others I have seen, body and interior appear in good shape BUT the mileage concerns me as it is nearing the magical 100K mark and has minimal service records.

What should I look for on an R56 with this mileage? Should I even be considering it at all? It is out of state and was considering hiring someone to inspect the car for a fee. Should I consider another one I saw with almost identical features for $12K with 74K on the clock?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!!

 

That is a tough call! I bought an '08 with 76K with the remainder of 100K extended warranty and sure glad of that. I think every bolt on engine part was replaced. Well, all the big ones. I had a lot of work done on MINI's clock. After it expired on time, I had the chain done at about 95K. Oil Cooler\filter base seals and turbo oil lines about the same time. What I can say, is if you have someone inspect a car for you, make sure they know MINIs, but of course that doesn't mean that problems can't occur as soon as the ink dries. 2.5 years ago I paid $16 for mine and it wasn't quite as well appointed, but close.

 

That is an interesting dilemma. I have 92k on my '08 MCS which I bought new. I have maintained it very well and needed to replace the timing chain last week. There's obviously many things that can fail which are unpredictable.

For me, the two most expensive things would be the motor and the clutch. The one thing I think of is to have a compression test done on all cylinders. I did mine a few months ago and had at least 150 lbs on each cylinder. As far as the clutch goes, drive it and see how it feels. Unfortunately there are no guarantees there. BTW, my clutch is still original and seems fine.

If you're good at turning wrenches you can do most other repairs yourself. Good Luck with your decision!

 

I own a 2007 MCS with 105K and it IS a 'fun' car but I call mine an 'enthusiast's' car. I don't mind working on it (but it adds a dimension of frustration due to it's limited access / tight quarters).

Do you plan to work on it? If not you may be surprised at the amount the dealer charges for service.

Have a shop (that knows minis) inspect any used mini you are considering.

I'd look into the service history of the 74K and see if it has solid records.

As for the question of IF you should get a used mini with mileage I'm assuming you have driven a MCS so you know they can be fun...but I got mine from a family friend who got very tired of paying for dealer service.

Good luck with your search.