Is this 2004 R53 pre- or post- the July 2004 facelift? If it's the pre-facelift, what are some key things to look out for in terms of mechanical issues, compared to the post-facelift?

 

The facelift (July 2004) marked the beginning of 2005 model year production.

Without knowing the model year you can tell whether a car is a pre-facelift by looking at the dash ... it will have a 5-piece dash.

I'm not aware of any unique mechanical issues.

 

Is the attached image pre- or post- facelift?

From my research, I gathered that the facelift introduced the following - am I missing anything?
- Upgraded Supercharger (163 to 170bhp, Teflon rotor coating)
- New ECU
- New exhaust
- Shorter gear ratios

 

See this: http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/
Your photo is pre-facelift.

 

Easiest way to tell is the reverse lights. If the reverse lights are in the brake light cluster, it's a post facelift car (05-06). If the reverse light is in the center of the bumper, it's pre facelift (02-04).

 

That's a good indicator, but it they're sometimes updated with FL tail lights which were available as a dealer accessory, or by using used tail lights as many on NAM have done.

It's good to check for multiple indicators like if it has a 5 or 3 piece dash, a smooth chrome grill surround if it has the standard grill, projector xenons, although the grill and headlights can be easily changed as well. I think the control/light panel on the headliner in front of the rear view mirrors are also different. The pre-FL might just have lights and the FL has lights along with the passenger airbag light.

The 5/3 piece dash would probably be the least likely thing to change on a pre-FL car because of the way the passenger airbag deploys. Im not sure if the 3 piece even fits on a pre-FL.

If you really want to be sure, the best way would be running the VIN through an online decoder or checking the window sticker if it was saved.

 

Thanks for this. I'm pretty confident this is a pre-facelift I'm looking at. Would you say this is something that I can use to negotiate? i.e. make the point that pre-facelift is worth less?

 

Not necessarily... it really depends on the condition of the car, if you really want a FL car or not, or if you even have a choice as in the case of an MC40.

One of the biggest differences is the gear ratio's of the FL 6 speed, but then you have people posting that they prefer the longer gearing of the pre-FL cars. If you can, I would test drive multiples of both for you to see the differences yourself and to find if it really makes a difference to you.

 

Okay thanks - of the R53's, I've only ever driven a 2005 for about 20min and can't really remember the gear ratios. I've been looking for an R53 near me for months and this has been the best looking one within my budget so far. From my research, the consensus seems to be that the post-facelift R53's are "the best" ones to go for, so I was hoping I could use that to negotiate.

 

As a buyer, I would use any reason to negotiate, but I don't think it would have as much infuence as being a JCW or not. How it works out depends on how much the seller knows about FL cars and the debate on them being better. If he doesn't know anything it might not make a difference, or you might be able to convey you are compromising a lot by buying a pre-FL. If you like the car and JCW wheels, something to negotiate would be to include them with the car.

For the car posted, it looks clean, but I would see why the exhaust is crooked and if the strut towers are mushroomed (the pic is from a distance, but the drivers side looks mushroomed and the passenger side a little less). I would also check the crank pulley, passenger and lower motor mounts, the control arm bushings, and the rest of the usual MINI and used car things to check.

I thought the miles were high, but if it's km they're really not high for an '04.

Does the car have a sunroof or reduced supercharger pulley? Can you get the VIN to see everything it was built with?

 

Easiest ways to tell - the steering wheel and the tail lights.

Pre Facelift had 2 spoke steering wheel. Post had 3 spoke.
Pre Facelift had backup light down near the exhaust. Post had backup lights in the tail light assembly (and backup light from Pre Facelift was changed to fog light).