Recently I almost bought a MINI from an online dealer, but the deal fell through because the car had too many issues. Discouraged by that experience, I decided to up my budget and look more at Certified Pre-Owned MINIs.

I spotted two CPO listings at two different dealers. Both cars were 2018 MINI Hardtop. The color combos were among my top choices (a short list), so I was excited. But the Carfax gave me pause. I discovered that, although both had mileage in the low 20k miles range (24k and 21k), neither had a record of oil change. I knew that Carfax isn't complete, but it seems to usually include service done at dealers. Since MINIs come with free maintenance for three years and both cars were local in an area with many dealers, I thought it was unlikely that the two cars had oil changes at non-MINI shops. I have seen service histories from those two dealers on Carfaxes for other cars before.

I emailed the first dealer and asked about the lack of maintenance history on the Carfax. A sales advisor replied that Carfax is not always accurate, that CPOs are serviced only at MINI dealers (thus they can see the internal records), and that vigorous CPO inspection meant I had nothing to worry about. I didn't ask him to send me those records, but I did say that, should I be ready to buy, I would like to see records that an oil change happened every 15k miles max (preferably every 10k). No reply.

I then asked the second dealer with the same question, via their online form. A sales advisor replied, inviting me to come in for a test drive. This seems to happen a lot: instead of answering a question, the dealer would simply tell me to come in. I emailed back, asking again whether the car had an oil change not reflected on the Carfax. No reply.

It makes me wonder if there was possibly no oil change at all. I'm not sure what to do if the dealers never get back to me with more information. I like those two cars a lot - not easy to find. The oil change issue worries me, but maybe it's worth taking the risk if the car is otherwise vetted thoroughly as a CPO? Would you buy a CPO if it had no verified oil change for 20k+ miles?

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UPDATE, 02/26/2021:
I just got a reply from dealer #1, three days after my last email. He said that their internal records show oil change below 10k miles because otherwise MINI wouldn't allow certification and that, while he can't share the records with me now (to protect the client's privacy), he can show me the record on his computer if I come in.

 

I wouldn't touch a car without a verified history of oil changes. Too many choices out there to scrimp on that requirement. That's just basic maintenace.

 

If it’s an actual Mini CPO vehicle, it will come with a 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. If the car only has 25k miles on it now, then I would go for it. The dealer has to pay Mini before they can offer the car as CPO, so it’s in their best interest to get it right. Also, you don’t have to go back to that particular dealer for any warranty work. You can go to any Mini dealer. I would have no problem buying a CPO Mini with so few miles.

 

Great point!

 

This is the type of answer I would expect in the first reply. It definitely makes me question the dealership as a whole when they give you a reason why you shouldn’t worry about it and still consider the car, instead of a simple answer that’s readily available to them. Also, if they really want to get you in and sell a car, I don’t see why they couldn’t give you generic details(is that an oxymoron?) like the oil was changed at X and X miles on these dates. How much time would that take for a potential sale?

At least you got a follow up with a good reply which helps, especially if the car/combo is on your short list.

 

I think I’d insist on a hard copy of those oil changes.
If you’re counting on a factory warranty, MINI might balk if there’s no documentation of scheduled maintenance from the previous owner.
And if Carfax doesn’t have a record of it, then the next buyer might be asking the same question.

FWIW I bought a Lexus with over 100k miles and the Carfax showed every oil change from Lexus dealers to Jiffy Lube to independent shops.