I spent about four years here as a very happy R50 owner. I spent a fortune modifying it (see sig.) and it was an absolute blast! However I had a nagging feeling that while it was a great canyon carver and city car, I hated the lack of passing power on the highway. I wanted a bigger, faster car. I ended up with a 2011 328xi 6MT which I purchased CPO in 2015. It's been a great car and very reliable, and while not exactly a powerhouse, very capable of highway trips and passing without needing to downshift to 3rd or turn off the AC. Unfortunately it lacks the fun factor and I've been regretting selling the MINI. I've decided to look for an R53 as a second car.

I've found one for sale that seems to fit the bill - a clean R53 6MT in Chili Red, on KW coils, Invidia exhaust and a 15% SC pulley. It's a few cities away so I haven't had a chance to drive it yet, but I'm hoping she's the one. There really is no replacement for a MINI.

 

Good luck with your search! Patience is key to finding the right one for objectives and budget. Mine is strictly for occaisonal fun driving and never fails to provide grins galore.

 

Great color! Mine will also be a weekend toy, I'll be keeping the BMW for DD and winter duty.

 

Good luck and let us know if we can help. It would be great to have you back in the MINI camp.

 

Welcome. Hopefully it turns out like you want. I know when i am on the search i find a couple bad ones before a good one. Best to see in person. If their are MINI members in that area, sometimes they might have already checked it out.