When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Customs would be about 600 delivered just across the border to 98230. Shipping would be the wild card. I’m currently sending our Mercedes down to Seattle so as mentioned have a broker. No worries though
Denver to Boston topload was $725 mercury auto transport...definitely not a no name, unbelievable service for transport...it’s a confusing and shady business, stay away from no names if you care about your purchase.
I’m still looking for a super clean late model R53. GP prices are crazy right now for some reason. A JCW would be awesome but I think everyone on this forum is looking for those lol. I haven’t really seen anything from the craigslist page either. Let me know if you know of anything or have something that you haven’t listed yet. Thanks!
.Hello. I have a beautiful r53 06. It's not perfect needs things. However would love to discuss it.
I have an '04 R53 for sale...a few more miles, but everything has been fixed or serviced
2004 Mini Cooper S, aka R53. I have had this car since 2016, have since found another car to take it's place. This is a pre-facelift car, made 10-7-2003. Car has 144,000 miles and may go up some because I do still drive it. Dark silver with matching roof. Full glass sunroof, 6spd manual transmission. Aftermarket tinted windows
I have fixed everything that the kid before me either didn't fix or screwed up while he owned the car. New Interstate battery, radiator, serpentine belt & tensioner, tune parts, 2 new tires, 4 wheel alignment, front windshield, adjustable lower rear control arms. Car had new clutch and brakes just before I bought it.
Modifications: 15% supercharger pulley, one-ball exhaust mod, smoked side marker lights, smoked third brake light, aftermarket tail lights, black front grilles, interior rear body bar, boost gauge and voltmeter gauge, AUX input for music, LED lights through out the car, on-board battery tender.
Everything works on the car. All recalls have been done. No codes, no lights on in the dash cluster. I have all the manuals for the car that came with it.
Asking $5,800 or reasonable offer v(you won't find a cleaner car) Located in Auburn, Washington (seat covers stay with me)
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me
You mentioned you had found one earlier in the thread, I’m assuming it fell through or was the car misrepresented?
I have obviously found quite a few over the past few months. Most just aren’t up to my standards (too many miles, no maintenance history, too many owners, a northern car with rust, mechanical issues, etc) or just don’t have the right options. My friend owns two and both are beyond amazing but I know he isn’t ready to sell either one of them. Most of us have sold a car and regretted it at a later time and in this case they aren’t easily replaced. I am willing to pay top dollar for the right car but I don’t want that to be the reason someone sells me their car. Hopefully that makes sense.
I have obviously found quite a few over the past few months. Most just aren’t up to my standards (too many miles, no maintenance history, too many owners, a northern car with rust, mechanical issues, etc) or just don’t have the right options. My friend owns two and both are beyond amazing but I know he isn’t ready to sell either one of them. Most of us have sold a car and regretted it at a later time and in this case they aren’t easily replaced. I am willing to pay top dollar for the right car but I don’t want that to be the reason someone sells me their car. Hopefully that makes sense.
I can totally appreciate your last few sentences. I have debated selling mine and nearly did recently to a close friend but chickened out. I know that finding another like it would be impossible and I had always wanted a first gen MINI.
As far as your search, I think it will be tough to find EVERYTHING on your list. Personally I would consider a gap in maintenance records ok if the car checks out in a PPI, especially on a lower mileage car. My car only had a couple of Carfax records and one maintenance record from the previous owner plus whatever work was done by the selling dealer before I bought it. So not exactly thorough but at 13k miles there isn’t a whole lot that can go wrong.
Good luck either way, hope you find what you want.
It’s definitely going to be difficult to find everything on my list unless I buy a GP. I agree with you that the maintenance records aren’t as important with a super low mileage car. The problem is most cars I’m finding have 70k miles, 3-4 owners and no records. If the JCW on BaT was exactly what I was looking for I would be tempted to get into the ridiculous bidding war at the end.
BAT is the easy and expensive way out. If you really hang in there, with a lot of patience and determination, you’ll stumble on something you feel a lot more comfortable buying, and probably appreciate it more. After putting in the super human effort of locating exactly what I was looking for, and without paying the additional desperation fee, I can’t see myself ever letting this one go. But I’d be curious as hell to see what it would fetch on BAT in a couple years 😳
Keep looking, there's some out there, but certainly a lot less of them now than a few years ago. I got a 26k miles '03 JCW BRG, and I bought it 1 month after I sold my grey 04 JCW. I immediately regretted selling my grey one but I got lucky and came across the Green R53. PO literally went through the Cooper Works catalog and spend some serious $$$ on this car - JCW sway bar, springs, brakes, wheels. He even added the rear fog light and then basically clear bra'd the entire front end, which I had re done due to age. He even did the airbox, the injectors and the factory tune to bring it to 05-06 HP levels. it is our 4th car and it hardly gets driven, sadly...
Almost everyone who sells their R53 JCW “always” regrets it, no wonder there’s not many for sale, Many of them end up with another, and another. I waited over two years, probably would’ve waited longer. Was tempted by quite a few other cars, but for some odd reason, I held out for the right R53. Biggest bang for the buck I guess.
Almost everyone who sells their R53 JCW “always” regrets it, no wonder there’s not many for sale, Many of them end up with another, and another. I waited over two years, probably would’ve waited longer. Was tempted by quite a few other cars, but for some odd reason, I held out for the right R53. Biggest bang for the buck I guess.
Ain't that the case! While I've owned the Mini, I bought, and sold in some cases, a new 370Z, an immaculate AMG E55, an STI, and a Boxster. The Mini outlived all of them!