Hello,

My name is Mark and my girlfriend and I are searching for a used Cooper S in the Toronto, Ontario area. We are on a budget and there are a number of reasonably priced 2002 model cars around.

Are there any problems to watch out for on the 2002 model? Should we just save up for a newer one?

Please provide some insight.

Thanks in advance!

 

The 2002 models are out of the warranty period so any repairs are now on your dime. The early cars (2001/2 model year) had a few teething problems which garnered MINI with questionable reliability. However, if those issues were fixed under warranty, it shouldn't be a problem as I noted that BMW/MINI are very good at resolving problems and making sure they don't happen again. I was going to mention the CVT transmission, but you are looking at the Cooper S so that is not an issue. Since it is a Cooper S, you should have a look at the service history and get it properly inspected. There is some likelihood that the car was used in slaloms or thrashed as MINIs perform their best when driven hard.

If you decide save for a new one, there was a facelift in 2005 which included updates to the transmission amongst other things. You might consider saving for that. But prices for those have not come down much yet. You're still paying within a couple of thou less than when the car was new and in that case, you might as well buy a new one.

Good luck.