Alright, so I got a great deal on a new (used) mini.. and it's such a good deal I'm a little suspicious.

It's a 2003 Mini Cooper S, with leather and sport package, and I'm picking it up for $14000.

I know a good bit about cars, and educated myself to heck and back about the problems I should look for on a test drive. Everything on it felt strong, there was no hesitation and generally it drove very well (with a rough ride, which I expected for a Mini with run-flats). 54k miles, so it wasn't driven absurdly hard or absurdly easy.

Here are my thoughts on the price... Apparently the guy I am buying it from turns over cars quickly, and I think he must have run out of lease on this vehicle. I'm pretty sure he just doesn't know the value of the vehicle, and since it had been sitting on the lot for awhile he dropped the price. It started at 15.5k, and I watched it until it dropped to 14.5, then talked the price down to 13.9.

What are your thoughts?

 

Do a carfax if it will make you feel better, then buy it. Sounds like an OK deal but I'm not sure it's a great one....prices have dropped lately and even MINIs are sometimes hard to sell.

Buy it and have fun.

 

I did do a carfax, it came up clean as a whistle. I just wanted some reassurance, basically. This is my first real car purchase, and I'm going to be paying it off for a loooong time (well, to me it is).

And I am planning on having a lot of fun with it. I am thoroughly excited, Mr. Belvedere will be a great car.

 

 

May want to check with MINI USA to find out what maint has been done.
Have the common fixes been taken care of (window motors, PS pump, etc)?
All you should need is the VIN.

 

sounds like a pretty good deal, but not excellent, at least not excellent enough to be suspicious. i think sometimes people forget what year it actually is. an 03 car is at least 5 years old, and over half way to 100K miles. 14 grand sounds like a fair price, i wouldnt pay anything more than that for it.

good luck!

 

$14K sounds like a pretty reasonable price.
I'm selling my '02 MCS, and I went to Autotrader.com, and did a search within a 100 mile radius circle of my zipcode, looking for pricing on similarly-equipped cars. I based my selling price on that, and found that it was pretty close to the median of KBB and NADA.
You already did a Carfax on it, and were happy with the results, so......
Take a deep breath, pull the trigger, and don't look back!
I've been detailing high-end cars for about 25 years now, and as such, have had the chance to drive some pretty cool rides (Ferrari F550 maranello, Porsche GT3, etc.).
I can honestly say the MCS is one of the most fun cars to drive (for the money!) out there. Good fuel economy, GREAT handling, roomy, and a boat-load of potential!
You've already found this forum, which, for the most part, is full of enthusiastic, helpful people.
Best of luck with Mr Belvedere.

 

I paid(in November) $14.5k for my 2003 cooper s with 33k miles and it was fully loaded with all the extras, after $1500 trade in my 1990 Nissan 240 sx.

 

In November '07, I paid $14,600 for my 2005 Mini Cooper with 58k miles on it (which I considered a good deal, compared to the others I priced). So I'd say you got a good deal, but not a super duper deal that should/would make you suspicious.

 

Forget about the carfax, I've seen too many clean carfax's and the vehicle has been in a wreck. Just check the car out the old fasioned way and feel along all the edges of the car for any paint lines. Just run your finger along the door edges and it should feel smooth, if it has been painted you'll feel the line where they taped it off. If you do feel lines, take it to a mechanic and put it on a lift and inspect the frame rails for stitch welds. If you don't see any it should be in good shape.