It's 2003 with just 9,500 miles on it. Cooper S with John Cooper Works. Red with white top and stripes. It looks and drives great, but it has no warranty at this point, and I can tell that the front bumper has been repainted. And the strut boots are torn. No signs of frame damage or anything serious. The price is $20,500.

Carfax doesn't show any record of accidents.

I love it but I don't know anything about its history and worry that without a warranty, I might be in for trouble. It's at Carmax, so I could buy a Carmax warranty for $1,500.

I've never owned a Mini, so I don't know what kind of problems I might run into with it over the next few years. Any advice?

 

with the introduction of the new MINI the r53 (2002-2006) prices have taken a hit. I would recommend to buy a 2005 or 2006 from a private owner. You should be able to get a very nice, documented example for that same price. My $.02

 

20K sounds OK for 9500 miles and its a JCW. I've never been big on extended warrantys if I've owned it from new and I don't know the extent of Carmax's warranty but it seems a reasonable price. You may want to get it as some MINI's have some issues. Depends on the luck of the draw. I've owned MINI's since 2004 and have had 0, that's zero problems!

 

You could buy an '05 MCS, add lots of mods and have the same $ invested in a better car. Remember, a big part of the value of that car is the low mileage. If you start driving it a lot, that value factor goes away. With the new series out, expect a lot of R53's coming on the market. Always happens when a popular car upgrades. Prior happy owners upgrade. That means nice cars coming on the market.

 

If you have that cash, why not go with ordering a brand new MINI. You'll know the condition of the car, that's for sure. No previous owners is a beautiful thing.

 

Carfax isn't as good as people think. They only report what is reported to the authorities. And in some states you don't have to report things like flood damage or front end accidents.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in614995.shtml

CarMax does have a five day return policy. You could get the car, take it to a guy to trust and/or put it through some hard paces and see if it is really okay. If not, return it and save the extended warranty $$$.

 

If you're going to be paying 20,000++ for a car, I'd wouldn't want it to be 5 years old! That's a lot of money for a 2003. I would also recommend buying a newer one from private owner or ordering a new one. I considered buying an 2005 for about the same price but it didn't have everything i wanted, and i still thought it was a lot of money for an 05. I'm so glad i ordered a new one. I wouldn't change a thing!

 

Buy a newer model. LOTS of great changes have happened since 03'... That's not say the older models aren't good, but for the money, I think you can get a much newer model.

Donna

 

Do not buy at Carmax. While they are super convenient they really charge a big premium for "no hassle".

Besides that, I would wait around and shop Ebay. That's how I got mine and it ended up being a great deal.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide!

 

Dude my car max excitement sucked royally.
guy couldent find a car they had on the web plus he smelled
i bought mine from a a nice no smelling man named dan davis
was an awesome guy sold me the car i love it more than anything

 

20.5K v. 23K for a 2008 S without all the add-ons. The 2nd Generation MINI is WAY better car than the first. Skip the add-ons and get a base S new!

 

Here we go with the R53 v. R56 debate.

I say that not to start one again but I do take issue with the "WAY better" characterization. I LOVE my 06 R53 JCW and still would not trade it for an 08 R56. I'm not sayin its WAY better or even that its better, I'm just sayin.... (drops hammer)

 

I faced a similar dilemma when buying my MINI. I found a 2002 jcw chilli red with black stripes and a black roof. It was beautiful and I fell in love with it. The only problem was it didnt have a service history and no warranty. The guys at the garage were driving her every day and taking her home at night which was also a bit of a worry. It was a very similar price to the one you describe with the exchange rate. In South Africa that is a very good price for a jcw. I was very tempted. To cut a long story short I ended up going to my local MINI dealer and got a good deal on a new MCS that was on the show room floor. Dark silver with a white roof. Even though he cost alot more I dont regret my decision for a second. You just cant beat a new car in my opinion.

 

some 02-03's had issues, would have a good mechanic look at it, maybe a little overpriced?
Could get an 06 for that.
good luck

 

It is the overall finish that is WAY better. More thought into it and sophistication, the R53 are primitive in comparison. FUN too, but less design integration. They took a motor from Brazil and thru it in there, I think a lot more design hours went into the Peugeot plant, just look at the torque curve.

 

As far as warranties go, go for one from warrantydirect.com. You can get a true bumper-to-bumper warranty for about $2500 and you can choose to pay it all out-right, or do monthly installments.

edit: All you Gen2's can suck it.

 

sounds good get it ; ) mine was 23k with 4 year warranty through bmw motorwerks