Minis have captured my imagination for a number of years and it is finally time for me to get a new car. I was going to buy a new mini cooper S until at a party on Saturday an acquaintance told my wife he was going to sell his 06 mini S (actually his wife was making him sell it). I like the idea of cutting something off the price of a new car but worry that I am giving something up by not getting the improvements of the new model. Any thoughts on this would be welcome.

Also, what is a fair discount off of original purchase price on a two year old mini with 14,000 miles?

 

There is a lot different between the 06 (R53) and 08 (R56).
R53 is super charged and R56 is turbo.
I have not driven an R56 but have been told there is a lot of diff, some say good and some say bad. You need to drive one of each to make your best decision.

The 06 is one of the best choices for an R53 as that model has all of the improvements made during the model cycle.

For price of an 06 MCS, it is very dependent on where you live. Check NADA and Kelly for info and go from there.

Good luck and have fun with whichever MINI you buy.

 

+1 to that, 2 completely different beasts. If you do a lot of long distance traveling, I'd suggest an R56, but both are great cars.

 

i've owned both, had a 2004 cooper s and now a 2007 cooper s. the 2007 is far better in almost every respect. (much better materials used, much faster, way better fuel economy which might be worth it alone. 31 MPG mixed). the ONLY thing i like better on the previous S is the sound of the supercharger. if its a matter of a few thousand dollars no question get the newer car. oh, and my 2007 has been totally reliable too.

 

Nobody here can answer for you which is better. Go to a dealer and test drive both back-to-back (they should have an 06 on the lot -- if not, drive one of the cabrios)

I would disagree on checking NADA or Kelly -- as many have found here, those values are over-inflated. . . in fact, Kelly will probably tell you the 06 is only $3k or so below MSRP.
Edmunds.com seems to have more realistic numbers.

Also check the NAM marketplace for MINIs and see what similar ones are going for.
Additionally, you could post the car specs (including all options) on here and get more opinions on the value than you'd probably care for.

 

Thanks for the good advice. Faster AND better mileage makes for a compelling argument for the '08.

 

If you're thinking of resale value, buy the 08. Very few people will want to buy an old model no matter how good it was. They also look a lot different so see them side by side and see which you like. Performance wise, the 08 wins hands down but you can modify the 06 to do as well with a lot of aftermarket stuff. The 06 is like an English car and the 08 a German car. The former has a lot of character but a lot of rattles. Good luck!

 

Hi roscoeenj,
Great to see another mini enthusiast shopping for their very own! As pointed out above, the cars are really VERY different. There is a list of "on paper improvements" for the R56 S as long as your arm, it is true. But there are a LOT of things YOU may very well note as "preferred" on driving an R53 (as many others have done). Newer does not always equal better.

Know that my 2006 is as solid as my R56 was, and truly rattle-free despite higher mileage, and many others can cite the same. Neither model of mini is exactly known for being trouble-free and there are certainly some rather serious engine rattle issues with the new S motors that have yet to be addressed by BMW. You need to be aware of that as well to make a fully-informed decision.

Particularly since you have been fancying a mini for some time, I would suggest you owe it to yourself to drive the 2006 S and at least check that box before you buy. Ordering a new 08 or picking one from inventory is easy as pie and can be done at any time, but if you find you prefer the power delivery / steering feel / handling / appearance / etc of the 2006, they aren't making those anymore and the potential purchase of a low mileage car from an acquaintance might be a great opportunity to get one of the 2006's.

Many on the forums here have owned both, and can attest to differences and pros/cons of both, and some prefer one and some prefer the other. As they are so different, test driving both is likely to show you that one better fits your expectations on what a mini should feel like... that way you'll know you made the right choice for you.

 

Goat, I will definately do that. I marginally like the looks of the old model better but would trade that for better mileage and more power. However my primary reason for getting a mini is that after too many years of driving boring but reliable Japanese cars I want something fun to drive. That will be the test.

 

One thing to remember is there is no such thing free power.
So, faster will always mean less MPG.

 

not true, the new turbo motor is at least 5+ MPG better in real world driving than my 2004 supercharged, and like i sated before, the turbo is faster.

 

It all boils down to two things: preference and cost.

The '07 is a little more advanced in technology and supposed to be more fuel efficient and people say it has the potential for more performance.

The '06 should be a little less money.

As an owner of a 2003 MCS I chose to upgrade to the '06 when I "saw what they planed on doing" to the '07. Sorry, but I just couldn't do the jump from the R-53 to the R-56. I ordered the last of the series and have no regrets. I'm just a bit old fashioned and to me, it's all personal here, the R-53 is the closest I'll ever get to the classic I fell in love with in the 60's.

So that's my opinion and yours is what counts so buy what you want and welcome to the world of Minis.

Your going to have lots of fun and never be bored like the other people are in their dull uninspiring cookie cutter modes of transportation.

Hope this helps...

 

Number 1 Drive them both and see which one fits you, their both great cars. Oh and by the way, I haven't had any trouble keeping up with the R 56's....

 

I was 100% dead set on getting a slighty used 06.... until i drove an 08.
I fell in love instantly. You have to drive both before you decide.

good luck!!

 

I was in the same predicament. I was going to order a new Cabrio but decided on my '06 that I bought. It only had 10K miles on it and I LOVE IT.

One thing to keep in mind is the pricing will be pretty close if you're making payments each month.

Though a used mini would be cheaper, usually the interest rate is higher and you can't finance a used car as long.

Point is, a new mini will usually get you a lower interest rate and you can finance it longer if need be.

I'm happy with my purchase but one advantage of buying a new one would have been I could have bought any/every option available.

Good luck with your decision, you'll be happy either way.

Mark

 

I originally looked into buying a used mini, but I put together my minimum set for a new mini on miniusa.com just to see. After a month of looking, I couldn't find any used MCa or MCSa for less than $3k below my '08 spec. Which speaks well of the mini's resale value, which isn't exactly a bad thing.

The thing that finally sold me on a new '08 was the Bluetooth and ipod/iphone integration. I was looking to buy a mini to make my 75 mile commute more comfortable, and being able to hook my iphone directly into my mini was a huge selling point.

My advice would be to spec out exactly what you want on miniusa.com, then use that as the price comparison for everything else, keeping in mind the features you aren't getting on a used mini. Test drive both, and if like me you're talking only a couple thousand for a new mini, give that some serious thought. My girl only had 5 miles on her when they handed me the keys -- she had never even been test driven -- and that was a fantastic feeling.

 

I think some physics people would disagree with this.
Your new car may be faster and get better MPG but you can not make energy that is not there. More power takes more gas.

 

The idea that an increase in performance can only come at the expense of reduced fuel economy holds true only if the two engines in question have equal efficiency. That's not the case when comparing the R56 'S' engine to the R53 engine. The new engine simply uses less fuel to produce more power. No magic, no violations of physical laws - it's just a more-efficient engine.

If you look at the results of engine dyno (not chassis dyno) tests, one of the recorded measurements is BSFC, or "Brake Specific
Fuel Consumption". BSFC is a measurement of how much fuel is being burned per horsepower produced. It's a direct measurement of engine efficiency, and BSFC numbers vary greatly from one engine design to another.

 

We have two MC's an 06 & 08 and you definitely need to go drive each of them for sure. They are night and day to me. I didn't think I would have such an opinion about each of them until we took delivery of our 08 in January. Its worth taking the time and make an appointment to truly test each out for yourself.

 

As an 06 owner, I feel I got the last of the good years. In the case of the Mini, newer is not necessarily better. I too jumped on a new 06 when I heard what was about to happen to the 07.

Drive both. The 07 and later underwhelms me personally.

 

First thing I'd want to know about any MCS is how hard was it thrashed by the owner!! If it was well cared for fine...otherwise get a new one.

 

You have to remember, that they are different engines. From an engine cycle standpoint a supercharger uses engine power to produce more power, or in other terms is parasitic in nature. A turbocharger uses waste energy to accomplish the same task, hence, on paper a turbocharger will always be more efficient, all other things being equal.

 

Drive both. Very different beasts in nature. I like and enjoy the positives that both generations have to offer and I am lucky enough to have the best of both worlds.

To me the first gen MINIs convey the "Mini" feel much more than the newer cars. The second gen MINIs are more German in drive feel and demeanor. Almost like a BMW with a MINI wrapper.

+1 on driving both. Very different cars but they share the same spirit of fun motoring. You can't go wrong either way.

 

Test drive both models and make your personal decision based on all the info you'll gather (especially from NAM -- so much out there!). Everyone has some great points on both models.

....But don't forget...you can always use the '06 as a "first car" or "starter Mini."

Everybody on here that HAS owned, is in the process of owning, or WANTS to own more than one Mini, raise your hand!!

If I didn't have to, I wouldn't have sold my '04...even if it looked EXACTLY like my '07 turbo (what can I say...I love BRG!) Both were fun, and both had qualities that attracted me in the first place. Just love them all. For EVER.

 

I am usually wary of buying used for this reason. Thats what intruiged me about this opportunity. While I don't know the guy well, because of mutual friends I am confident he won't lie to me.

After seeing all of the replies here I gather that there exists what could be analogized to partisan political divisions between new and old generation mini owners. I look forward to testing them for myself. Probably this weekend.