Hey guys, I'm considering an 02 MCS in the area. Only thing I'm a little weary of is the mileage. The car has 95k on it. Normally I'd say this is nothing, but with my limited knowledge of Minis, I'm a little hesitant.

Is there anything specific to Minis I should look out for with such mileage? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

 

Well....first, a few questions: do you intend this as a daily driver? How many owners, and what kind of a price?

Before you decide this is absolutely what you want, check out this article; it's a great starting point for MINI shopping. http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

And also this thread - it's a little more funny, but still gives good ideas to "reading" used MINIs. https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...d.php?t=140038


The thing to keep in mind is that the "new" BMW MINIs just started production in '02....so lots of the bugs were only just starting to be worked out in those models. This doesn't mean they aren't good cars!

Good luck, and I hope they help.

 

Thank you so much for the quick reply! It WILL be a daily driver, and my only vehicle, so it will have to be reliable for me to get to work every day. My commute is about 18 miles each way.

It had one owner, a middle aged female, who commuted on the highway. A private dealer owns it now. He said he has owned it for about a year but never signed the title. I think he originally bought it to sell at a profit, but really liked it so he kept it around for a little while.

It rode smoothly, everything worked. The clutch grabbed at the floor. Overall it's in very nice condition.

I will read over the links you posted now to gain some more knowledge about these cars. Thank you for the links!

 

the engines on the 2002-2006 are rock solid, so i wouldn't worry there. what i would worry about is everything else. i had a 2004, 2005 and now a 2007 MINI and the 2007 is by far more reliable. my best advice would be to stay away from a 2002 cooper with high miles and no warranty. these cars are expensive to repair. and if its an automatic don't walk but run away, the midlands auto boxes on the 2002-2004 were complete junk and will fail on you.

find a 2005+ and higher miles wont matter so much because they are better built.

 

What's considered high mileage for a Mini? I'm used to Hondas, so higher mileage starts at 170k in my head, lol. I do own a Jetta with around 180k and had an E36 with higher mileage, but that's it as far as German cars go.

I know this may be hard to tell because Minis are newer, but is there an average life expectancy for them before things start going downhill?

 

Flav - Since I never had issues with mine, I have to ask: with all the knowledge, sources, and info out here on NAM now, are the '02s (non-warranty) still expensive to repair you think?

Either way, Niko, tread carefully and make sure you understand what you're looking at, and the scope of what may come. As daily drivers, all MINIs are great stuff, IMHO.

 

Well, from what I understand (from other NAM-ers who have owned MINI or Minis for much longer than me), I believe 95k is starting to edge into the higher milage...but this doesn't mean bad things, it only means that's when milage vs. price start to come into play.

Keep in mind, with the MINIs, they have only been out since '02...so "higher milage" is relative. If it's got high milage on it, you want to know why - to understand how "used" it really is and what problems may come of it...like too many highway miles, check the shocks/struts and wheels....or high miles w/ not enough service checks, etc.....

Make sense, yes? I'll stop hogging the posts and let some of the more knowledgable folks have a say.

 

try this thread...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=131986

FWIW my JCW Cooper S is strong as an ox at 101k

Who knows how long it might run...

 

I just found that thread and was coming to post for this person! Good thing NAMers stick together...

 

take it to yr fav mechanic and have a thorough inspection

 

Some clarification here.....

The Cooper S hardtop (R53) from 2002-2006 was offered with a 6-speed Getrag manual transmission. Not until the second half of the 2005 model you could get an automatic Cooper S with the AISIN (Toyota) 6-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters. The auto Cooper S was offered beginning with the January 2005 production onwards.

Make sure the car has all service records and do not hesitate in taking out a Carfax report (Which can be done online for a nominal fee). Also with the VIN number any MINI dealer can pull up the service/repair history of the car and see exactly what was (and what wasn't) done to the car.

95K miles on a modern day automobile (and a well maintained one at that) is absolutely nothing in the big picture. Newer cars are built to last 200K-300K+ with basic maintenance.

Last. The Midland gears 5-speed manual transmission was offered only in the regular Cooper model from 2002 until 2004. R50 Cooper hardtops made from 2005 until 2006 have a 5-speed Getrag manual transmission.

 

Some folks confuse the ZF CVT transmission offered in the Cooper model with the AISIN 6-speed slushbox with torque converter in the Cooper S. Two totally different animals. The CVT is no longer offered in the new hardtop R56 MINIs (You either get the AISIN auto or a Getrag manual). The CVT is still offered today in the R52 Cooper convertible but it will soon cease production when the last batch of 1st gen R52 convertibles leave the factory at the end of this month.

Unless you can get this 2002 R53 Cooper S at a killer price, I suggest stretching your budget a few thousand more and concentrate your use MINI hunt on either a 2005 or 2006 Cooper S. Why? because MINI made substantial changes (mechanical and cosmetic) to the Cooper S in the 2005 model year and the build quality is generally regarded as the best of the bunch. I have a 2005 Cooper S hardtop 6-spd manual with 43K miles and I haven't had a lick of a problem with the car since I picked it up brand new from the dealer showroom floor in March 2005.

Anyway best of luck. I have owned 4 MINIs since 2002 nd with well over 100K miles combined under my belt, I know a thing or two about these wonderful cars.

PS: Before coming to MINI, I owned nothing but Hondas and Acuras for 12 years. I haven't looked back ever since.

 

Thanks so much for the replies everyone! It really is a lot of help! I've also been a Honda/Acura fan since I got my license 8 years ago. I know them inside and out, and I'm pretty good with working on cars, but German cars seem like a whole different game.

The owner mentions that the thermostat, water pump and steering coolant fan are some of the items that were just replaced. I guess that's a good thing but at the same time it worries me. Is it normal for those to need to be replaced so soon? The engine bay isn't as clean as i'd like it to be, but I guess that's expected since a middle aged woman owned the car and probably never popped the hood to keep it clean.

My budget is $13.5k. The car is on eBay right now and it's currently at $11.3k. What's the maximum I should go on it? I actually have the high bid at the moment! The carfax is CLEAN and shows one owner. The windshield was replaced because of a crack that showed up out of nowhere. It looked good and ran and drove nicely, the clutch grabbed right at the floor.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...m160251821827&

 

Look harder and you might do better with your $13.5k. For example, check Craigslist.com. Here's one in your neck of the woods: http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/car/727349964.html. I wouldn't pay $13.5k for a nearly 7 year old MCS with almost 100k miles. I just bought a 2005 MCS 6 speed from a Mini dealer, loaded, 26k miles, and it's Mini NEXT Certified for $19.4k. Also, get used to replacing windshields if you own a Mini.

 

I called that guy the other day but it didn't sound like he wanted to sell the car. He was giving me short, one word answers. I'd rather not even bother with people like that. Call me crazy.

The one I bid on is still at $11,3k. I wouldn't pay 13.5k for it either, but if I can get it for under 12 it seems like a good deal. It just seems like these cars are so hard to find, especially with a configuration I'd be happy with for the next few years.

 

If you look around, you can probably land a 2005 MCS for $15K-$16K. The extra few thousand are well worth it IMHO.

 

Hey, I love my 02! The things recently replaced by the previous owner are notorious problems for the early biulds. I had to have the water pump replaced last year at about 65,000 miles. Most folks on NAM agree that the cars got better as years went by. The 02s are the quirkest. I believe they have different suspension, and gearing than later models. If price is an issue don't count an 02 out. I couldn't afford a later model and since they hold their value quite well I still can't. I've spent a bundle on aftermarket bits, but, by doing so I've learned alot about my car. I've really enjoyed the process. I have read here on NAM the supercharger is, according to Eaton, good for about 100,000 miles. I have no idea how often they actually fail at that mileage. I recently purchased a low mileage take-off SC to have on my shelf for when I need it. Keep in mind NAM will scare you to death if you read it too much.

 

Strut tower deformation. hmmm..

what else.... how they detailed it. hehe, thats what makes me think a person took care of it. Is it smelling newish still? Mine is 2 years old and looks much cleaner than a new car off a lot. yes. I made it look nicer than when I bought it brand new and had 12 miles on it. I would trust a well detailed car.

just not a Guido-detailed car. They burn around and destroy gears and brakes and everything and then buff out the paint. that's a NY thing I think though.