The 2004 MCS I am looking at it has just over 100k miles, a third-owner car with decent service records from about 60k miles. Chronos, heated seats, xenon, white exterior / black interior.

What should be the fair offer for the car and at what price should I walk away?

Also, it has a 3-spoke steering wheel. I thought that only 2005-2006 had those. Could this have been replaced?

Thanks!

 

You might be looking at an '05. I don't believe that the Chronos option was available on the '04.

 

That sounds like an '05. Although, I think they may have had a 3-spoke steering wheel in '04.

Does the car have mostly highway miles? 100k miles is kinda high, especially if it IS an '05.

 

My bad. It is 2004, but with Nav, not with Chrono. I got confused because the car had the speedometer on the steering column. However, it does have a three-spoke steering wheel.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Am I looking at a potential money pit?

 

Ah, okay. It would depend on how much the car is as to whether or not it's worth it. But here's some questions to start...

Has the clutch been replaced?

Do you have or can you get a service report on the car? If so, check on proper maintenance.

Has the car had a tune up?

Are the miles mostly highway (from commuting)?

Are the tires, paint, brakes, etc. in good shape?

Has the car been wrecked? (And don't trust Carfax just because it says "no", check it out for yourself.)

Ask for a test drive, and check for any leaks. If all is well, and the price is right, go for it. Aside from my Midlands tranny biting the dust at the end there, my R50 got 120k miles worry free. But the R53 has the Getrag gearbox, so I would think you could possibly get another 80k - 100k miles if it's in good shape.

 

Some late build 2004s came with the 3 spoke steering wheel as an option and the 2 spoker was still offered as standard. A friend of mine has a May or June 2004 build MCS and came with the 3 spoker.

The 2 spoker wheel was discontinued beginning July 2004 production as that date marked the 2005 model production point (Facelifted cars). All 2005+ MY US spec MINIs come with the 3 spoke steering wheel as standard equipment. Euro spec and other world market MINIs of the same vintage continued to offer the 2 and 3 spoke steering wheels. The 2 spoker wheel was discontinued from the US market because it does not comply with the US mandated dual stage airbags.

The best way to check the build date of the car, is to locate the sticker/placard on the driver's side door jamb. With the VIN number, MINIUSA or the dealer can tell you the actual production day of the vehicle.

Personally, I would not buy a pre-2005 MCS unless you can get a killer deal (Well below $12K). 100K miles is still a little high for a 2004 MY MINI. It is good to know there are consistent service records from 60K miles, but what happened before then???

If buying an used 1 gen R53 MCS, I would stick to either a 2005 and 2006 model year. The facelift improvements make these cars much better purchases than the 2002-2004 MCS before them.

BTW, I owned a 2004 R53 S and my 2005 R53 S is a MUCH better car, hands down.

 

Aside from getting a $20 buck Carfax.com report on the vehicle, I highly recommend paying for an independent mechanical inspection. Money well spent, considering the age and mileage of this car.

Things to check for.....

Oil condition

Clutch and flywheel

Suspension bushings

Strut tower mushrooming

Tire wear/alignment

Evidence of paint or accident body work repair

Mods?

Why the car changed owners so many times?

What was its repair/service history prior to 60K miles?

It may or may not be a great car. Doing your homework and asking "Uncomfortable" questions should be your top priority. Sometimes, a well cared for 100K mile car is a much better purchase than a neglected car with just 30K-40K miles

Miles don't tell the whole story. get yourself a good mechanic, put the thing on a lift and let a professional tell you whether the car is a worthy purchase or not.

 

Thanks so much for comments and help!

I will keep looking.

 

Don't forget to check the supercharger!!!! 100K miles is a critical time for this vital component. Also check the engine belts, spark plugs, coolant, radiator, etc.

 

As long as it has proper maitainest it's should be ok. I personally will prefer a 100k freeway miles car with proper maintainest then 60k car with poor maintainest.

 

James, thanks for asking my very question. I'm also looking at an '04, with 96K. I'm considering offering way low and seeing what seller comes back with. It's been on a local classified-ads site for six months now, and the price keeps dropping. Lately, seller seems more desperate in his posts.

There's a local shop that will check it out for $135; well worth it, me thinks. The guy there said they hadn't had much experience with high-mileage Coopers yet, but they're beginning to see more. Point is, he couldn't really tell me what might break soon....

Someone mentioned supercharger concerns at 100K. What else should I be concerned about?

Also, what's the diff between 1st-gen motor and 2nd-gen motor?

--Andy

 

Strut tower mushrooming, top strut rubber spliting, control arm bushings, Tie rods/Ball joints, clutch, Rad hoses, Charging system with Battery, plugs/wires, Brake fluid flush, Coolant flush, Fuel filter, AC, Tires. That should cover it in order of what to ck and what needs to be replaced around 100K if not done yet. Remember the supercharger as pointed out

 

Some of your questions....

Check previous posts in this thread for critical areas of the car to look for during the mechanical inspection.

As far as the engine differences between 1st and 2nd gen....

1st gen engine is a SOHC cast iron block (Code name: Pentagon) 1600cc engine designed by Chrysler Corporation in Detroit circa 1996. The engine was offered in 4 powerteam levels:

Cooper models had a 115HP naturally aspirated version
Cooper S models had a 168HP Supercharged (Eaton M45) version of the engine.
JCW Cooper S factory cars (from 2006): 210HP supercharged
JCW GP special edition (2006) factory car: 215HP supercharged

The engines were manufactured by a join venture plant called TRITEC located in Curitiba, Brazil and exported back to England for vehicle assembly.

The TRITEC is known for its bulletproof reliability and durability. Great engine I might add.

In the second generation, BMW co-developed the new engine with the PSA-Peugeot group of France (Code name: Prince). The current 1600cc engine is more high tech...VANOS, direct fuel injection, aluminum block, electric water pump, twin scroll turbocharger etc, etc.

The engine is manufactured at the Hams Hall plant near the MINI oxford factory and it is also shared with the Peugeot 307 in Europe.

It is offered in 3 flavors:

Cooper 118HP N/A
Cooper S 172HP Turbocharged
JCW Factory car: 208HP Turbocharged

The engine is known for its better fuel economy, better emissions and nearly 90% of all its torque is available at 1,600RPM and up.

Durability past 100K miles is still unknown.

Hope this helps

Cooper: 11

 

Thanks for the info, guys. Very insightful, helpful. We'll see what the seller says about my absurdly low offer....

 

Out of curiosity, how much are you offering if you do not mind me asking? Below $10K?

 

Yep, just below 10,000. He's asking 11,900. He promptly refused. Was worth a try....

 

I would not offer more then 10k

There is an 03 MCS with 44k miles for $12,000 in my area on CL