Hey guy's i am looking at getting a 03 Cooper S. 6spd car. i can get the car for around $9,000 the car has 100.350 miles. Clean title zero accidents. I am getting it to replace a 1996 Lexus SC300 with 198K miles. i just want to know if people think this is an ok deal? and what kind of things i should look for? i plan on looking into any and all maintenance records from the cars past. i know about the clutch problems that some of these cars seem to have, so i'm assuming this one will either need one or it has been done within not to long ago. i also know about the thermostat housing leak and the power steering failure. anything else i need to look at? i know some mini's have issues with rust under the rubber strip on the door.

also i don't believe i will be taking this car to the dealership for maintenance because i am pretty good with fixing and building cars. i actually just got done building a 1993 Nissan 240sx with a toyota supra 2JZGTE in it which is actually my girlfriends car. so this brings me to my next question. for all you hands on guys is this car pretty straight forward? or is there alot of stupid specialty tools you need to work on this car? also with the car at 100K how will this car be in another 75-100k? anyone at that mark with a cooper S?

 

and before anyone tries calling me out/******** about the 2JZ swapped 240sx. here is some pics.






body and paint still to come.

also i have been into the cooper s for along time (as shown with my join date almost 2 years ago)

 

oooooh boy, you gonna need double the modding budget you had for the Lexus

I woud do the usual checks and PAY to have a mechanic familiar with these cars give it the once over. There are some very expensive repairs which could come your way if overlooked. So dont be penny wise and pound foolish. Have a professional look at it.

All that money saved can be used for modding

 

Sounds like a reasonable deal to me, especially if the clutch has been replaced. You obviously have the skill to work on the MINI yourself so I say if it checks out from an inspection by a qualified MINI service person, go for it.

 

try this...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...h-mileage.html

cheers,

Charlie

 

If they have never been replaced, the lower control arm bushings are bad. Also the shock tower mounts. And the low speed fan but that is not hard to fix now that we know how to do that. But the bushings are a bear.

Rich (Artoo is also a 2003MCS with 100,000)

 

These cars, for the most part are pretty easy to work on. With over 225,000 miles currently it's been to the dealer twice. Once for it's free maintenance, 2nd for a recall. Evertyhing else ine done myself. At 100k make sure serpentine belt is good, start keeping an eye on the supercharger (mine lasted to 190k w/ a 15% pulley before I't went), struts, control arm bushings, and cv joints. I'm still on my original clutch, w/ no signs of slipping. Just keep up on the regular maint and it'll be fine.
Enjoy!

Nik

 

Price sounds good. In addition to getting the mechanic to check it out, find out what dealership it was taken to and see about getting a copy of the service record.

Yes, definitely keep an eye on the water pump and supercharger. My old '02 MCS went 115K before I totalled it, and I was still on the original for each. xsmini, that's amazing mileage for yours. I thought I was lucky with mine. It might be a good idea to search this forum or E-Bay for a spare supercharger. The swapout will go much faster instead of waiting for the original to get repaired.

Make sure plugs and wires are done. They are supposed to last 100K miles. You would be due for them if they have not already been done. The lower control arm bushings (i.e. casters) are rubber surrounded by a piece of pot metal. They last about 80K miles (I changed mine out for Alta solid casters at 81K miles). You might be due for struts if they have not been replaced.