Hi

 

I did just that almost two years ago(except mines an s). I'm now at 63k, and it's been great since. Luckily you're looking at a manual so you shouldn't have the usual tranny problems. Look for the usual mushrooming on the strut towers.. and listen for any unusual sounds (loud whine is power steering, not bad).

 

just picked up an 02brg "poco" is her name 95k and manual purring like she would have 8 years ago.

best of luck

 

depends on how much it is. if the value is better than a few problems then you should be ok. it is still a used car (8yr old too) any way you can think about it.

engine sound, strut mounts and suspension can tell you allot.

 

IMO: Definitely DO NOT buy a Mini that has not been maintained properly and needs a lot of work. There are too many good Minis on the market to waste your money on someone else’s problems. This goes for any used car of course. Regardless of where you buy it, always have the car checked by a trusted MINI mechanic before buying.

Do yourself a favor and get some education about potential problems here:http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Despite some a couple of weak areas that are fixable, you should also realize that the overall design of the MINI is extremely solid with an unprecedented motoring heritage that is built into every car. Read more about this here: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...-be-surprised/

 

inspect it by a mechanic before buying

 

your third statement said what i was trying to say. do you research, i didnt and lucked out.

i thought i had some extreme problems that ended up being a few low cost and age warranted issues (for a bmw) plus time in the driveway.

 

You can check a few easy things. Make sure the strut towers aren't mushroomed or the upper strut mounts broken.
Also check front control arm bushings, at 40k these seem to wear out.

Oil change history? Alot of people skimp on this.

Power steering lines, these tend to leak.

Thermostat leaking, again common.

Oil pan gasket leaking, this is expensive, so negotiate if it is.

Exhaust hangers tend to rust out.

 

even with all that (mine had 3 other owners and no maintenance history), did you always expect a car to be driven indoors on perfect pothole free conditions for 8 years?

with age you get what normal wear at least. 8 years before other improvements had been made. 60k, still worth a look for used. no rollbacks on digitack.

 

just remember its used and will need some tlc regardless of its condition if you want it to last.
just like anyone that buys new car.
keep the machine happy and it will keep you the same.

 

I recently bought a high mileage MCS. Here are the things I would check for:

1. LCA Bushings
2. Oil pan Gasket leak
3. Coolant expansion tank leak
4. Unusual tire wear
5. Idle
6. Low speed fan fail
7. upper strut mounts

 

but you never mentioned how any of those factors relate to value and cost.
while they are all problems with older cars, why would someone not expect to have a few and not expect others in the future?