i am buying a mini cooper s when i return in 2 weeks from japan. the one i want already has a suspension, drilled/slotted rotors, intake,and the alta cuplings on the side of the SC. the car has 97k, the dealer said there is no known problems. the cooper also has the aero grill and looks like an exhaust upgrade as well. i can get the car for an out the door price of 9457.69. should i be worried about whether the car was beat. the dealer also said the car was in great condition and performed very well. so should i buy or not

 

heres a few pics.

 

I would suggest getting a Carfax report, and having an independent mechanic go over it thoroughly. With those mods, you have to wonder if it has been tracked or autocrossed.

 

Carfax doesn't mean much as I understand. Many shops and insurance companies don't report to Carfax, so a car can have serious damage in it's history and still show up "clean."

A dealer will not likely tell you that the car runs rough and is a lemon. Not so say that's the case here, but it can't hurt to have it looked at by an independent shop.

 

The airfilter looks like it needs servicing....
But look at the mini Cooper buying guide on motoring file for gen1 cars...
Have the car looked at by a mini dealer or mini centric shop...
Looks can be decieving, and the early gen1 mini's varied tons when it came to build quality....
Remember...it is a nearly 10 yr old car getting sold for nearly 10,000$. It sold new for somewhere in the low 20's....
Use the online services to find "average" value....then add/subtract for mods, condition, etc.

 

Looking at the pic, it looks like a few mods were removed...
It likely had an upper stressbar or Cravenspeed/m7 STD's...
The wires are aftermarket...looks like the studs or strut covers tops are shiney...might have some dress up stuff left from when the car was returned to stock...

 

You need to practice a simple phrase.

"No"

Too many things you can see from the pictures. $9K might be a good price for an absolutely pristine, well-maintained and documented, stock automobile. This one has been played with. Repeatedly it would appear.

I wonder why the right rear tire is marked "RR". Were the tires never rotated? You can go on forever this way.

My answer would be as referenced above -- No.

Look for a better example.

 

i too feel like it has been tracked. just from the mods that are on the car. i have built cars for awhile but never a mini. just wanted some insight. there are 2 other cars that have no mods a littel lower on the price wiht the same miles. one is BRG/B for 7900 and the other a HB/B for 8900. and these two are from good dealers that carry new cars as well. and not a dealership that a single owner owns and operates

 

there is also an 05 that i can get under 10k. the only downfall to that car is that it does not have the leather seats. but the car is completely stock where i can build it the way i want and it only has 86k on it.this one is also DS/B with the black bonnet stripes. im just afraid one of the cars isnt goin to be there once i get home the 5th of dec. its usually my luck that i find something that i want but when it comes time i cant get it cause its sold. i just wish i could find a black on black mini cooper s in my range that would make my day