I'm looking at buying an 04-05 Cooper S, likely a 6 speed. Looking at ones with around 50k miles in the $12-15k range. What do I need to know? Common problems? Things to look for? How hard are they to work on? Supercharger problems? Particularly expensive repairs? Any advice is appreciated.

 

Not to be rude but there are a ton of threads on this subject. Search "R53 problems" and similar terms. This is a good place to start:

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Good luck!

 

The only tip I can think of is avoid automatic transmissions.

Our 2004 has been extremely dependable and more fun per mile than should be allowed. We've put 58,000 on ours in 22 months, which puts us around 108,000 miles with no major repairs ever needed.

 

+1 on the avoid the automatic, for that kind of money I think I'd look for an '05 or '06 even if they had higher milage, Mini made a few positive changes in those cars, esp. the S/C.