Alright, I have a 2002 R50 Mini. The manual transmission is having some issues (cannot shift into 5th or reverse) and instead of getting it rebuilt, I'm just going to swap it out, it's that time. I've been browsing the web for transmission replacements, not necissarily new, and seeing as Mini is owned and manufactured by BMW I was wondering if it was possible, withou too much trouble, to put in a BMW transmission, say an OEM 5 speed. It is currently a 5 speed manual transmission and there is also the thought to put in a 6-speed from a different Mini. How would I go about swapping/converting the driveline and whatnot to make this work? And any other suggestions for my troubles..

 

Go for the 6 speed out of the MCS. You'll need other parts to be able to install a 6 speed transmission from a 2002-2006. There's a lot of guys that did this and i know someone that i can hook you up with.

 

Going with an original 5spd would be the cheapest option. We sell them for $1850 New with 2yr warranty.
Going with a 6spd will require new axles, mounts, airbox, clutch, flywheel, shift cables, costing you alot more.

 

Maybe you can just have your original tranny rebuild if it cost less.

 

One bit of history on gen1 mini's...
while owned by bmw, most ofthe desgin work on the cars were done by ROVER, then reworked by bmw....
As a result very few compotents on a gen1 are regular bmw swappable parts....
The engine is Brazilian built by TRITEC, the trany is midlands, a traditional british supplier....
Considering you got quite a bit of use from the current tranny, imo just buy a new 5 speed, and since it seems the later midlands seem to last longer, you should get a lot of service from a new one.....heck for about $2000 including a new clutch plus install, sound to be better than a used timebomb 5 speed.....