I have an 03 mini cooper that I love but she's been in the shop more times than I care to count. I have been having some over heating issues and just got a call from my mechanic that I need a new water pump, thermostat, and he suspects I have a leaky head gasket resulting in about $3000 dollars worth of reparis. I am a social worker and I feel like I cannot continue to shell out all this money on repairs. I owe a little over $4000 on my loan and wonder if I should just try and trade it in for something that will cost less at the shop. I love my coop but it maybe time to say goodbye. Some insight and advice is needed!!

 

Have you tried getting different estimates from other repair shops in the area?

 

I don't know your particular car, but if you need something reliable and something that isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg then it might be time to say goodbye to your cooper. Just the sheer hassle of needing to catch rides from people, let alone putting off that vacation or special treat you wanted for yourself month after month is reason enough for me if the car has proven to need a lot of repair work.

$3,000 in repairs on a car thats probably worth only about $8,000 in very good condition to me doesn't seem like a solid investment...if you owe about $4,000 it might be possible to get a trade in value close to enough to pay it off IF they don't hit you so much for the needed repairs, don't try to trade it towards another MINI...they will have specific expertise into the MINI issues etc..

Your best bet might be to sell it to a private seller and detail that there are some maintenance issues that need to be addressed, I would think that offering the car up for $6,000-7,000 would garner pretty good interest. People always seem to convince themselves that "its a simple fix" and I'll have a great car for a great price... somehow this only seems to work out on the show "Wheeler Dealers."

You mention being a social worker -- I commend you for doing something to better the world and wish that society compensated you better for making a difference ( based on my understanding that somehow doing good is not nearly as financially as lucrative as driving a corporate machine).

Good luck..

 

Haha, I'm in almost the exact same boat