I realize the opinions here will be slightly biased seeing this is a Mini enthusiast forum, however, I trust the collective experience here.

Here's a little background:
I live in manhattan and currently have just a motorcycle as transportation. My parents live in Rockland and my girlfriend's family in south jersey, so we are constantly taking trains with all our stuff and dog (french bulldog). It has become a little tiresome and seeing that I've been a car guy for a good chunk of my life I've started looking into getting a small car. A good friend of mine just got a Fiat 500 which I briefly considered but dismissed after driving (and can't justify the cost of the abarth). I've always loved the first generation new Mini and have started looking for a 2005-06 Mini Cooper S with a limited slip diff. Back in the day before moving to Manhattan I used to participate in a lot of HPDE and autoX events and really miss them. I recently sold my track prepped SV650 for a more pedestrian triumph bonneville so I have no means by which to satisfy my speed cravings. It seems that most 05/06 Minis I've been able to find thus far with LSD have around 70-80k on them. Mileage doesn't generally scare me. I've always done my own wrenching and have had good luck with high mileage BMW vehicles in the past. However, in casual reading of the forum it comes across that these earlier Minis are a little issue prone. Leaking oil seals, mushrooming strut towers, blown engine mounts, etc etc. Not too much of a problem if I had a garage, but all wrenching would have to be done in my parent's townhouse garage on weekends and I already have a 1969 mustang taking up one of their two car garage stalls (very understanding parents). I really just want something reliable, that will get me, my girlfriend and the dog out of the city whenever we want, that I can take to the track a few times a year, and still be able to park on the street when I need to. I'll prob do light mods but nothing serious as the girlfriend will be driving it as well and she'll kick my a$$ if I start installing coilovers and big brakes, race seats, etc. So after all that, am I barking up the wrong tree with the 05/06 mini or should I buy one of these things?

Cheers,
Jason

 

someone posted this link for would-be buyers, good reading: http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/
My 2 cents: buy the newest car you can afford. With that said, I limited my search when I was looking to 2007-up and ended up with a 2011 Clubman (non S, 7K miles, 1-owner, loaded, Mini NEXT CPO). Best of luck.

 

thanks, i already read that. Also, I just don't care for the looks and increased size of the 2007+ which is why I'm focusing my search on the 05/06.

 

Seems like a perfect match to me. Really, many of the issues of the model run were sorted out by 05/06 models.

 

The 05-06 cars imo are the best.....
The challange is to find one that has lead an easy lifr, and you will have a good car. The feel of the 05-p6 s is imo perfect with a bit of extra zip!!
mine has neen pretty relilable...never been back to the dealer for work...had a campain item during a free mx visit....done a few extra things..bushings, etc....cooling fan had an issue....diy'ed it...
My gut is some items that pop up here is the result of OCD folks with cars....but that having been said, mini's do break ehen driven hard routinely....i drive sanely, with a few quick bursts of fun...folks that drive all day like in a ralley...not so good...
the LSD option was very short lived...but can be added with a clutch change, rither the factory equivalent or different/better aftrmarket unit. Heck...think most folks with the (think it was a $800 optional lsd) don't know they have it...the folks that know likly track their cars.
check for mx records...many folks seem to skip the inspections and just do oil changes...coolant flushes, etc get forgotten...and mx gets $$...a good diy'er can do 75% of stuff, sn indentent shop most of the others if it knows mini cars...but going to a dealer with an out of warrenty gen1 car is $$$, and many dealers around never sold gen1 cars for more than a few months, since most of them are newer....so dealers sometimes lack a bit of expertise.
since the gen1 cars varry so much....be sure to ride in a couple...different combo's of stock suspensions and rims make a huge difference in ride quality, as does status of the oem struts, thst imo are only good for 60k or so....
My suggestion....find a car on stock 16's...good for city driving, less likly to have pothold dammage to struttowers, and then if you want to track/bbk the car, get a set of 17's you like....the folks that have 16's are much less likly to have wailed on the car..just a thought

 

I live in San Francisco so I can relate. Parking and getting around is so much easier with it. You will never get to appreciate the SC until you get out of town though. Definitely get the strut tower defenders - I assume you'll see your fair share of pot holes. And if you are going to be parking on the street just assume that it will be vandalized or broken into at some point. Don't upgrade the stereo. Good luck.

 

Get hooked up with a local MINI club. They will provide a font of wisdom and the location of the best, most reliable independent MINI shop. MINI people are good people to know.

 

I live in a pretty quiet area and right across from a 24hr garage. I know the overnight garage attendant pretty well due to a shared love of motorcycles. I've parked my bike out on the street with little drama. Most, if not all, the mods I will do will be performance oriented. I've been there and done that with showy cars and learned my lesson when it got to the point I didn't want to drive anymore for fear of parking in public places or driving on public roads (when I was living in DC and every single bum seemed to pull the same ol' $10 to watch your car sir routine)

I've so far found a few potential candidates...

 

I bought an 05 because the 05/06 had fewer problems than the earlier years. Mine had mushrooming strut towers, which I fixed with Craven STDs (which I also used to flatten them out again before installing, not a single problem since). Oil leaks: any car can have an oil leak. They can usually be traced and fixed fairly easily when doing the clutch (about a 12 hour, or $12-1400 job) amongst other things while the car is apart (thermostat, service the SC, etc.). Any car is going to require maintenance at some point, different cars have varying levels of maintenance depending on their performance, etc. Aside from my clutch just now starting to slip a tiny bit at 78K and a minor, MINOR oil leak which will get fixed at the same time, this has been one of THE most fun and reliable cars I've ever owned. Not to mention performance parts are cheap, make a huge difference, and are easy to install.

 

It sounds like a Mini Cooper S or VW GTI would be a good choice for you.
Limited Slip is a hugh benefit in the Mini so maybe look for a 2005/2006 Mini with limited slip (maybe a JCW option car).

 

If the car has runflat tires, you may find them a bit harsh, especially if paired with the sport suspension. Many of us MINI owners have "ditched the runflats", and gone with "normal" tires, and either carry a spare in the boot, (trunk), or put a compressor that draws power from the 12-v plug in the car and some Slime, or just buy a subscription to AAA. It's worth it, for the sake of your back! That small wheelbase, combined with stiff sport suspension and runflat tires is a jarring ride for the driver, and much worse for passengers...

Good luck. Agree that the '06 models of the MCS is what I'd recommend, too. Better headlights, and gearing that made it slightly peppier in acceleration. Plus, the most "bugs" worked out of the first gen models by then...

 

"I just want something reliable." You will not like my recommendation which is Just A Cooper (05 or 06) with a 5 speed manual. My daughter in grad school has one in NYC now for two years and there is also an 06 S in Michigan. In NYC traffic the Just A Cooper is fine and you do not have the S supercharger/water pump maintenance/design weaknesses to deal with and the severe harshness of 17 inch wheels in the poor NYC road environment. Just my opinion.

 

There's nothing wrong with the 6spd in the S models, nor did every S come with 17" wheels. I can't comment on the supercharger/waterpump issues as mine is still going strong at 78K, but about to do some service work along with the clutch.

 

The 05 and 06 FACTORY JCWs came with an lsd. I just got my 05 dealer JCW, no lsd, with 24k mi for $12,500 and I love it. Warning the car and moding it is addictive.

 

In a word: Yes.

 

If you're willing to do the wrenching, go for it. I got my 06 MCS with lsd and sport suspension+ and 96k miles nearly 9 months ago with all original parts except clutch. Since I've gotten it, I drove over 20k and only my thermostat's gone and I have the light trifecta. I know that's just an anecdote, but it shows that high mileage MCSs aren't necessarily a bad investment, especially if you know or are willing to learn how to work on your own car. Just be sure to properly inspect the car prior to making an offer. You can save yourself a big headache.