So to all those that do not know....I bought BOO back in November 2012, and after spending a boatload of $$$$ on her, (maintenance, and tires and alignment), and have also ordered the S drivers side rocker panel, another cost....Here she is on Ebay...(Item # 121064732922 ), before I lowered her price again.

I was going to spend another $1500-$2000 on her, making her my own, but have decided that I could for that money and BOO get another R53, or R52....Is this a wise decision, or should I just spend the money on BOO.

Let me know what you people think I should do, because right now I don't really know which direction to go with BOO.

Thanks snowman

 

So...from one BEP to another, why are you selling your car? Are you simply trading for another R53?

If you have already sunk money into this car, and you get another, you do not know the history and what money you will be sinking into your next car. It could be another money pit. But then, it might not be.

If you bought this car with the intention of flipping it, you get no sympathy from me (sorry). I would buy the car I want, and enjoy it and get my money's worth out of it.

It appears to me the money you spent already is par for course for a car this old. Tires, alignments, clutch...you will spend this on any car this old. Oil pan gasket, power steering pump....seems to be something you will replace once and hopefully that's fixed. Actually, the general life of a fuel pump is about 8 or 9 years so that might be next. If you get another R53, you will likely be looking to spend on the same things all over again. If you get another car (any car) of the same age and generally the same specs, you will be looking at possibly doing the same things. I say, make this car yours. You've already done a lot of the maintenance required of a car this age anyways.

However, you could probably cut some costs, if you are not that crazy a motorer as some of the MINI drivers here. You could have considered your budget and bought maybe less expensive tires, join your local MINI club and get discounts on the parts, etc. Some dealer servicing, if you sign up for one of their (generally free) loyalty programs, they lower their labor rates and give you discount on parts. Their labour rates would be on par with the aftermarket shops. There are also aftermarket parts that are cheaper, but I would warn that you generally get what you pay for. The quality of the cheaper aftermarket parts are sometimes questionable, so shop carefully.

Look at your list of options. Every single one of them, if not properly taken care of, can break and cost money to fix. You are not looking at a bad unreliable car. MINIs are not economy "value priced" cars. They are a premium car even in the most basic form. From the repairs you've listed on your ebay post, they appear to be routine wear and tear, maintenance items for a car this age.

Hope I didn't sound like I was ranting. Good luck on your decision.

 

+1^ Well said.

 

+2 ^

 

Looks like sound advice to me. Besides, why would you want to trade such a nice R53 for an R56? Keep it.

 

It's never financially smart to flip cars. The sales tax takes a big bite.

 

I've been looking for months for a BEP S w/o a sunroof, impossible to find. BEP in any form is a rare baby...

 

I've read this a few times and still am trying to figure out why you would consider leaving this MINI to go to another one. Its seems there is more too it - maybe something about the car that bothers you - color, feel, performance... Maybe you have had so many problems that you lost confidence in the car - this is all understandable.

If not, and you really do enjoy this one, then it would be completely crazy to sell it now. With all the work done, you are running out of things that will need to be fixed. If you buy another, I promise you will end up fixing a lot of these very same issues.

I can relate to you however - I'm a similiar age and my R53 is not my daily driver. I simply bought it because I have loved MINI's since the minute I saw my first one and I could finally afford to have an extra car in my garage - I expected to put some money into a 10 year old car with 70000 miles (my numbers when I bought the car) but at first it seemed I was going crazy fixing things. For a time I thought about leaving this one but I would take a bath if I did. Now that I have spent several thousand dollars on the car, it is now MINE and will be for a long time. It runs better and looks better than when I bought it and most of the typical MINI issues have been resovled.

I say, ask yourself, why did you buy a MINI in the first place? Most people who buy something like this as a weekend car buy it for the fun of it. I say get on some runs and enjoy it. Spring is here! If a problem comes up that must be fixed, read a how to thread and see if you are up for the task.
if not, fix them as they come up. If you are wishing you could spend more on performance than maintance, upgrade as you fix. That is what I did and it has worked out very well for me.

Good Luck!

 

I understand you're upset about all the repairs, but as others have said,now you can look forward to many more years of trouble free service.

Personally I think the step up to a R56 convertible is a bad idea because it's an early production build rather than a late production build like Boo.

You know what you have, why trade for something unknown.

Hope this helps...

 

So I have made up my mind, I am going to keep BOO.....spend a few $$$ on making her my own,,,,(change out the R/C car antenna to a stubby,....wheels, different seats, graphics, XM radio, all that jazz)....maybe go on a few runs, visit my local mini group 90 minutes away, and then next year trade her in on a lime green challenger R/T.....

THANKS everyone for your input, I have LISTENed to others and it means a bunch to me....Happy Motoring to everyone...

 

 

The dealers in the Vancouver BC area know me and call me up sometimes because somebody saw my car and wants to buy it.

I thought I had the most recognizable MINI in the area until I saw another car exactly like mine except for the chrome mirrors and carbon fiber hood scoop.

 

With all due respect, as much as I like the looks of the Challenger, I've found in pretty well all circumstances other than a straight line drag race from a standing start (legally on a track, of course) my (slightly modified) MINI is the faster car.

 

They must all be up north then!

 

I might be in the market by next year, make a note. Struggled between IB and BEP back in 2005. Just in case, take good care of it 'til then.
Too bad you don't have the heated seats. I used mine big time when I went through (a blizzard in) Kansas! Not quite as useful in central CA, but still a nice-to-have.
I swapped out my Slites for Xlites due to weight, but I keep 'em in the garage with the all-seasons in case I go to the colder climes.

 

SO on a POSITIVE note, We are in need of a BIGGER family vehicle, so the mini now has to give way to a mid-size SUV...So it is back on ebay, I am going to take a loss, but right now I am having and wanting to do what is best for my child(ren)......Rather than trade it in at a STEEP loss at the FORD dealership, (they seemed to NOT care about the work, or money spent, even though I showed them the reciepts)...I would rather sell her at a SMALL loss to a fellow NAM'er. If this doesn't happen in the next 10 days to two weeks,....She will be traded off.

snowman

 

done and done!

 

BEP is very rare today, I hope someone gets it who appreciates that color. Its like the Solid Gold when they brought it back in R52 Convertible for a shot time, or even like the early Velvet Red.

 

I bought my fiancee a countryman. We totally love it, I like to think of it as a small to midsize suv. It's quite the whipper snapper. I highly recommend getting one. Plus many are starting to come in after a 1 year lease.

 

Just thought I would clarify here, our family is going to get bigger here soon, and the mini isn't going to be practical in the VERY near future, that is why I have decided to let her go, and move on.

snowman

 

It's off eBay. Did you sell it?

 

No its still there, and yes still for sale