Year: 2002
Make: MINI
Model: Cooper
Price: $12500
Mileage: 43000
Color: Red/Black
Private or Dealer Listing: Private Listing
Location (Region): SouthEast

I'm going to copy from eBay... forgive my lack of creativity for this much more sophisticated group.

Finally selling the fireball.







--- Paste from eBay Auction ----

Meet Diablo, my fiery red 2002 MINI Cooper S known as the R53 Model. These vehicles have a huge following for a very good reason - they are quite simply a fantastic driving car for the money. MINI got it right in their first year of US release.

Additional photos available here.

The car though small is very roomy: I'm 6'3" and have about 3-4 inches of head room in the vehicle, and can scoot my seat back about 2" more, but I can't reach the pedals then.

This is a well cared for, 2nd owner vehicle. I have had the car for 5 years. It has very low miles. It had 28K when I got it, and I drove it a total of 14,000 miles in those 5 years for a total of just under 42,000 miles today.

I have carefully and tastefully modified it to be better looking, more powerful, sharper and safer than the original configuration. I modified the car to be ready for autocross or the occasional track day, but that never materialized, as I realized that it was neither convenient, nor ultimately, that appealing to me personally.

I tracked the car one time after it was modified, and one time before. Both times it performed very well (much better the second time clearly). Each track day, the car did approximately 25 laps on a closed road course in Nashville at the Nashville Super Speedway (now closed).

It is a manual, 6 speed. It cruises extremely well on the interstate, scoots around town, and tears up the back roads on the weekend. Gas mileage is about 26 around town, and 14 on the track (LOL). Probably around 30 on the interstate, though I've not checked recently (it is a bit lower than stock due to the performance enhancements).

In the 5 years I have, personally, done the following to the vehicle, except as noted:

- Upgraded the exhaust to a custom stainless Volt exhaust ($900 upgrade). Has a great throaty burble and lets the car breathe. Does not sound like those cheap honda exhausts that are just a big gas bag.
- Upgraded the air intake to an Alta CAI. The supercharger is now heard instead of being held back. Has a wonderful sound.
- Upgraded the Supercharger Pulley to a 15% Reduced size pulley, boosting the supercharger by that amount, adding power.
- Had the engine computer tuned by Way Motor Sports from 150 to 184 HP.
- Upgraded to H Sport Lower Rear Control Arms
- Upgraded to H Sport Springs front and back, lowering the vehicle by one critical inch.
- Upgraded to the H Sport Rear Sway Bar, adjustable for daily driving, sport or track settings. Changes how much you control the rear end in hard driving.
- Added M7 Control Tower Braces
- Added Front Engine Brace by M7
- Added DDMWorks Intercooler Air Diverter (which has a fin broken off due to a design flaw. I keep replacing the unit, they keep breaking off. Optional piece of equipment that works as it is.)
- Custom Short Antenna
- Custom Redline Shift Boot and eBrake Boot leathers
- Custom Front Grill work
- 17x7 Enkei Racing RPF1 Wheels
- AP Racing Front Calipers with Custom Carbotech AX6 pads
- Stainless Braided Brake Lines - Running ATE Super Blue DOT 4 brake fluid for high temp stops - 215/40ZR17 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tires. Probably 25% tread life left. (These wear pretty quickly). Comes with a second set of wheels and tires (OEM) if you want them.
- Custom Aluminum Race pedals
- Rubber floor mats keeping the carpet clean and relatively unmolested (since I've had it).
- Removable 4-point racing seat belts from Schroth Racing - not pictured but included. These clip out in 30 seconds and are not noticeable until you want to put them in. Very comfortable and improve your high performance driving tremendously by locking you in. Kept in an air tight container out of the sun in my garage closet.
- Red custom MINI cover to keep it safe if not garaged. Nice cover.


The vehicle drives tight, turning very responsively. It is quick on the throttle, but very normal on the clutch, which is stock. It will travel at impressive speeds, in a controlled environment of course.

The new springs make it lower by 1" and stiffer than stock, so it is not cushy but firm. It is not rock hard either, so it is not ready for full track time.

It stops extremely responsively. The stock brakes are very good. The AP Racing brakes are eyeball pullers. The Carbotech AX6 pads are aggressive, and a little squeaky because of it (it is not your mother's MINI).

The only flaws on the vehicle:
- A couple of stone chips as is normal on a vehicle. Two on the roof as detailed in pictures. Very small - used calipers to show the size. I've not touched them up. There are a few red chips in the front that have been touched up.
- A small, light scratch on the drivers door near the handle. I think it did it with a tool of some kind. Not a deep scratch but you can see it.
- The plastic trim got a little wax on it when I was waxing it one time, and because it is a textured trim, it shows a little white when the Armor All wears off. I use a product that is like super Armor All that keeps it looking like new.
- There is a little 2 mm tear in the dash material just above the center of the dash. I did it - a wire shelf poked it coming home from Home Depot. It can be repaired simply, but I didn't do that yet.
- Rear MINI Logo has faded and the paint has chipped off.

The interior is very, very clean. It appears to not have been used except for a few scuffs on the back of the front seats (plastic backs). The paint on the outside is very good, having spent most of its life garaged or under cover (though not 100%). I spent many hours clay bar-ing the paint to get out the tiny garbage, then waxing by hand to keep the paint good. It is not perfect, but for 12 years old, it looks like it is 2 years old.

This is not my daily driver. It has been a garage queen, but now needs to find another home as I have another project to work on. It has been driven daily 2x, both times after I had accidents in my main vehicle and both times it has been loads of fun to drive. Each time I drove it about a month while getting my other car repaired.

Everything works great. I know the car well and worked on it carefully. Because it is in such good shape, and has about $7000 worth of parts in it, not to mention my labor, which I did not add in, I'm asking a bit more for this car that your run of the mill, driven daily, worn out 2002 MINI Cooper S.

This car is just enough to have fun when you want to. It is perfect for weekend autocross or back-road tripping, and still being a DD during the week. The Tail of the Dragon at Deal's Gap awaits you!

 

Message sent.

 

Just a quick bump after 4th of July holiday.

 

Thanks for the PM ... Responded.