Hi all. Noob here.

Found a deal on a extremely clean '04 MC S w/ 18,500 miles for $10k. All options besides Harmon Kardon and Nav. Not much maintenance done except for the usual oil changes. Bluebook value is around there-abouts but seeing how it's almost a 10 year-old car, maybe the low miles wont mean much in terms of longevity of the car.

So far, my only complaint was the shifter was extremely stiff moving side-to-side-- I feel like I'm pressing on weights. Not sure if this is normal.

As a DD, what do you guys think for the price? I understand that maintenance is going to be extremely costly seeing how the parts are from dealers mostly. I'm pretty much looking for a reliable DD that's also fun to drive and for $10k ($11k including taxes), do you think I've found "the one"?

The stories I've been reading from here and Youtube are all so polarized. I see signatures of users that claim to have hit 300,000 miles and others that had major (costly) replacements at the 30,000 mile mark. Granted many of these are Mini-warranty issues that have been serviced (such as the power-steering fan), others don't seem to be.

 

Have a pre-purchase inspection by someone who knows Minis.

 

Yup...
Low miles on a car used ONLY on a weekend/track car (previously) might be an indication of a very hard life....
Then again the person might have been too busy to drive.....
A good mechanic can look and guess if it has been wailed on....

 

Welcome to NAM. I would have to agree with JAB 67, have an inspection done by someone who is very familiar with MINIs. It will certainly be worth whatever the cost. You could save yourself $11k.

 

private sale or a dealer ?

 

Thanks guys. As long as it "checks out" by the techs, would you say it would be a pretty good deal?

Private.

 

Certainly cheap....(for the miles)
Mini's are not usually attractively priced...
But ask the opinion of the tech....
Some mini's have been used VERY hard as toys....doing weekend racing/auto-x duty...
Others fueled with less than 90+ octane....and Got valve dammage... Or blown clutches...
Just look for evidence it has been well treated...
Hard driven and poorly treated, a low mile car could still be a money pit...
Driven sanely (with some fun), and well cared for, a mini can be a reliable fun ride!!

 

sounds cheaply priced. I have an 05 MCS JCW pkg with 14k miles and wouldnt sell it anywhere close to that. An inspection would be able to let you know if it has any problems. I would jump on it if it gets a clean bill of health.