Hey, all, a former RX-8 owner, with a deep appreciation for car forums. Lost my Mazda a couple years ago, but was considering this purchase that I'm hoping you can guide me on.

Here's the listing: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...ngId=358571212

It's a 2006 MINI Cooper S Convertible with 26,100 miles. I was shown a clean AutoCheck report, and it drove well. It's getting smogged tomorrow (Monday) as it'd be needed in January for registration anyway.

I've got them to agree to $12,900, and am _wanting_ the car, but needing some objectivity here, Yeah, I know... funny, asking for objectivity in a MINI forum. :-)

The rubber seals at the bottom of the convertible top at the back have broken off, though this seems to be somewhat common. The top looks solid; the car's at least been covered much of it's life. Paint looks well cared for.

Anyway, I'm just looking for "gotchas"... anything I need to be asking about, or looking out for. I plan on taking it to a garage to have it checked out, but figured I'd ask for some guidance from experienced owners.

Can y'all help a brother out?

Many thanks in advance!

- Burt

 

So, for $89, I got the following information:
1) front brakes: est. $400-450 --> about 5% left (1-1.5mm), enough for the duration of one oil change, maybe 2-3k miles
2) front alignment, according to tire wear: est. $60-90
3) power steering high pressure hose: est. $550, starting to leak, pretty common

He told me that the front brake pads AND rotors are to be replaced at the same time, that those are engineered to both be consumables in order to get better stopping power.

The power steering hose is hard to estimate lifespan, but he said this was a common issue.

This shop was _NOT_ a Mini specialist afaik, just a 5 star Yelp rated shop, fwiw.

Do these sound reasonable, or are they warning signs?

 

When my power steering went bad on my 05 S it was covered under an extended warranty. They replaced the hose, fan, and pump for me last year. Maybe check if you're under warranty on that? I could be wrong though

Brakes aren't really a big deal. To me it seems like they should last longer than 26k but then again I haven't had my car long enough to need to change the brakes yet, so take that with a grain of salt. An alignment isn't a big deal either.

Some of the main things that could go wrong on a car with that mileage would be the upper hydraulic motor mount, crank sensor O-ring (causes a small oil leak), and maybe the upper strut mounts (check yours aren't mushrooming). I'm sure others will have more to add.

 

Thank you, AndyPWR53! Unfortunately, they don't have extra warranty. I'm not too worried about the brakes, either, having done those on several cars in the past, but do you know if there's truth to the rotors being consumable?!? I hadn't ever heard of that.

I'll ask the inspector about the other items. Awesome, thanks!

 

Its true that's MINI's stance. The stock rotors are on the soft and thin side, so your driving style and pad compound will dictate whether you can get a second set of pads on the same rotor in the front. In the rear you are likely fine just replacing the rotor every other set of pads. Mini did my first fronts full swap under warranty. When the 2nd set wore out I replaced pads (with greenstuff) and kept the rotors. On my third set now with fresh red stuff, well see if these rotors last for two pads sometime next year.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using NAMotoring

 

Thanks, PrplPplEtr. I'll keep that in mind and price out the brakes.

 

Btw, PrplPplEtr, any special tools needed for the brakes/rotors?

 

You will need a 7mm hex bit to remove the calipers and a torx t50 to get the rotors off. Other than that it is fairly straightforward

 

Cool. I can do those.

 

Yes, When you do the rotors here is the rotor screw. T50 size. These can be rusted in place and a pain to take out if someone did not put anti seize on them or if original. Just replace them and touch a dab of anti-seize on the threads.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/07136772426/



Good luck.

 

Thanks, ECSTuning!

 

I would look closely....
26,000-30,000 miles to wear out a set of oem pads is just plain hard to do ('not unheard of)...
...car has certainly been driven agressivly...
So just look for other telltale signs of abuse...
Cabrio's are USUALLY not wailed on as much due to the weight/auto-x rules..but anything is possible. Good luck...mini's can be a blast to drive, and a well matained one can be a good find.

 

Welcome .

The seals on the convertible top on the rear can be replaced. This trim goes all the way around the back and to the side a bit. They are easy to install and our kit comes with hardware. Just replaces that hardware if its damaged or corroded ( as the heads of the screws can hard to remove ). To replace you just open up the trunk ( boot ) and unlatch the two side latches and it will move up like the pic. put the latches down again to hold in position which gives you access to all the screws and trim. Then removal and re-install.





Convertible Top Rear Trunk Molding & Install hardware kit. Part # 51137123438KT2


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51137123438/ES2695683/




Or

Convertible Top Rear Trunk Molding Kit Part # 51137123438KT


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51137123438/ES2602375/



Thanks and good luck on the find.

 

Since it's a Cabrio. I assume you did the usual? Go through a carwash and check for leaks? Run a hose all around the seals?
Open and close several the top times and check to make it locks smoothly?
I sold my first 05 Cooper to my Daughter, over a 100000 miles now. My 08 Cabrio is in the 60's. Run flats are crap ditch them ASAP.
Enjoy it.

 

Duh, I didn't even think to take it through a wash. I opened/closed the top, but just once as well.

I'll check that out as well.

 

Well, it is a Cooper (a 2008 at that) so don't expect it to have the same durability as your Mazda.

Here's another thread with the same question and the same year.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...k-out-for.html

 

Climberdave, it's actually a 2006. I looked up those three issues, and they seem specific to the R56, and I didn't see any references to them occurring earlier.

Thanks for the advice, though! You helped me to look up the "Stock Problems/Issues" forum.

 

Glad to help. I hope that I didn't come across as negative against Mini's (I love my 2013 MCS), but the quality seems to be hit or miss with the BMW Mini brand and I would be very careful when buying a used one. You seem to be on the right track with doing you homework

Before my 2013 purchase I had a mechanic do a pre-purcahce inspection on a 2009 JCW that I was in LOVE with. The results were that the DCS wasn't even functioning, the computer was throwing a ton of strange codes (can't remember off the top of my head), and the mechanic advised me to just walk away. All of this for a car that had less than 20K on the odometer and looked flawless.

 

Thanks, Climberdave! I'll ask again, specifically about the DCS and computer.