Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a Mini, I always liked these cars and finally decided to get one but I need some advice.

I'm looking at a 2008 S with the JCW package and 49k miles. Beautiful, red, with black,gray and red interior, wheels, etc.

Talking to the owner, he informed me that the Mini was a lease car and at 8k miles, it was sent to the Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) to damage from a collision. From what I read, these centers refurbish the vehicles to factory condition, without disclosing it and the cars have clean titles.

Can anyone here advise if this would be a good buy or a lemon? The owner keeps saying "unibody, unibody" but the damage seems to be external.

Thanks in advance!

Details:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BMW and MINI
VPC Damage Notification
Chassis: XXXX Line Make: MINI Car Date Notified: 2009-11-04 12:12:58.0269

The vehicle described above has been repaired and/or refurbished by BMW NA's VPC as Described below. Any dealer refusal must be performed by phone to the regional office within 48 hours of the date and time above and followed with a letter.

Damaged Location/Severity:
--------------------------------------
HOOD Severity 0 to 1 INCH
FRONT DOOR SILL-LEFT SEVERITY 0 TO 1 INCH
FRONT DOOR-LEFT SEVERITY 0 TO 1 INCH
QUARTER PANEL-LEFT REPLACE PANEL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

1). Get a CarFax vehicle history report. It should verify what the seller is saying, and should detail the cost/extent of the damage. Most cars undergoing collision repair at a dealership would be reported to CarFax

2). You're buying a JCW with almost 50K miles, no longer under warranty. The long term reliability of a car that's designed to be driven hard depends on just how hard it was driven, and how regularly it was serviced. Regular autocross or track use? Does the owner have all of the maintenance records? A competent MINI mechanic should go over the mechanical systems, test drive it, etc.

If an accident at 8K miles was fully repaired by a competent BMW shop and driven for another 40K miles, I'd be less worried about the repair, and far more interested in the mechanical systems, turbo, etc. JCWs are not cheap to repair for either parts or labor.

 

do you want to buy

a Mini

or a MINI

??

MINI


Mini

 

So is the current owner the person who leased it, or is he the second owner? There are some significant maintenance items for these cars, they are not Honda's when it comes to reliability.

Maintenance records are very important. Things you want to check for:

Recall for auxiliary water pump
Replacement of timing chain and tensioner

There is a good chance that the car soon will need (or has had):
Carbon Cleaning (intake valves and ports)
Thermostat replacement (leaking or not operating properly)
oil leak on oil filter housing (look for leaks on left side of engine)

These cars are very fun, but there is a significant cost of admission. It would be close to $2000 to have the dealer do the last 3 items that I listed, at least $1000 for a private shop. Keep this stuff in mind when negotiating the price.

Give us more details, and you will get more info.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Haven't had the chance to actually look at yet in person. Just started talking to the seller this morning.

Seller is the second owner. He stated the accident was while the vehicle was leased. "I have had absolutely no problems with it for the 3 1/2 years and 35,000 miles I have owned it,"

Can anyone explain to me about the 0 to 1 inch report? What is this measurement?

I will ask about all these maintenance tips, thanks guys. Would you recommend just a Mini S for the service cost? I'm also looking at a 2008 with 70k miles. This will be a commuter/gas saver car. I drive a X5 and that thing drinks!

 

A MINI, didn't know the caps mattered

 

Not much difference in maintenance costs between a JCW and "S", since they both have the added expense of a turbo. The non-turbo base MINI (aka "Justa") is usually the least costly for repairs and maintenance, as it is also generally driven less aggressively.

Again, if you want a good used vehicle that will last a number of more years with relatively few repair costs, I'd worry a lot less about collision damage repaired 40K miles ago. Focus your efforts on getting a well-maintained car with good documentation, and inspected (for the items that mbwicz mentions), and that hasn't been abused and driven too aggressively.

 

That lease repair business sounds like standard stuff that they do when you turn in a lease car after your term is up. When you finish the lease, the car is either repaired to original factory condition by the owner/dealer, or the owner pays for any damages that occurred during the lease.

As for the 0-1 inch stuff, idk, my best guess would be the side of the damage or scratch?

I'm really grasping at straws here, please don't take any of the above with certainty, I'm just making guesses. As others say I would worry about the mechanical condition if everything seems straight. Regardless have a MINI mechanic check it over.

Good luck! Sometimes I wish I had a red MINI!

 

Good thought, if it had problems, the current owner wouldn't drive for this long. I'll be meeting with him this weekend to look into these maintenance items and hopefully get it!

Looks sweet to me...

 

It is a very nice looking MINI. That being said, those wheels are an indication that it probably wasn't "Lady-Driven". Honestly, I would proceed with caution...

I have a 2007 MCS with 79k ( I got it used with 49k) and have only replaced the thermostat, battery, starter, and normal fluids. Currently, I have the oil line leaking for the turbo so I plan to get that repaired eventually.

 

Talked to the owner last night, all scheduled maintenance has been performed, oil changed recently and no issues so far with the maintenance items above (thermostat, oil leak, chain tensioner, etc). Also, owner stated that it is his daily driver, hasn't been abused or raced. I'm meeting with him hopefully this weekend. I live about 150 miles away from him

Hope this turns out good and I'll be driving a MINI next week!

 

I read nothing but the title. My advice? Don't. Most unreliable POS I've ever come across. NEVER owned a car that gave me more trouble than this one. I'm looking at a major misfire that came completely out of nowhere while driving, that nothing is fixing. Not the plug, coil, carbon, probably something huge. Why? Because that's how these cars work. If something breaks, it might as well cost an arm and a leg. POS. POS. POS.

 

Ya, you have to go into a mini with eyes wide open. Many owners report few problems, but they can be very expensive to repair and the 2009 is out of warranty..

 

I'd look at an 09+ if I were you. But good luck whatever you do. Do your homework on the vehicle and you should be okay. Most problems that occur are to those who complain on here. Mostly are the negative experiences so don't let that sway you. If you can, even an '05-06 MCS/JCW(supercharged) are good MINIs to be had. But I've seen plenty if issues with '07-08 MINIs.

Looking forward to whatever MINI you get yourself into!

 

I totally agree with RobMuntean

I have 07 MCS with JCW Package. Thermostat, chain, valve cover, gaskets, waterpump, sun roof motor (dafuq) all replaced. Fun car but my car was made in Jan 07 and deliver on May 07. I got the first batch of R56 MCS, which was "so so" in terms of reliability. :(

If it was my money, I would pick a 09+ fJCW.

 

Thx, my budget is limited and this is within that