I have been shopping for a R53 JCW for about a month or so now. It seems like most 2006s have at least 60k. At what point do these cars become too expensive to justify keeping?

I realize that consumables like brakes, clutch, and shocks will eventually have to be replaced--at the same time I am hearing some horror stories that these cars just fall apart by 100k. I'm not comforted by the fact that one of the two cars I've looked at in person was a complete basket-case that needed about $4.5k in work to even be a safe driver. Is an R53 JCW just a bad idea at this point?

 

I just picked up an '06 MCS JCW and couldn't be more pleased with it.

It has 63K on it now. It had 60K when i bought it.

Only issue was with the radio head unit which I changed anyway. The dealer wanted $95 to check into the issue that the previous owner had and oddly enough, it was documented that it wasn't working. I put that $95 towards a Pioneer head unit with all the bells and whistles from Crutchfields. It's much cooler that the bland OEM head unit. It also has the Sirius unit but we can't get service in Alaska so no loss there.

Oh, and only one working key remote. The other appears to have a dead battery requiring complete replacement. Pfft! No thank you!

See if you can get maintenance records from the local Mini dealer on your prospects. You only need the last 7 digits of the VIN.

 

There's no magic mileage above which the car is worn out and below which is is not. For the most part, lower is better, but mileage is just one of many things you need to look at when finding a good used car.

In general, the pecking order for reliability and lower repair/maintenance costs is MC, MCS, MCS JCW. Again, no absolutes, but with each step up the ladder, you're looking at more complex cars with more systems to fail, that are being pushed closer to their limits, and are typically owned by folks who drive them harder.

- Mark

 

The more expensive maintenance items normally start poping up around 110-130, but if those things were taken care of already you should get a good 175k out of the engine itself if taken care of properly, it all depends on prior maintenance.

 

Remember....
You are BUYING THE REMAING MILES LEFT IN THE CAR....so much depends on how the car was treated....a car with ONLY 40,000 TRACK AND HARD WEEKEND miles might be woses than 140,000 commuting miles....
And cars do tend to get more $$$ to matain as they age....
If you do lots of diy repairs...higher miles can be a $$ saver...buy a cheaper car...keep it going..but if you use a shop for most stuff..ouch!!

 

The key remote battery on our 06 R53 is recharged by the electrical system when placed in the ignition switch.

 

I just bought my first MINI and it's exactly what you're on the hunt for.. It's an '06 JCW (07/06 build date) with 53k miles. While I paid more for it than I would have a regular MINI, it was evident this car was well taken-care of. I've had a few mechanical hiccups but nothing that isn't characteristic of the car. So far it's needed a thermostat housing, it could do for an oil pan gasket and the tensioner is due for replacement. If you like to keep an eye on your cars and know what you're doing (ie-can identify leaks and issues on your own) it's not a bad car to have. If you're the kind of owner who never wants to open the hood and just get in and go, you may not enjoy the ownership experience. These are relatively maintenance-heavy cars, so know that going into it, and be prepared to pay the price of admission. IMO the driving experience is worth the cost of admission and I've not looked back yet. If you find a good dealer service department or independent shop that wants to work with you, that can mean a lot in terms of ownership experience as well. Surprisingly my local MINI dealer service department is superb at 1) giving me discounts on work using my BMWCCA membership and 2) understanding that I'm an informed customer and listening to (and incorporating) my hypothesis. Normally I like to do my own work, but I've not had much time lately to do more than just diagnosis, so I walk in with my diagnosis and they know where to look.

 

I my opinion 50-60 k is nothing to worry about in an 8 year old car. 6-8 k annually is very low mileage.

 

if the car is in good shape pick it up. i bought my 02 MCS with 125k miles on it and im at 142k miles now, and nothing major has gone bad except for this stupid once in a million year problem i had with my transmission. ( i think i may be the only case in the world) and then just replacing the SC because the gears on the back worn done. and the whole thing needed to be replaced. but other than that i just replaced stuff with performance parts and mods because i want to.

 

just bought my 05MCS with 123k miles, it needs the "normal" mini maintenence items , control arm bushings, motor mount, p/s fan, low speed coolant fan resistor. but with the mileage this car has those items are to be expected and did not steer me away

 

Sounds like the usual stuff...
Heck you MIGHT have come out ahead....
A 60,000-80,000 mile car may need a $2000 clutch very soon....
A 100,000 mile car will in most cases have already have one thrown in in the last 30,000 miles.....all driver Dependant, but assuming a comptantent drive.

 

My buddy has 254,000 on his 05. It still goes like a rocket!! admittedly it has it's "battle scars" but, i'd buy it off him in a New York second..
It's been very well maintained..

 

100k is nothing for the R53 motor if it has been maintained properly.