I'm in the market for a 4 seat, sporty convertible (1 small kid), and so far the Cooper S has made it to the top of the list. I consider myself a pretty good wrench, having owned and maintained toy cars from MGBs, to an E36 BMW, a Formula Ford race car, etc. I want the car as a DD (we have the mega SUV for family trips), that I can also work on.

I looked at a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the JCW package today. 68,000 miles. Clean carfax / autocheck. No signs of accident, body damage or paintwork. No real noticeable problems. No noticeable odd mechanical noises, maybe just a faint injector or lifter tick with the hood up, very faint. All kinds of pep.

Negatives: I don't mind modified cars if I do it myself, but always question buying a modified car, as you don't know if a kid owned it, who could bolt on parts, but would not change the oil. The car has a Alta CAI kit, an Alta shroud around the intercooler, a front strut bar (red, square tubing, seemed very well built), and a cheap aftermarket DVD stereo.

On the aggressive test drive, I noticed the following:

1. When driven hard, the front of the car felt a bit of a twitch when heavy on the throttle. No vibration or shimmy. I have never owned a front wheel drive car, so maybe this is normal for a peppy front wheel drive.

2. The seat belt warning lamp stayed illuminated even with two people in front seat, with both seat belts fastened.

3. The car had 17" TSW wheels and studs, not bolts. Typical upgrades?

4. The car had adjustable rear camber arms installed. Upgrade or stock?

5. The top was in good shape, with no functional issues. I will say that you there appeared to be a slight discoloring at the fold locations. Like it was a lighter shade of black.

6. The car had a Sneed Billy Club shift ****. Appears to be common upgrade despite the odd appearance, and how much longer it makes the shift throw feel.

7. Asking price is $11.4k. Price seems reasonable, it's been sitting on the lot for a bit, and they just reduced it.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Glenn

 

If you can do ur own work, then a used MINI is right up ur alley! Buy it and enjoy!

This could require some serious troubleshooting...I would not want to pay someone else to fix this problem.

 

Glenn
See my private message.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I test drove the car again today after driving several other Minis so I would get a feel for normal.

My big concern is the front end movement when you push or let off the throttle. It moves A LOT. I saw no hint of that in the other Cooper S convertibles I drove. It has some type of front end issue, struts, bushings, etc.

Maybe I will repost this in the regular non-vert forum and see I can more specific responses on that problem.

 

.

 

Recently bought an R52S myself for similar reasons. Wanted something to wrench on, and trying to save some miles/gas on the wife's "mega SUV". And something for me to drive to get a little relief from my company-issued Prius Soul Sucker. So far has fit the bill very well, and has had the added benefit of getting my kids a little excited about cars.

I had some wander in the front end on acceleration and braking, and some wheel shake at freeway speeds. Replaced the LCA bushings (they were definitely shot) and that seems to have fixed the problem. Pretty inexpensive fix, though it was a fair amount of work. The beauty of it being an extra car is being able to take my time and spread it out if necessary. The best test I found to check the bushings is to turn the wheel slightly so the tire is sticking out of the wheel well from the front and give it a good solid kick in the treads. If it moves much front-to-back the bushings are bad.

Since I got it, I've had to replace the aforementioned bushings, one inner ball joint (found a tear when doing the bushings), timing chain tensioner, and camshaft position seal. Had to adjust the side windows because they leaked like crazy and were probably 5mm short of closing all the way. Cleaned out the intercooler, changed the oil/filter, Seafoam in the gas tank and intake. Lots of detailing. Still have a number of small squeaks/rattles I want to get after. Love the car, but I would probably not want to own it if I had to pay somebody to do all of this.

 

BoDarville - Sounds like you brought it back to life Post up some pics,.

 

I think I have a better idea of what you're talking about now. Got the new LCA bushings in, and now my car pulls to the left when I let off the throttle, and then back right when I get back on the gas. Feels like the alignment changes with my throttle position. Hard to notice at 40, terrifying at 80.

So I looked at the front end, and the passenger side front wheel was splattered with grease from the outer ball joint. I'm not sure if I damaged it when I did the bushings or if it's just unfortunate timing, but I'm hoping the new ball joint I ordered will fix it. One more thing to check out, though I suspect you've already made a decision one way or the other.

 

It really wasn't that bad, just little detail stuff. Once I get it back on the road I'll take some more pics, but I did post one on another thread.