Hello all,

Im looking to purchase my first mini, an '02 cooper s 6 spd. Has very high mileage, but seems to be upkept great and I believe its owned by a mini/bmw tech. 185k miles, and seems great for what it is. My question is, would it be a horrible decision to buy this at the mileage? Its a second vehicle for work, so not my only vehicle. But I also dont want to throw away a couple thousand om a work pile. Any input ? Thanks in advance.

 

Would be a very risky purchase due to the year of the car and the mileage. Car would have to be only a couple thousand to even consider that a worthwhile purchase.

 

Do you have any idea on it's maintaince and repair history. KBB has it being worth less then $3000. If some how the clutch hasn't been replaced it will need it at anytime and the dealer will want almost what the car is worth to do that. Aftermarket shop will still want around $1500. Same goes for the Supercharger. The repair history will be vital info to have on this car..

 

Its a bit under 4k, and theres been alot of stuff replaced to car recently maintence wise, ill be checking for the full history when I test it out this afternoon. Anything in particular I should look out/listen for?

 

As I just posted in another thread, get a pre-purchase inspection: it'll be the best $100 you ever spent.

A high-mileage car is not necessarily bad if it has been well cared for, but you will have to budget for repair and maintenance. If your budget is going to be really tight over the next couple of years, you might consider a more bullet proof car. If you have a few bucks for maintenance, you can't get a better and more fun beater than a R53.

 

I just sold My 05 Cooper S with 163K on the clock. The new owners got a GREAT car! I kinda miss it... :( That car worked great and was alot of fun. With proper maintenance and upkeep these cars go a long way! I've seen a few at 300K. If there was Minimal upkeep I'd run away...
Just my $.02
Kaveman

 

I agree with Helix. Do a Pre-purchase check. You will be surprised what turns up on the to-do-list!