Okay, so I've been Mini shopping for about a month all around the bay area. I've narrowed my hunt down to either an '05 or '06 S or JCW, in the $7-9k range. Today I got to test drive the one in this listing:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/4889579095.html

The car is 95% what I'm looking for, as far as color, transmission, trim, mileage, overall condition, etc.

I pointed out that the Edmunds price she pulled up was actually for the JCW GP, replied with the correct report and she agreed on 8k. She is getting all service records from the two shops that have worked on it.

She's been the owner for the past six years and it is in really clean condition. No accidents, just a little bumper rash here & there & the silver roof paint is starting to oxidize. As for the interior, the driver's seat vinyl has some cracking starting on the outside bolsters. I was always under the impression that these were leather seats. What is a good way to tell what seats are leather & what are vinyl?

It is NOT a JCW, as I also explained to her. It looks like it wound up with a JCW airbox at some point, along with the floor mats. The JCW badge on the back of the car isn't even the correct design for the '06 haha.

As for included features, I'd really prefer the Chrono Pack to the dated Nav setup, but I have read on here that the wiring harness matches up and something just needs to be programmed at the dealer & takes 10 minutes to swap it over. Please correct me on this if I'm wrong!

Okay, driving impressions -

This Mini, along with a couple others I have driven, has a sort of sticky/creaky clutch pedal. I'm guessing this is a fairly common thing & an easy fix?

The stick shift felt a little sludgy. It went into gear just fine but when moving the linkage around in neutral it felt like the transmission fluid was the viscosity of toothpaste. Again, maybe this is normal & I'm used to my WRX.

The steering felt fairly heavy. This may be due to the smaller steering wheel compared to my WRX, but I almost felt like I was driving a car with "power assist" steering. I've read that the PS pump fans on these can fail, would this be a symptom related to that?

Everything else felt pretty good, honestly. It had a new clutch installed when she bought it & I REALLY doubt she did much, if any spirited driving in this car.

Lastly, the mileage is at 86k, which is pretty low as far as I'm concerned. What maintenance items should I keep an eye out for when going through the records? Anything that should have certainly been done by now? Any major things that need to take place at 100k?

Here's a quick video of a walk around the car!

 

Spend the money on a professional inspection. Preferably a mini shop. In Portland area we have a company that uses pretty high tech methods and the owner/inspector is a cert. master mechanic. As I recall it cost me under $150 when I used him and he found several thousand dollars in potential issues that weren't obvious and not disclosed. I asked the seller about prior accidents, he claimed none, and yet mechanic clearly found evidence of them. They were well repaired, but the guy was lying to me. I walked away, happy.

 

+100 on getting a pre-purchase inspection done. There are too many big $ things that can be wrong, and small DIY things can still be used to bargain if there are any. I haven't used them yet, but Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland is a Mini specialist, and is supposed to be a great place with fair prices.

 

wow that color looks great! good luck!

 

Creaky clutch pedal - sometimes but it comes and goes on mine.

Power steering compared to the subaru is going to feel like there is no power steering. I jump back and forth between my 2014 Impreza 2.0i to the mini all the time.

There is a DIY/FAQ on the things that should be checked/performed. No need to relist it again...but the lower control arms are an expensive service item that is often overlooked.

Tires, brakes etc all cost money if they aren't new or fairly new deduct from the 8,000.

Test drive tip: when buying a manual car ask the current owner to drive to see how much they ride the clutch. New clutch when she bought it? Why? Clutches should easily go 120-250k miles based on driving style.

Last message - apparently there are no good minis in SF - I've gotten into many fights with people here on appropriate pricing. If so - she will sell it before too long get the inspection done and pull the trigger.

 

Also SF is a tough place on clutches if driving the hills frequently, especially in traffic. Some people slip the clutch a lot on hill starts. I would be worried about a clutch that sounds unusual and does not feel right. It could be that the clutch was replaced but the throw-out bearing or sleeve was not replaced. Maybe the owner has the clutch replacement details on what was actually replaced. Clutch replacement is expensive.

 

Leather seats have a lumbar adjustment on the inside of the seat back. Vinyls don't.

 

According to the BMW VIN Decoder, the Upholstery is K7TV which is Leatherette.

 

Okay, I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on this tomorrow. After the used car inspection & talking with the seller today, we're at $7500. Things I discovered today:

Good:
Relatively new tires, around 60% tread
New brake rotors/pads, 75% left
New windshield
New clutch was only 40k miles ago
Body is in great shape in terms of dings, scratches & under-body rust
The stock struts don't feel awful, mechanic said they aren't leaking

Bad:
Serpentine belt has not been done
Power steering fluid is leaking & pump may be malfunctioning, causing the heavy steering.
Small oil leak under motor, probably the notorious O-ring
Passenger side top hat is cracked
Kicking the front wheels, they move a good amount, indicating the control arm bushings are toast
The spark plugs have never been replaced
The brake fluid is pretty murky / dark brown
There is a slight rattle on the passenger side of the motor, indicating the timing chain tensioner may need to be replaced soon

Overall, though, it seems like it just needs the typical maintenance that any Mini of this mileage would need, just all at once. Unfortunately, a used lot offered the seller $6500 outright or $7500 after it sits on their lot, so that sort of set the lowest price at $7500. In the Bay Area, I think that's pretty fair for a Mini in this condition with that mileage. Thoughts?

 

Are you handy? Parts and labor in the items listed are about $2k...assuming pump is free overall still good I think.

 

Yep! I've had my Subaru WRX for the past 9 years and have done absolutely all the maintenance on it myself, including numerous modifications. I've been watching a ton of the Mod Mini videos on YouTube & these cars really seem pretty easy to work on, just very compact & tedious. I'm planning on doing everything other than the power steering pump myself.

 

Pull it fast then - before you get swooped by other forum members in the SF area looking for a flip. Good luck and welcome.

Based upon what you described - I assume nothing has been followed as far as maintenance schedules...change ALL the fluids out when you get it home.

Coolant, tranny, oil, brake, blinker. Etc...

 

That damn blinker fluid!!

 

Done deal, picked it up today!!

 

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations!!