Hey all! I just purchased a 2003 MCS (Chili Red, white roof) with 24k on it! The car was a summer car for an older couple (original owners), so it has been taken very well care of and driven very little. All service done at the Mini dealer and I will have all the records. I have driven the car and given it a quick once over. As far as I can tell everything looks good to me.

I will be picking up the car this weekend and driving it ~1500 miles back to my home. Is there anything I should check out before starting my trip? I'm not sure when the last oil change was, but I'll probably change that before I drive. Anything else? I am no stranger to working on cars, but my previous cars have all been VWs I don't know a ton about these cars, so I just want to make sure I have the car in shape to make the trek home! The mileage is very low, but its still a 12 year old car, so there has been plenty of time for material to break down

I'm very excited to bring this home, I can't wait to start working on this thing! I already sat in the drivers seat and made race car noises That's how you know its offical

 

If the records don't indicate any unusual problems, I'd be confident about driving it home. My 2003 MCS just completed a 7800 mile road trip (which brought it up to 115K miles) with no problems. A few months ago I did a 3900 mile road trip with it with no problems. Last year I did a 7000+ mile road trip, again with no problems. I'm working on my bucket list of visiting air museums and National Parks around the country and the Mini hasn't left me stranded yet. My only beef is the exhaust drone around 3200 RPM but that will be rectified, I hope, with a Miltek exhaust from Way when the original exhaust finally fails. I do carry spare parts of known failures (water pump, belt tensioner and belt, thermostat and housing, and other odds and ends because Mini dealers get sparse in the mid section of the country.
You should be fine; enjoy the trip and get to know your new Mini

 

+1 on all the fluids.

 

100% agree with this -- make sure you carry extra parts -- specifically the right belt and tool. The serpentine belt could be changed on the side of the road if you had to (although doubtful) -- if its never been changed ... you may want to pre-emptively do so.

- Coolant is a specialty coolant but available at all BMW dealerships...
- Change the oil for sure...nothing wrong with preventative maintenance -- and of course carry a quart or so in the car just in case.
- If you are cutting through the south -- get some bug cleaning windshield wiper fluid -- I have never in my life seen such BIG or nasty/sticky bugs as coming through Louisiana.
- Other than that these cars are generally okay -- oil leaks are the biggest issues hence having some oil in the car - check each day in the morning before you head out.

 

Check over everything like belts, pulleys, etc. Check to see that last time fluids were changed and even the battery, maybe test it if it hasn't been changed in a while. Check the coolant and the coolant tank for any signs of leakage. Check suspension components like bushings, etc. There is a really good buyers guide here that can point you out to the common issues with that year R53 so that you can check them over before you make the trip as well. Good luck and please have safe travels!

 

Twelve year old tires at highway speeds might want to check that out. Could be an issue? Any rubber components, hoses, etc.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies! I did read that the expansion tank can be a point of failure, so I just went ahead and ordered a new one with some OEM coolant. I would hate to get stranded from a coolant leak. This will give me some piece of mind having this in the back seat.

The tires are run flats and I think they have been replaced once since the original purchase. I will double check though.

I will check the date of the last oil change when I get there this weekend, and change it if necessary.

I plan on doing a big round of maintenance items when I have the car in my garage, but I just want to be able to make this long drive without running into any issues on the side of the road

 

Please post Pics of your trip home.

 

Great idea, will do!

 

You know the drill: do nothing - everything breaks. Do everything - nothing breaks...

 

I had backup plans for everything when we drove from California to New York. Extra oil, coolant, etc..

The one thing that failed - our Garmin GPS unit. Thank goodness for an old fashioned road atlas + Waze and unlimited data.

 

Some MINIs burn a lot of oil. I would check it to start and every 500 miles until you see the trend. There is very little excess capacity (4.5 quarts total) so a car that burns one quart per 1000 miles will be pretty low just from your trip.

 

The last four digits of the DOT number on the tire will give you the week and year of manufacture.