I read up on the forums about the r53 already, but I still have some questions.
I'm thinking of buying a 2003 MINI Cooper S. It's on owner, electric blue, manual with 60000 original miles. He's asking 5000. I'm more then likely going to go out and look at ti today and am wondering if there is anything specific I should look for apart form usual things (excessive smoke upon start, car not traveling straight, clutch/shifting issues, rust (by the drivers door right?), leaks, etc. )
The car is going to serve as my commuter,30 roundtrip miles a day in NYC traffic. What can I expect mpg wise? I've read as low as 17 on these forums and as high as 27. I get that driving style is important, so let's say a more conservative/average driving style in stop and go traffic. Is 25 too high? Should I think more 22, or lower? Thanks in advance.

 

Those are some low miles for an '03. Good find. Check the strut towers for mushrooming, check the coolant tank for any leakage at the seams, check over suspension components/bushings, check over service records and when the last time routine maintenance items have been done. I'd be curious if the coolant has ever been changed/flushed. I'd also run the vin by a dealer and see if there were/are any recalls for it. You can review all of our R53 tech articles on our site for additional information on common issues/repairs.

 

Thanks for the reply. I ran a carfax (bought five for 60) and a lot of routine stuff done, including the coolant flush. I'll take a detailed look at the records the owner has. Honest opinion, is it worth it and would it last 60k/ 6 years (need it for atleast the 6yrs I'll be in school)

 

It's hard to say how it'll hold up because I do not know the vehicle personally, but if it looks like it has been well maintained and you keep up on the maintenance as well as fix things when they arise, it should be a good commuter vehicle for you. If you're DIY savvy it will also help keep the repair costs down and also help you learn much more about it. I'm sure others will chime in with some good info for you as well.

 

$5,000 sounds like a good price for 60,000 miles. As to your questions about gas mileage, if I drive conservatively 100% in the city, I get 24mpg. I believe that most people get higher than me however. On the highway I get 28mpg.

 

I'd pay that for that care probably sight unseen (I'm not a fan of the electric blue color, though I am partial to R53's) I drive probably 80/20 city and highway and I average 26-27mpg, but I can get 30-35mpg with 100% highway driving.

These cars are a little hit or miss, but I think they're generally very sound mechanically. I had one new to 155,000 miles with very few problems (cracked radiator, bad crank pulley and bad wheel bearing were the only maintenance I had other than normal stuff and I never changed the clutch) and xsmini just rebuilt his r53 after 365,000 miles on his original clutch.

Pelican gave you some common problems, definitely look for rust but the rusty cars are few and far between in my experience.

I bought my second 2003 a couple of years ago, it had 55,000 miles and paid 9,000 for it so it sounds like a good deal to me. You'll probably be wanting new struts around 75,000 miles, especially if you're dealing with rough city roads.

The rare mechanical problems are the supercharger gears getting stripped, the belt tensioner going out, the sunroof drains getting clogged and leaking into the cabin, and occasionally someone blows up a motor (I think the root cause of that is running low octane gas and damaging the valves) but I would buy that car, especially as a city commuter, and I think it'll last longer than your school career.

 

Good price...
But in 100% honesty...
I loved my MINI..
But if you are buying a 2003...
And expecting to commute 6 years of school....you are looking for a better Honda, Toyota.
MINI's are great cars, and I loved my 2005...
But I stopped using it as a daily driver when the dealer stopped stocking common parts...then eventually sold it...
A sensor become a 3 day item, etc....now that the 3rd gen cars are around, the gen1 cars are getting more rare...they were never very common...lots of parts a NLA, aka, no longer available... so for an extra weekend car, great, for a 3rd family car, great...
But if you are looking at a 13 year old car, and expecting it to last 6 more without downtime or major repairs driving it in bumper to bumper traffic...good luck. One $2200 clutch if you can't diy it will change your mind.
If you want a fun car, get it...
But know fun has a price...
You might be tiring a wrench...maybe waiting for ordered parts, While taking the bus/train...
If that's OK, get it...you will have fun, especially when you get out if the city...
But if you don't want your car to be a distraction, buy an appliance.
Let me be 100% clear...
I LOVED MY MINI.
But if you don't want distractions so you can finish school, or don't have the know how to fix it or the $$, wait, and get one when you have time.

 

Thanks for all the useful information. I am not afraid to turn a wrench and get mybhands dirty, plus I have my dad to help if I can't donit alone ( was a diesel tech for 10 years) so I'm not scared of that. It was more how economical it is (signifigance compared to a tj wrangler) and any common problems. In terms of commuting it for 6 years, that's the plan gor now but I may upgrade to something newer in a few years depending upon what comes up for auction. I should be seeing it tonight and will see if I end up with it. If not, there is a nice golf tdi up listed for auction but there is no date yet. And for the electic blue, would prefer a darker blue, but it won't look bad when I tint the windows a bit, pain the roof black, and get black rims (jcw set probably). Thanks again

 

I agree 100%
If you need reliable, look elsewhere. While this may appear to be an okay deal, when looking to the future for driving every day... for 6 years...with zero down time... it's not very likely.

Even if the engine is okay, you'll now be entering into suspension problems given the age.

Premium gas, Synthetic Oil changes, worn/aged rubber, driving on lousy roads, with a 13 year old car. All adds up to an expensive ride (which is a blast if you have the money to spend on it)

No kidding; I have two... so when one is down, the other is ready to serve while I repair the broken one. It's not often that I go a month (let alone a few weeks) without something popping up.

Also, depending on where it is being purchased... where was the car during the major weather history you guys have had (like Sandy)?

Honestly, at $5000 USD ($6500 CAD) with 60,000 miles (100,000kms) with a 2003 model year... I think it's over priced by about $1K USD. You can get 05-06's up here for less than that, and they're still under rust warranties. Hell, I bought my 06 JCW a year ago (tomorrow) for $5500 CAD.

I'm not saying don't do it. It will be a hell of a ride, driving mine is the best part of my day. But in my opinion, it's not going to last 6 years of NYC daily driving without significant amount of care.

 

If you drive in the city you will be in the 22-24 range on a MCS gen 1 car. As is NYC you will be stop and go. The Gen 2 MINIs are more efficient in the city.


If you get a NON S gen 1 MINI you will get much higher gas mileage in the NYC, i have been there with my r52 Cooper several time .

 

I guess we should all buy our Minis in Canada lol
We just don't find many that cheap in the States Jamez.

Just look at craigslist in any major city. I know in Milwaukee that car would be listed for thousands more. 60K miles is pretty desirable.

As far as mpg my 02 S gets 27 according to the computer. It's my daily driver in mostly stop and go. I take the freeway usually but with all the never ending construction its never smooth.

If you get it, there's a pretty long list of common problems but most of them aren't that bad. They certainly can add up fast if you have to pay someone to do the repairs. Any manual car has the potential to need a clutch so if you're looking to get a stick, the Mini is not any different than a Honda. Do stay away from the Mini automatic though. The big difference is all the little things that don't fail on a good Japanese car.

Crank pulley, tensioner pulley, motor mount, control arm bushing, power steering pump, cooling fan resistor, door latch, ect... All those have great potential of going before 100,000 miles.

My car has rust under the tailights and a couple spots on the hatch. Seems to me to be the most common area. I have no rust at all around the doors.

 

In case anybody cares, I bought it. It's officially mine the 28th ( can't pick it up this week and the owner is out of town next week.) Paid 4250 for it, and only 58500 on the odometer. It was driven by his wife to work everyday, so I don't think it was run too hard. Now off to mods, I already know some things that I want to do to it both aesthetically and in regards to performance.

 

Great deal! Enjoy

 

Congrats! I hope (and think) that you will enjoy it!

 

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal to me. I looked for a few months back at the end of 2015 trying to find a second Mini

 

Wow, that is a great deal. I would not even consider slightly thinking about selling our 2002 for that price.

Keep us posted and take some pictures of it while you are at it.

Congratulations!

 

i have 2005 jcw as my work horse i make 21 mpg average on every thank. driving from middle of queens to jfk almost every day. my 04 audi 3.0l gives me only 14 mpg on the same trip. and i paid $5,500 with 92,000 miles.

 

A picture for those who wanted to see it.

 

Cool...to drive for good mpg, keep the rpms below 3000....this keeps the BPV open, and keeps you out of boost.
Those 17 rims a strong...so good for NY if you can deal with the ride and the weight of them...they call them "s-heavies", the real name is s-lights.

 

Congrats again on the electric blue.

 

Looks good congrats... I will recommend strut defenders as first mod for those NYC roads.

 

I bough an 02 R53 EB/W 2 years ago with 92K miles. I paid 6 and Im pretty happy about it.

 

How many miles do you have on it now and how reliable has it been?

 

Edit: duh Im stupid. I have something like 103K miles now.

 

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