I took my 03 Base with 70k miles into the dealer for the power steering recall. During the visit, their inspection uncovered coolant and oil leaks. The coolant leak would be fixed by replacing the water pump. The oil leak would be fixed by replacing the oil pan gasket and valve cover. A local shop quoted me $1400 for the fixes. The dealer also found cracked front control arm bushings.

I have been thinking of selling the car as-is. I am concerned about an onslaught of future repairs with other parts of the car. If I have to spend more than the value of the car on future repairs (arm bushings, clutch, etc.), I would rather sell now.

What is the practical choice to make?
1. Sell as-is?
2. Replace the water pump and oil pan gasket and valve cover, then sell?
3. Replace the water pump and oil pan gasket and valve cover, then hope it won't have issues in the next few years?

 

Do you have the tools and feel confident you could work on your MINI yourself? That would save you a lot of money and just take the use of your own time. We have free tech articles on our site under the tech info tab that can help you tackle some of these jobs. Those, plus the use of NAM's DIY threads and our parts prices, it can definitely help you keep some money in your pocket.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...15_catalog.htm

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I can't work on the car myself.

 

Imo, if you own the car - that's much better than any car payment. No vehicle is error free and there's no way anyone can guarantee there won't be more issues. Sure, Mini's require more love than others - but they also get more attn than others and are lots more fun than others. Imo, if you sell it, you'll miss it. From everything I've heard, the base cars will have alot less trouble than the S cars. I've also heard the Fiat's are 'less reliable' and I put 60k on one with minimal issues.

 

Agree with MiniTigger. Before cutting her loose, comparison price the needed fixes and see if advice is available from local tuner shops and MINI clubs in your area. Here are lists of both:

http://new.minimania.com/article/319...ners_and_Shops

http://new.minimania.com/article/1637/MINI_CAR_CLUBS

Hope this helps!

 

I just think you were overwhelmed with hearing this all at once. The key is triage... what to do 1st, and what do do later.

Then tackle it one thing at at a time. That "report card" they give you at the dealership is scary sometimes - but obvisouly you drove the car there (right?). I say keep it - and get it done. Also - remember there are lots of people that can work in MINIs other than the dealership.

 

+1

 

The dealer and the local shop are in business to make money.

Is the car actively leaking oil? Is there oil on the ground where you park it? Do you check your oil regularly? If you're not going through any oil, and you personally don't see it leaking don't worry about it.

The dealer will recommend excessive repairs if they see a drop of oil anywhere. Now if you are actually having oil issues then you are back to your original question.

The same goes for the coolant. A bad water pump will leave a good amount of coolant on the ground. And smell. Are you having these symptoms?

Control arm bushings go bad on every Mini and do need to be fixed.

Now if you are done with the car, just sell it. If you do, it's a used car, so sell it with a guilt free conscience. My guess is that problems are actually very minor and typical of most minis.

 

Like shawwwwn said, be careful about what "people" are telling you. R50s manuals are a great little car if you take care of them. I had an 04 r50 from 52k miles to 138k when i traded for my R53. Yes, i put a clutch in it at about 125k, and shocks on it, and other wear items, but it was all normal wear and tear. A clean 70k R50 is probably worth $5k, and if you like the car, it has a lot of good miles left in it.

A cracked control arm bushing isnt a big deal as long as it hasnt failed completely ( control arm is hasnt shifted/is moving around in the bushing). Yes, they will have to be replaced eventually; they all do...

 

As others have noted, you shouldn't automatically trust someone giving you a work estimate.

To wit: when I took my '04 R53 in to the local Mini dealer, they replaced the power steering pump and fan at no cost to me (recalled parts). As is their SOP, they did a full check on the car to see if anything else needed repair. So when I picked her up, the service manager told me three things needed fixing:
1) oil pan gasket
2) upper engine mount (passenger side)
3) LCA bushings
...and they gave me some absurd price for repairing these things.

But wait...
1) the "leaking" oil pan gasket was actually nothing more than the common $1.80 CPS O-ring;
2) the engine mount wasn't leaking fluid at all and still looks fine;
3) LCA's probably do need replacement, but it's not a huge deal right now.

What they probably did was just list a few common wear item repairs that a +90K mile R53 might need. Which is a load of crap. So yeah, get a second opinion from a decent Mini service shop in your area. If you Google this, there's a national listing somewhere that will provide this info.

 

depends....
sell as is as a trade...fix it drive it...sell it in a year...
the old DEVIL YOU KNOW VW THE DEVIL YOU DON"T argument...
$1400 and no car payment for a year....or $500 car payment per month?
Pick!!

 

Where do you live? Are you a part of the local mini community?

I do a ton of BMW side work (E30/E36/E46 primarily, but others as well), and just bought a 2003 Mini S that needs a new cylinder head and clutch.

I'll be digging into that, fixing it, and flipping it for a profit, and once I know what I'm doing, I'll start doing side work on Minis as well.

Finding a good local "side work mechanic" who stands behind his work, can communicate what he is going to do, is methodical, and you can trust, is a major cost savings, and helping out "the small guy". I'm an active duty Navy sailor, and I use the side work to augment my income and help pay for my toys. $50 an hour with me, is a lot cheaper than an indie shop or a dealership. I charge by what it takes me, not what the "book rate" is either. If brakes are supposed to take 6 hours according to the book, I'm not going to charge you $600 (6hr x $100 an hour), I'm going to charge you 3 hrs x $50 = $150 that it actually took me. That puts groceries on the table for the week for my family.

Something to think about. Get involved, meet other mini enthusiasts in the area, and see if anyone does side work. That goes for any make/model of car