Hi, new to the board.
looking at a my first used mini, 2012 countryman S.
pretty high mileage, (136K)

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1fc0875

anything in particular I should look for when considering purchase?

This is what I got from the dealer.

“Not sure about the history prior to us getting it but I will say I think it's safe to say those are highway miles because the body is in great shape. Clutch is great. It's a fun little car. It's got a new battery, thermostat (housing was cracked) and water pump.”

thanks in advance!

 

Just drive it around a lot...get it very warmed up. Make sure you dont feel any hesitations ect....make sure it seems to build boost ok. Verify there are no more coolant drips anywhere. It can be tough to get the thermostat sealed right, and if they literally just did it you never know.

Also if you feel any driveline wobble, dont write it off as crappy tires right away. CVs could be out of grease, and to my knowledge you cannot yet buy the driver side one aftermarket..

Maybe look up a YouTube video on how to check the service warnings and indicators in the tach display...go through them

It does look clean. Highway miles dont mean too much.....2200 rpms for hours on end is still that.

 

Drive it like you stole it, and see if it pops any codes or anything. I’m getting right around there for mileage with mine and it’s still going strong ..... with regular maintenance. If the water pump and thermostat are new, that’s good.... at the mileage, make sure the turbo is working ok. Mine has gone out and been replaced by me.

 

Thanks for the quick response!
with 3 kids I kinda need 4 doors but want a car that I can have fun in North GA.
there’s another one for $11K with only 67K, 2014 for sale at the Birmingham mini dealership

wife wanted me to stay under 8K but wondering if the newer one might be a better call

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1faaeda0

 

Kind of a crap shoot.

I will say the all black dash on the 14 looks better. The manual air conditioning sucks to use like in the 12. However, I dont necessarily see that worth all the extra coin.

Youll need to do the thermostat and water pump on the 14 probably...along with whoknows what else. On these cars it doesnt seem to be mileage that does damage, but just time.

With 3 kids I dont see how youd use the 12 anyway. It has 4 buckets.

 

i kid just turned 16, so 3 passengers max, being able to drop off two kids in the morning without having one get out to let another out of the back is key.

what do you mean by Manual A/C?

 

The 14 has "auto climate control", where you can set the temp and it automatically does what it needs to do to get there...adjusts the fan speed and venting on its own.

The 12 is the standard one, where you control the fan speed and feet - face - defrost, ect on your own. My only gripe is that even the first blower speed is too much, and the speed and temp dials on the sides are kind of a pain to turn. Just because my old 09 had auto and it seemed nicer. Small issue in the grand scheme of it all.

14 also has heated seats if you are into that. I could care less, but for my wife it was a 100% must have thing.

 

asking dealer about thermostat and water pump. Thinking my piece of mind might be better if I got an extended warranty with it, it’s like 2K.

thoughts?

 

Wouldn't buy a used Countryman without a warranty and I never buy warranties. This car needs care unless you luck out. 2K for warranty means nothing if you don't mention term, deductibles and what is covered vs. what is excluded.

You also need a pre purchase inspection, even with a warranty as you don't want to be spending all your time in the shop getting repairs. 136,000 mile used MINI, no thanks.

 

thanks!
This is the one I’m looking at now, 2014 with 67K for 11,500
I really wanted is 4 doors and manual tranny, 2K for extended warranty they say

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1faaeda0

But at 13,500 total then I’m thinking I should just get this certified door hardtop

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1fb38550