Just saying a friendly Canadian Hello to the forum!

Im located in Hagersville Ontario (yes home of the tire fire), just 25-30 minutes south of Hamilton.

I am currently a v-dub guy (03 GTI, 74 beetle, and wife has a 04 Jetta TDi), however I'm in the hunt to trade my GTI in on a MCS.

Any things i should look out for when purchasing? Sadly im limited to used minis, but they are just minis looking for a good home right?

Anything i should look out for on my hunt? Thanks in advance !

 

What model year do you think you'll end up with? Are you looking for something to keep stock and safe for the balance of the warranty, or do you plan on modding the bejesus out of the ol' gal?

 

Currently am poor, so im looking to start off with an 02 or MAYBE 03. Frankly its all i can afford at this stage in life. And it has to be an S. Im coming from a 1.8T GTI, so performance is a must.

I plan on modding pretty much right away. Well, 3-4 months. I always like to get fully aquainted with my car before changing things. I want to get used to things as they are stock, so i can really appreciate the changes.

Im thinking exhaust system, air intake, 15% pulley, ECU upgrade, and possibly some sway bar(s). 'the usual' from what i've learned in the past few weeks of reading.

Question is, which brand and such to go with.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. I'm leaving it stock probably until the spring, then will slowly start dropping in the mods. Right now I'm just upgrading the interior bits to my liking and getting used to the car as a whole.

There are a handful of 2002 and 2003 Cooper S' on AutoTrader.ca right now. Not sure what your price range is, but most seem to be $20k-28k.

I'm probably going with ALTA Performance for the intake and pulley. Lots of great feedback about ALTA's products. Haven't decided on which exhaust system or suspension bits to go with. Haven't researched ECU upgrades. I'm getting annoyed with how much brake dust the stock pads put out; my wheels are filthy in a week or two. I might switch those out to some EBC pads (Greenstuff, maybe Redstuff...) in the fall.

I'm just going to have my pay cheques re-routed to Jason over at Coopersport.ca...

 

Hey Bugs welcome

Have you test driven a MINI yet? Go to a dealer and do it if not.

There are not many used MINIs for sale here in Manitoba. But I did see an 02 MCS for sale in the paper the other day. 65K kms on it, leather seats was the only listed option. Asking $22,000. It likely had heated seats. Never seen one at the dealer without them.

Good luck on finding a MINI. With the 06s getting ready to roll in October, more may start to hit the used market.

My only advice, stay away from a modded one, it probably was driven hard, not that these cars can not handle that, but it may have been abused. And if there is any warrenty left, a dealer may not cover certain issues that come up.

 

Thanks for the welcomes guys! Looks like its official, as of tomorrow afternoon, I am the owner of a 2002 Mini CooperS.

Red/Black roof. Black heated leather,6speed, interior, 17's (with snow wheels/tires too).

Bone stock from the looks of things. Was owned by a late 20 something female who got pregnant, and wanted some more space.

Im thinking Alta intake/pulley as well. Likley end up going the GIAC chip route. Never been a big fan of the piggy back systems. Not much warranty left, so i may as well kill it as soon as possible.

I drive ALOT. (60K+ kms a year), so i will be my own warranty

 

CONGRATS!! How reasonable was the price, and what kind of mileage did it have?

60k per year... Yikes... Where the heck do you drive??

 

Thats great news Bugs. Glad you found something so quick.

I've done 87k kms in 25 months. My MC is rock solid, and feels like new.

Have fun motoring and hanging out here on NAM:smile:.

 

Welcome to the club! You might want to check out the Southern Ontario Mini Club website at www.somc.on.ca and meet up with some local enthusiasts. There's a meet coming up in Niagara Falls, ON next weekend, Sunday, Aug. 28 that you should check out. I'll even bring ya a Coopersport.ca decal!

Let me know when you want to go faster, handle better and look sharper!

Cheers,
Jason.

 

Thanks for the invite! In fact a while ago i received an email from your mailer about that gtg. I was thinking about coming out. Now that I should have a mini of my own, im gonna try my best