I've been keeping my eyes peeled to the marketplace looking for just the right Cooper S. I made the fortunate mistake of driving the stock and JCW S and now I need one pretty bad. Okay, ideal scenerio: 2003-2004 all packages (Nav optional), 1-owner, all service history recorded, no accidents, all colors considered except yellow, no solid colors except black, under 65,000 miles. I am willing to spend up to $16,000. Will travel a six hour radius of my home in Kentucky. Contact trainer-bob@hotmail.com if you or someone you know would like to sell their MCS.

 

Daddeo, if I were you, I would look for a late '04 on. The early MINIs had a different tranny, plus some of the earlier ones had some minor issues. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the heads up! A big part of my decision is getting the most car for that $16,000 top end. Is the difference that huge?

 

By late '04 he means an '05 model - lower gearing. It's definitely an improvement, but for your budget you'll need to stay with an <='04.

 

Daddeo,

Aloha and welcome to NAM.

What are you going to use your MINI for?
Street use only?- commuting, weekend driving, autocross, track driving, driving school events?

What other performance cars have you had or have now?

Given your $16,000 price and top mileage of 65,000 miles it might be hard to find a 2005 MCS that fits your criteria, more likely 17,000 to 18,000.

The transmission on 2002-2004 MCS was OK, 6 speed getrag but the gearing was tall which was OK for general street use but not as peppy for blazing around town quickly as in the 2005-2006 versions which also could be ordered with Limited Slip Differential.

Overall I'd say the transmission on the older MCS is not going to be a deal breaker for you but you ought to drive some so you can get the feel of the difference because there is a difference (also a little more HP in the later versions).

If you can find a higher mileage 2005 MCS 6 speed I think that would be the best car if everything else is equal. Fewer little problems and better gearing and better HP. Be aware that the 17" wheels are heavy and 16" wheels weigh less and will function fine.

Good luck with your search.

 

Thanks for all the great advice! My use will be strictly for street. I do intend to do some mods. The cars of past and present: 1987 944 Turbo, 1992 VW Corrado, and currently 1993 Mercedes 500E. Visiting this site and owning most of the MC2 mags fuels the excitment of owning a Cooper S. Alta, M7, Dinan, JCW, etc., make for a lot of future decisions ... let the games begin!!

 

OK, Street legal MCS.

The reason I would recommend waiting for a good 2005 MCS is basically for the transmission (shorter gears) which I think you will be happy with.

If you just don't see that being available then a 2004 MCS with the options you are looking for might work but you'd likely be doing upgrades but that would add to the cost unless you think of the modding process as a fun activity.

Suspension can be upgraded at any time for any of the years and mods are the same from 2002-2006.

Interior features like seats, computer, steering wheel controls, sunroof, automatic AC, etc either are there or not. Think carefully about which features you could live without or if you really have to have them. You can't really add them once you purchase something. Look at the seats and see how well the upholstery has worn. Some leather seats did not wear well. Any fabric can be worn out by 50,000 miles. You can use seat covers or refinish the seats.

Packages contain a lot of things, some are not that helpful like the heavy 17" wheels. Some owners will have ordered all the packages but could have changed out something like the wheels or even upgraded. That would be a plus. Stock 16" wheels are OK.

Some owners will have kept the runflats but by the time 20,000 miles goes by the original tires will need replacing and non runflats are pretty common. Tires vary a lot, look for Ultra High Performance Summer tires or better. Some are very good handling and wear fast while others are the opposite, soft riding/comfortable, long lasting but not as responsive in corners.

If you do find an MCS with Limited slip differential that would be rare from the 2005 year on later. In my area out of 100s of orders only 2 were sold and both by ordering from the factory.

 

Thanks again! It's great to get in-depth advice. I really want to make the best decision. I've been looking at the '05's because of your input. What if I found a 2002 with a JCW kit with some low miles (I have). Does that get me equal with an '05? Advice?