Bottom Line:

2005 MINI Cooper S
Mileage 42,200
Color: Jet Black/Jet Black
Price: $20,000 for NAMers!

Well, unfortunately, my previous sale fell through. The buyer couldn't get the money. I also lost my other sale waiting for this guy. Oh well.

If anyone in the Bay Area wants a deal, I'm prepared to sell my MINI for $20,000!! Contact me soon. Otherwise, my poor MINI will be traded in (gasp). Can't keep the dealer on hold much longer!

After 2 wonderful years, I have decided it is time to move on.

Nuff MINI is a Jet Black/Jet Black (body and roof) 2005 MINI Cooper S. The Kelly Blue Book value (factoring in 42,000 miles) is about $21,295 - not including mods. Now I know that modifications on cars typically don't add a lot of value - and in many cases modifications decrease the value of a car. But with MINIs, "youification" is what makes MINIs ... well ... MINIs.

My mods are both performance oriented as well as cosmetic. Each has been carefully thought out and installed. Most of you all know what these are, but I'll describe the major ones below:

A note on mileage: While I have put nearly 42,000 miles on my MINI, the vast majority of the miles are highway miles. I commute from the Peninsula to San Francisco (and have since I've had the car). The car was parked every day at the Daly City BART Station Parking Garage. Also, the car has never been driven on a track or autocross course. I was always planning on doing it, but never got around to it. Plus, I was going to wait for the end of the warranty period so I could do some more aggressive mods (i.e., pulley, etc.).

Tires: I actually was able to get over 41,000 miles on my OEM Pirelli run-flats! Since they were getting pretty bad, I installed a set of Falken Azenis ST115.

Stock Items:
Gray Leatherette w/Black Interior
Cold Weather Package

• Heated Washer Jets
• Heated Mirrors
• Heated Front Seats

Multifunction Steering Wheel w/Cruise Control
Dual Pane Panaramic Sunroof
Automatic Air Conditioning
On-Board Computer
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
Front Fog Lamps
Xenon Headlights w/headlamp power wash
Center Armrest
Rear Fog Lamp

Performance Mods:
17" Volk Racing CE28 Wheels
(17x7.5 - 10 spoke) These are some of the lightest racing wheels available at approximately 12lbs per wheel. This is a dramatic improvement over the stock 17" MINI Cooper S-Lites that weight about 25lbs per wheel. That's a 13lbs saving of unsprung weight per corner!

TSW Performance Springs
Cold wound of the highest quality chrome silicon material, shotpeened, and then powdercoated... 3/4" average drop front to rear, with the front settling in about 5/8" to 3/4" drop and the rear about 7/8". This effectively eliminates the factory rake. These give you improved performance without sacrificing comfort. Better ride than stock and it closes up the wheel gap nicely. I still have the stock OEM springs.

MTH Tuner File
Developed for maximum driving pleasure and clearly enhanced performance. Powerful, greater torque and an unparalleled response. MTH claims that their Tuning Software (which modifies the ECU) increases output to 200bhp. But this is based on the stock engine using 98 octane. All I can say is there is definitely an improvement over stock performance. And the MTH Tuning Software eliminates the yo-yo that some of the older MCSs exhibited. In addition, this modification is completely reversible. I will provide the buyer with the original ECU file and the ISO9141 Adaptor needed to update the ECU.

Whalen Shift ****
You may think this is a cosmetic item, but you HAVE to try it. The Whalen Shift Machine is the best shift **** out there for the MINI. Since it is 18oz, it promotes smoother and faster shifts. It just looks and feels fantastic. I also have the stock shift **** for those that need the shift pattern.

Electronic Mods:

Auxiliary Input
This input allows you to plug an iPod or other audio device and listen to it through the stereo.

ProClip Mounts
I have a number of ProClip mounts that will hold various cell phones and other electronics. I have two mounts that clip to the dash downtubes. I also have a TachOn Device Mount by MiniDoMore. This is attached to the back of the tachometer.

Auto-up Circuit
Why this wasn't built into the car, I'll never know. The windows go all the way down with a push of a button, but you have to hold the switch to make close the window. This mod lets you close the window automatically with two clicks of the switch.

Cosmetic Mods:

Painted Wheel Arches and Trim
This is definitely one of the best mods I've done. All of the wheel arches and body trim (side skirts, bumper lip, etc.) were removed, sanded smooth and then painted by a high end custom body shop in Southern California.

Aero Grill
This is a very popular mod on NAM. Removed the chrome grill and installed the aero grill from the MINI aero kit.

Tinted Windows
50% on the front windows and 35% on the rear windows.

Black Racing Tow Hook
Swivel design lets the hook retract out of the way when not in use.

Black Belt
The MCS comes with a chrome beltline below and around the windshield and windows. 3M vinyl tape is used to black this out, making the chrome beltline look like black trim. I have an entire roll of tape if you ever want to reapply (it's been fine for 2 years).

Palo Uber Anodized Antenna
This is an overpriced 3" billet antenna that eliminates that "radio control" car look of the long stock antenna. Reception is just as good as the OEM antenna.

Glove Box Tidy
The best MINI glove box organizer available.

All service performed by MINI of San Francisco.

CARFAX report available.




















Thanks for looking.

 

dang...if it was an automatic and had anthracite headliner I would have seriously considered it!!! Best of luck with your sale.

 

love it and want it, just a couple grand off tho.....

 

Good luck with the sale.

 

wow....i miss my mini and now i am droolin over this one.....

 

Thanks for the response. I've had a number of inquiries, both in this thread and via PM.

I'm going to trade it in soon, but wanted to give my fellow NAMers the opportunity first. I was offered $20K from a dealer in trade, so I'll sell it for $21,000 to someone on NAM (I'm going to change my AutoTrader ad to $21,500).

 

Can't knock a couple grand off, but ....

 

hmm are you asking $21k or $22.5k? if it's for the former i'm definitely interested. can we meet up this weekend?

 

Glove box tidy. Sweet.

 

if u part i think you can make a little more

 

$21K for NAMers (couldn't change the original thread title).

Here's the thing - I already have a dealer willing to give me $20k for a trade on Saturday. I can remove most of my aftermarket parts (which I'll sell separately) since the dealer isn't giving me credit for them anyway.

That said, if you (or someone else) is ready to give me $21K by Saturday morning, I'm happy to sell it with all the mods to someone who will appreciate it.

 

Agreed. Was hoping to sell it as is to a fellow NAMer. If I trade it in, I'll take off all the mods.

 

mmm your car is sexy!! i wish i had the money for it. bump for you

 

My sale fell through. Buyer couldn't get the money. Also lost the other sale waiting for this guy. Oh well.

If anyone in the Bay Area wants a deal, I'm prepared to sell my MINI for $20,000!! Contact me soon. Otherwise, my poor MINI will be traded in (gasp). Can't keep the dealer on hold much longer!

 

your car is hella sexy and i want it so bad!!

 

So no LSD, right?

 

Does the MTH Tuner File software void the warranty? The price doesn't seem too far off edmunds.com for PRIVATE PARTY RETAIL. Car looks really good. GL.

2005 MINI Cooper S 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl S/C 6M)Trade-InPrivate PartyDealer RetailNational Base Price$14,237$15,749$16,890Optional Equipment$2,261$2,474$2,930Xenon High Intensity Discharge Headlights$199$218$258Power Heated Mirrors$84$92$109Leather Seats$730$799$946Fog Lights$84$92$109Stability Control$281$307$364Power Panorama Roof$478$523$619Cruise Control$140$154$182Trip Computer$113$123$146Heated Front Seats$152$166$197Color Adjustment
Black$19$21$22Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code 19053$49$54$58Mileage Adjustment
42,000 miles$-569$-569$-569Condition Adjustment
Outstanding$727$766$841Total$16,724$18,495$20,172

 

There are a lot of posts regarding the MTH Tuner File and warranties and there isn't a simple answer. It really depends.

If the dealer can prove that the ECU upgrade caused the failure, then they can argue that the repair is not covered by the warranty. But if the part that fails has nothing to do with the ECU, then the fact that you have an ECU upgrade would not void your warranty.

The same is true with the TSW Springs and Volk Wheels. If I tried to get warranty service because of a shock failure, they would probably argue that the aftermarket springs void the warranty (this is why I waited to install the springs). On the other hand, they can't point to the TSW Springs if the radio stopped working.

That said, the reason I went with MTH is because it is so easy to upload the original ECU back onto the car.

 

Wrong?

 

Sorry, Tazio. Missed your post.

You are correct. No LSD.

 

PM Reply sent.

 

Thanks!

 

let my buy your grill!! i will send you mine, might as well make some money on your car it your gonna trade it in, dealer wont give you anything for it!!!

 

Nuff - did you and Chris finalize the deal yet?

 

Doing the paperwork shuffle. Crossing fingers while we get this done. Loan approved, just finishing up. Then I fly to San Fran>