Yes, I know......it's about time and I agree. In my smallish town used Mini's do not show up too often and the closest dealer is about 3 hours away. I got to test it with my daughter-that was one of my concerns- but she fit just fine and really seemed to enjoy the ride, she also loved the bonnet stripes (I'm raising her right )

It is an 04 MCS with 16,5K miles -either hyper or indi blue/white(it was getting dark and the lighting was deceiving) with the two tone space cloth interior. I looked like it had the sport pckg, parking assist and I think that might be it. It had the 17" wheels with runflats and xenons (which is why I'm thinking sport pkg) The condition was very nice but I need to look it over much closer again. The asking is $19,9 which seems OK but not incredible-obviously this gives the dealer wiggle room. I was thinking a 05 or 06 with the premium and sport pkg but this ones is nice and here so.......

What's your opion of the specs so far? What should I be sure to ckeck out with an 04- I do want to run the VIN by a dealer for the history. The drive was a blast, I could really get into that! There was one rattle in the back-it is the cover against the hatch-easy fix.

 

I'm guessing the amount of views / the lack of replies means I have asked about things that have asked about too many times alreay-sorry!

I am just excited to have finally been able to drive a MCS-I was not let down in any way which is great because I had some high expectations.

 

I'm glad you're excited and it sounds very nice.

I'm not sure what the going price should be but the dealer undoubtably has a lot of wiggle room.

At 19k I'd give serious consideration to a new 07 MCS with few options and a new warranty. That way you can pick your own color and interior, and just add a few essentials like, IMO, the MFSW, front and rear fogs, DSC and LSD.

Still, if you can negotiate the price down to something you feel comfortable with, you'll love the '04

 

I've thought about the 07 but I find I like the styling of the 1st gen better. I've actually found 2 06 MCS's at dealers near me and they are also in strong consideration as they are not that much more. Unfortunatly for me it will kind of hard to take advantage of the free service-as that will mean a 3 hour trip to the dealer. I sure wish BMW dealers would honor the MINI service plan-there is one much closer.

 

Not sure where in NC you are but the price seems a little high.
MINI of Nashville had some almost new 06s for the low 20's with less than 1,000 miles. So an 04 for almost $20K does not sound great.

If it is the car you want it would not be bad, but there are some great deals at the MINI dealers on 06's.

Also, I got my 04 about 16 months ago with 16k miles for $20 as a reference point. Also a non-dealer town in the south.

 

MDK, for that money I recommend you looking into an used or slightly used '05 or '06 MCS. The main reason for that is related to the gearing changes MINI made back in 2005. There is a big difference in acceleration and performance between the earlier R53s (2002-2004) and the later R53s (2005-2006). Food for taught. Cheers, Otto

 

Thanks all- I was leaning towards an 05 or newer if I couldn't find a NOS 06 at a dealer. I would also like it to have a little more equip-the sport and premium pkg is what I had in mind-a LSD and drving lights would be perfect but I can add those later. I do suspect the price is a little high-that's common for this dealer, I do not mind waiting longer to find the right one it's just been too busy lately to travel to the other dealers to test anything-one of the drawbacks of a small town in Eastern NC. I will also be trading my wifes van so that complicates things a little.

 

having owned an 02 and now an 05 Cooper S. keep looking for an 05 or 06. i paid 16,500 for my 05 with 50k miles on it (now i had to upgrade and clean it up a bit). The later r53's are far better in terms of build quality. Plus they are faster due to slight increse in HP and better gearing.

Good luck in your search.

 

I was able to locate a Chili red/white brand new 06 MCS not too far away for 5k more than the used 04, kind of a no brainer for me, lets' see if Mrs MDK feels the same.

To be able to take advantage of the free service will be a road trip-at least that's only once a year(ish)

I'm getting excited now!

 

It's a 2 hour trip from my house in Maine to the closest dealership in Mass. I don't have to go down there more than once or twice a year, and it gives me an excuse to get away from work on a week day. I always schedule for first thing in the morning. I leave the house about 5 in them morning, and I'm usually the first customer there.

 

It's 3.5 hours one-way to my dealer in Memphis. I've only gone once a year for my 03 MC. I actually enjoy everything but the Memphis traffic. The dealership, (Roadshow), has been very good, and I get to check out a bunch of MINI's

Have fun.

 

Is the free service really that big of a selling point? You can do it yourself for maybe $20. I'm not too sure it even costs that much. I would say get the better deal and forget the free service.

 

My closest Dealer is 5 hours!
I don't really need them. But have used them in the past for a few upgrades.
I'm about to make the trip again this Mon for a scheduled service and to enable the OEM alarm.
I'm sure there are people that have to drive farther than me. As long as your MINI treats you fine, dealer distance is not a consideration in my book.

 

If you take the time to look, you can still find brand new and unsold '06 R53 tintops around the country with discounts averaging $1,500 from MSRP.

 

$19.9 k is a bit too much for an '04

2 months ago i was offered a brand new '06's for 21k by a dealer. see if you can find one of those new '06s

 

I agree- I figure it gives the dealer a lot of room to work with. I was thinking about one of the left over 06's but I am finding that the service and/or warrenty work might be a problem as most dealer require that you return to them for the work- that would be 4-5 hours away. I've got another dealer in town that I have bought from in the past looking for an 05 or 06 MCS now and I'll contiue to mull this one over. I kind of hate to buy new and then not be able to take advantage of the service due to the distance of the dealer.

 

As others have said, the 36mth/36k service is not that big of deal. I do all of my own service anyway. The Warranty of a new MINI is worth it.
I have had to take mine in a couple of times and was very glad for the 48mth/50k warranty.
Even with a drive to the dealer it is worth it, about 2 hours for me.