Hi all,
I'm thinkin seriously about gettin a 2nd hand Mini Cooper S coupe (MCS - R53) 2004 or 2005 . It's must be a manual and S ..Sun roof is a plus for me . Electronic blue is my favorite color. I've got the mods all planned out . However, after reading in the forum and in mini2 i found that there have been quiet a few tranny failure incidents. most of them are the CVT which is the auto for the non-s (correct me if im wrong) . This my main concern , i dont wanna end up paying more about $6K for new tranny. I live in Saudi Arabia, the weather is pretty close to Texas ( it's damn hot in here), do u think the high temp. in the summer would ruin the Mini, in the winter it reaches 5 C degrees which is good for the supercharger ....

The MCS is in top of my list now and I know all the great things about it, So guys and gals plz let me know if there's something i need to know b4 buyin it

 

You may already know this, but starting with the 2005 model the MCS tranny has shorter gearing, which provides quicker acceleration in lower gears. Other than that, I don't really have anything to add.

 

While the Cooper trannies had some issues (both Midlands 5 speed and CVT), the Getrag 6 speed has been very reliable. As jay said, the '05 will give you lower gearing as well as a few interior goodies.

 

Not sure if i'm reading your post correctly but if you're planning to get a MCS with a manual tranny, why are you concerned about the CVT failures then? I believe aside from the CVT, the manual problem involves the Non-S minis (not 100% sure though).

Good luck in your search for a used MCS.

 

thanx for quick replies..
i was wondering if MCS uses the CVT tranny..but thanx to Eric, MCS uses the getrag 6-speed manual which is according to him is very reliable...

besides that..has anyone faced any problems with MCS ..thanx again .

 

He's right! Six speed and you should be good to go.... PS: Ya gonna luv it!

 

thanks for the info .. im glad that im into manual..but i got one question..is the Auto mini s CVT or Getrag..my understanding that it's a 6-speed Getrag.

Besides the transmission, is there anything that i have to worry about before buyin the mini ?

 

thanx all for ur help ..im startin to trust the S - Manual ...however, i would love to know if the car has any problems ..mechanical or electrical problems especially the 05 ..
one more question ...does the Manual S has the sun roof option ?

 

Motor mount failures, strut towers mushrooming (i currently have both problems on my 05, which i bought used back in late April).

Manual has option of sunroof as well.

 

I might think twice about the sunroof in a place like Saudi Arabia-it does not have a solid cover to block the sun when closed so it can and will heat things up in side. I'm in North Carolina which has hot summer but nothing like the desert. If you do get a sunroof look into tinting it darker or get a cover you can place between the netting and the glass. Go with an 05 and if possible an 06 is even better. The motor mount issue was resolved in 06 but even if it's an 05 with this problem it's still under warrenty (do you have a dealer?)

 

I would also avoid a black roofed Mini for your area as well. If you get electric blue, it'll likely have a white roof anyway.

 

Hello abbodi

The CVT is the automatic transmission.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continu...e_transmission

The Getrag is the manual transmission.
Midlands made manual transmissions for the Mini for the first year or two.

Regarding the sunroof, both the regular Cooper and the Cooper S have sunroofs as options.

 

thanx guys for the help...i guess i'll for for a electrical blue 05 or 06 S of course Manual ..

MDK
of course man.. we do have a dealer .
i hope that your not one of those who thinks that Saudi Arabia still uses camels for transportation LOL ..jk.

for the motor mounting ..i'll try to buy one with a warranty and get the extended warranty as well.

p.s. BMW-MINI dealer has a promotions:
the maintenance is charge free for cars under warranty

 

One problem I've seen several posts on is the sunroof acquiring rattles as it ages. Don't know if it is a problem for '05, though.

In the summer, you may notice significant retardation of the spark, and reduced performance as a result. I don't know what mods you are planning, but, mechanically, many mods have been chasing prevention of the MCS's ECU's tendency to pull timing (intercoolers, colder plugs, ECU remaps, methanol injection, etc, etc). All of them seem to help. It becomes a matter of how much it bugs you and how much $$ you want to spend. Over the last couple of years, I got a K&N "Typhoon" CIA, an M7 "Extreme" scoop, an Alta diverter (v2), and a Fireballed Racing tune, which, together, have taken care of the timing issue to my satisfaction for a total of about $1,000.

Getting an '05 or even an '04 will avoid many serious problems you might read about in these forums (engine bay fires and the like ). Hold out for those later years, and you will probably be happier. I have an '04 MCS, 6-speed, NO sunroof. Lovin' it still after 56,000. It's a daily driver and hobby car as well. Have had only MINOR stuff go wrong, and all under warranty.

Good luck!! Hope to "see" you here again.

 

I didn't mean that at all, sorry if it came across that way. I only mentioned that as the MINI dealers are pretty spread apart here in the states-the closest to me is 3 hours away. When I mentioned the warrenty it got me wondering if there is a dealer near by to you so that if you have to get warrenty service it will not be a long trip.

Good luck in your serch! You might even call the dealer and let them know what you looking for and what price range you want to stay in so if they see something like that they can call you.

 

I purchased an used 03S 6spd last year in Nov. with aprox. 36K miles.

It is dark silver with a black top and sunroof, I also live in sunny Las Vegas, Nv. I use an extra cover in the summer to block the heat and sun rays coming thru the sunroof. Never had a problem with the ac cooling the interior even on a 110+ day.

Thus far I have only had the strut tower mushrooming, which I fixed myself with Craven Speed: strut tower defenders and a 2x4 with a hammer.

This has been a great year of ownership.

Laters

 

go for an 05, more refined car all the way around.

 

thanx all for the help ..im searching for one and hopefully i'll find one sooon :D

 

hey i've had an 04 mini s for half a year now and no problems yet! runs great!

ps. electric blue is the way to go! good taste

 

has anyone besides itchynscrachty encountered an engine mount failure ?
guys the mini is gonna be my everyday use car ..is it that reliable ?
thanx