I found a 2004 MCS for sale by a private party

Specs are as follows

Xenons
DSC
6 Speed manual tranny
83,000 Miles


She is asking $13k. The car appears to be decently maintained. She put cloths over the mats to protect and the interior in general looks good. The exterior needs a good detailing.

Areas of concern

1. Left rear tire sounds out of round (thumping sound increases in tempo as the car accelerates)
2. Drivers Window is a bit jittery when it goes up
3. She had someone paint a medium size yellow rose on the roof. It would have to go.


Questions:

1. What are the common problem areas that should I look for on a 2004 MCS?
2. What might it cost to repair the window?
3. I am thinking that it might be a big deal to get the rose off. Any thoughts on how it would be done and what the cost might bet?

Thanks for any input you can provide

 

How many miles?
Is the tire just out of balance, or is it pretty worn out?
Window regulator is something like $150 for the parts I think... Labor depends on where you go $100 an hour at Mini is typical. Only a 1 hour job though.

If we knew the miles I think you'll get more responses. An example...If its got very few (15K) then you'll need to look at seals. If it has high miles, then you're talking brakes.

 

Oops It has 83K

 

Just typical stuff then. Brakes, clutch, etc... DO a little reading on the mushrooming of the strut towers so you know what that looks like. Look for signs of abuse. Crawl under the car and look for things like dinged up floor pans (abuse)
With luck there will be service records showing the oil changes and inspections I and II. If not you may want to flush coolant and brake fluid. Nothing that needs to be done asap, but would be good to get done.
Oh and thanks for having 80k on it! When you said $13k I was wondering how my 29k MCS devalued that much!

 

the window may be going up funny because it needs to be greased as well. There is an up gradded part on the window motor and regulator and i have done this on my 04. But i have also had to get it greased.

 

I hope I don't get yelled at for this.

I would not buy a 2004 with such high mileage (right now folks are looking at my post count/start date and wondering where the heck I am coming from) i have owned well over 100-125 autos in my time and mileage is my number one concern, especially on something as stressed as a small displacement supercharged engine. As I am from the Uk I don't know the full pricing levels of cars in the states but the mileage is insane in my opinion. I would have to look on ebay a bit but would think that in this economy you could find a car with half the mileage and hopefully a year newer (2005 saw major improvements in the car) for a touch more money.
I am just making a comment, I hope I have not offended. In a year of normal driving you will be at 100k, what do you think the car will be worth then? I would try an online used car value site and see what a MCS with that type of mileage is worth? I know my dealer in the UK told me they would not even consider a high mileage car for trade in, I had asked him what levels of mileage he saw on cars coming in for trade when he said that.
Best of luck in your hunt, I hope you find the best deal on the best car

Peter

 

I highly believe that the smell is very important when buying a used vehicle. From past experiences I never buy a car that smells like a baby or cigarettes ( even though i smoke ) or just plain out funk. most of the time the smells are very hard to get rid of sometimes there are still things in the vehicle that are giving off the smells that are well hidden in the never-regions of the interior. the cars smell can be a big guage to how it was maintained. I know this is funny and kinda wierd but its definately something i look for in prospective vehicles.

 

No offense taken by me, pmustang, and I understand where you are coming from.

But I would look at it differently. A few points:

1. There are a lot of MINI's out there with 125K and up, and quite a few with 200K

2. A 2005 MCS with 40K miles on it is going to go for $17K to $19K, so this car is significantly cheaper.

3. Buy the car for 13K and after a couple of years its still going to be worth more than 10K - that's cheap driving costs.

 

I would look for evidence or signs of "BMW cool-aid addiction".

YD

 

Thanks for the opinions. I truly appreciate the time and effort!

My sense is that the price is in the right ballpark and with the price of gas contuning to rise (a local in suburban NYC just bumped the price to $4.12 up 15 cents in just one day!!! for regular no less) that resale value will hold up as long as the car is weel maintained.

She is getting the noise daignosed but strongly suspect that she needs to replace the runflats. I will not pursue the car until the noise is diagnosed and corrected.

It seems that jury is out on buying high mileage MINI. My Hondas are just getting broken in at that mileage.

Any other opinions?

 

I think that is a bit high for that car. Pass on it. You can find one with less mileage and no rose on the top for that price.

 

artp - the price sounds fair once you perhaps negotiate down a bit, and if the car is in really good mechanical condition. All of course depends on modifications, condition of brakes/tires/wear items, and when it was last tuned/maintained.

IMHO, consider spending a few more thou for a 2005+ where you'll get all the mid-model-run upgrades of the 2005+ (primarily trans, and perhhaps lower mileage). A bodyshop could tell you about the rose in pretty quick order, methinks.

Mileage? I dunno, there are quite a few high mileage Minis on these boards. They're not hondas, but they're BMW's, and both are known for longevity and engineering.

 

thanks for taking my comments as intended

Realizing now the price differential I see the reason for your interest, Just realize a dealer would not touch the car with the mileage and would put the hurt on the trader if brought in to trade in on a car, You should go into the deal with that knowledge.

Knowing what I know now (runflats make the car ride quite harsh) I would get the money off the car that the tires should cost then buy the tires you want rather than funflats.

Best of luck. Peter

 

I don't know in which part of the country you are but I think 13K for a 83K seems a bit too much.
How about trying to find an '05 with 34K-35k still under warranty /maintenance? and then buy the extended maintenance (up to 100K). Yo might need to come up with $6-$8K more but you have no worries for a few years.

In Dec. I sold my 2005 MCSC 25,000 miles $ 21,500. (convertibles are about $5,000 more ) - Dark Silver - NAV - Winter pkg - Xenon - HK Sound system- DSC - MINI IPod system - MINI spare tire- carpet floor mats -
extended maintenance up 50K miles -and $75.00 in cash for detailing the car. CarMax was offering $17,000.

 

1 and 2 ~ Any mechanical concerns may be gleaned with an inspection by a dealer. You may have to pay 100 bucks for a mechanical evaluation, but you will have the leverage of an estimate of repair(s) to back you up with the seller to bid down the price, and a better idea of what you are getting into.

3 ~ Painted Flower Issue: If it is not raised on the surface of the roof ( Feel the outer edges of the painted flower, can you feel a raised edge ?) If not, then just buy a Union Jack Flag Decal Roof Kit for $75 bucks and cover it up !

 

I purchased an 02 with 61500 on it. Two years later I am about to turn 70000 miles. So, as mileage goes I think it depends on how much you drive it. I figured in just a few years most 02s would surpass the miles mine will have with the small amount I'd be driving it. I could afford the 02, I couldn't afford the used 05 I looked at. Now I have a car I love. I had the water pump go - apparently common on 02-03 builds. I have caught the mod bug -bad. But, not everyone does. I personally like the quirkier feel of the early builds. Sure the changed gearing in 05 is very nice, but, the steering also feels different to me. I agree with the earlier post about the smell. I am happy every time I open the door to CHEQQRS and smell the leather interior. My PT has a bit of a wierd smell to its leather interior, perhaps a hint of previous smoker (it had only 14000 miles on it and was less expensive than the MCS). Do keep in mind that if you choose an MCS it uses premium gas, not regular. Take a bit of time to check the forums on stock issues, but don't let them scare you off. Remember this site is were you find enthusiasts discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly!

 

The mileage would bother me, but the rose would be a definite turn-off.
I don't want to buy something that's gonna require an immediate fix.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I really appreciate it.

The owner called and told me her mechanic thinks it is a wheel bearing. He is ordering one from a MINI dealer and will install it next week. I will take a look at it again see if the problem is resolved.

She says that she is pretty firm at $13,800. Which is at leat $1500 too high. I think she may soften on the priced as MINI's are pretty scare around here.

I am about 75 miles north of NYC and you tend to see more as you get into Southern Westchester County of Southern Fairfield County, CT.

I am not thrilled about her using a non-MINI mechanic but I understand since she is a good hour from the nearest dealer. She claims that except for oil changes and tires that any other work was done at the dealer.

The yellow rose is in corner of the roof by the driver's pillar. While the Union Jack idea is a good one I really like the yellow and black.

I am going to look at it again after the work is done and get a second look before I proceed.

Thanks guys
Art

 

Art,

Her price is very unrealistic, given the high mileage and condition. Anyone who is serious about asking a premium for their car would have had it professionally detailed (or did it themselves) before you ever saw it. So, I'd really doubt how well it's been maintained. The flower on the roof. There are lots of choices out there in the used car market, even for MINIs.

My girlfriend's MC is on the market: 2005 MC w/ auto and 33,683 miles, asking $16,995. So, you'd probably pick that up (or similar) for say 16K even. That's a much better value then her high mileage older car w/ that bs flower on the roof. The monthly loan for the extra is a mere $40-45. And then you'd have a car that's still under warranty for half a year, with full piece of mind, and loads of miles that YOU will put on instead of "flower lady".

Jeff

 

i got a 2004 mini used (an R50, not an MCS) for a rediculous deal. so far i've had intermittent power steering problems, and there might be some problems with my inside drivers-side door handle.

 

Your girlfriends MC sounded great until I saw it had a automatic. I gotta have a stick.

Thanks for your feedback. I am starting to rethink this one.

All the best
Art

 

I understand completely - my new MCS is a 6-speed. Check out cars.com and autotrader.com - they will both have good deals on 2005/2006 with relatively low mileage.

Here's a decent short list for you:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/search...=&aff=national

and

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...sfyc=&systime=

Please be aware that there are ALWAYS MINI Scams on Autotrader. I've emailed Autotrader numerous times but they never respond (though the scam ads do seem to disappear pretty quickly - only to be immediately replaced with a new one. These dopes have the same MO - they will email you asking for your address, etc, and claim they are out of the country, etc. If their phone # doesn't match the location of the car or their phone # doesn't work they are almost certainly a scammer.

Jeff

 

I think you might want to wait and see what else come on market. It may seem like there are no Minis around, but if you're in NY then I would think there would plenty within a couple hour drive. Worth it to get the car you really want.

 

The links I sent him include a 75 mile radius around NYC. There are a fair number of choices. But you're right - if he can wait and keep looking, something else will crop up that's not currently there.

 

Walk away, you can do better