I've been planning on buying a Mini since January, i am lookin to getting one in the end of next month or early april. Ive been looking at some of the minis in the market area, which some seen great buys however most of them if not all, are light years away from where i am. In addition, i have been looking a couple of dealers around my area and found a couple, with one i have my eye on. the one i have been looking is a red R53 with 60,000 miles for about 13,500. I went to check it out last month when i thought i was going to get it in January but certain circumstances made me have to wait until March/April.

Anyways, i wanted to ask ppl in NAM, what are some Key Questions i should ask the dealer when i go 'in' with the car? The more questions the better, and any help would greatly be appericated.

 

1) Get the VIN number
2) Run a Carfax report (www.carfax.com)
3) Ask to see maintenance records if a private seller
4) With VIN number any MINI dealer should be able to pull out original build sheet and service history of the car since new.
5) If you are not mechanically inclined enlist the services of a mechanic for a top to bottom inspection (Money well spent for peace of mind).
6) Ask about any modifications made to the car
7) test drive vehicle. If anything doesn't look/feel right, walk away.

 

Nicely put.

In addition, I would check the trim of the car for any signs of it having been painted. A lot of collision centers don't report to Carfax, so that would be a big clue to an accident.

 

Part of a good mechanical inspection should uncover, or point to, accident repair.

I personally would never buy an used car before putting it on a lift.

 

As for buying a MINI from a non MINI dealer, most of these dealers do not have a clue about the car. Unless the previous owner tells the dealer that the car has been modded (highly doubtful), then they aren't going to know. You might have to do a visual inspection for mods, or at the least take another experienced owner with you. These dealers aren't going to know the difference between stock pulleys and aftermarket ones. Car Fax reports are great, but still don't cover the whole basis. There are three things I'd look for too besides the usual inspection.

1. Check the strut towers for deformation.
2. Check for cooling system leaks.
3. Check for bent wheels. (inner and outer)

Also, most dealers will do an "oil change" when they first get the car. Ask them what type of oil they used. What did their inspections consist of.

One thing, what year was the Red R53 you are looking at? The price sounds pretty decent. The year will definitely tell you what things you should look for.

 

I've heard a lot of early R53's have power steering problems. You may want to ask about that

 

My bet is most of the "low end" dealers are not going to use Synthetic Oil for the change, and may not even change th filter. They just want the dipstick to look somewhat clean if you pull it out to check it.

I took a Mini out for a test drive from a "low end" dealer and when I put my foot on the brakes the wheel shot out of my hand because the rotors were so warped. The sales guys response was "we can fix that". My response was: "Your opportunity to fix that was before I took it for a test drive." See ya...

 

Yes, you have to watch them. Not all of them are bad, they just don't know the car very well. And, there are others out to make a dime. That's crazy about the rotors !!!

 

i appericate all the information you guys have given, def. will have a sheet of questions for the dealer. Btw its a 2004 and i actually did get a report on it, from autocheck.com (simliar to carfax) and from the report theres no history of accident. and def will take a mechanic with me. They actually have two Minis at that dealer and then theres 2 others i saw. Thank you for the input!

 

here are the 3 i saw:

Red w/stripes, 2004, 60,000 = 13,500
White 2005 71,000 = 14,000 (i didn't like it that much but still will look at it)
blue 2005 74,000 = 12,980

 

If those are r50's you should be able to negotiate a thousand or two off those prices easy if you are able to pay up front.

 

i guess my biggest worry is of course the power steering problems early R53s are prone to have, i've read a couple of threads pertaining to stock problems (esp. the one where the engine bay catches on fire) and that gets me a lil worried. i def. wouldn't want to have any of these problems happen in like a year i get the car

 

actually all of them are R53s

 

I'd ask if the power steering pump has been replaced. they do go out. usually because the cooling fan stops. It looks like a computer fan under the car make sure it spins and isn't bound up. The smallest piece of road trash can get caught in it and stop it.

Remember that brakes (rotors and pads) are like tires and wippers. Just ware items that have to be replaced every so often. Up to each person or the state inspection as to how much poor performance they are willing to put up with before they get replaced.

 

My o3 S with 62K, just had the power steering replaced and the radiator overflow container was cracked and replaced as well. I have not had any other problems.

good luck

 

That white 2005 in NY if its the one I'm thinking about has a small gap between the fender and bumper. White w/nav and sweet tan interior? I tried dealing with that dealership online because I am far away, they are slow and kind of useless so I moved on. But I never got to see the car in real life. Let me know if i missed out on something good if you go to see it.

 

Here are several questions you may want to ask when purchasing a used Miini.

 

i actually found that car to be very cluttered IMO. They actually have a red one that i perfer even though it is a 04 and the white one is 05. however that is all that i remember lol