Greetings!

I imagine you get these threads a lot, so hopefully you'll bear with me.

I've been looking for a small car for a while, and after the test drive I'm pretty certain I've decided on the Cooper S (lightly used I hope)

I found an S at a mini dealership near me and am having a hard time getting my mind off of it because it is basically everything I want in a car.


Cars these days aren't exactly made bulletproof anymore. so I was wondering is there anything super important and Mini specific (or otherwise) in the purchase that I need to be wary or conscious of that I might otherwise miss? I'm not much of a car guy, I know a bit, but won't be offended if you treat me as such.


the specific car I'm looking at is:
2005 Cooper S
31,300km (19,500mi)
dark silver
manual transmission
6 year warranty
premium package
sport package
Harman Kardon sound system

$26,988 CAD ($22,100 US)


certainly a lot of money... but I loved it.

thanks in advance. anything else to add, I'd certainly appreciate the help.

 

Seems a little high to me. Got my '04 MCS - loaded - in Jan '05 (22K miles) for $21K. I'd push them a bit on the price, and if the market's right, walk away (if only to come back later ) if they can't meet it. In the US at least the year seems to come at a higher premium than the miles (kms).
IMO, not too much that can go wrong with the mileage so low. Only one oil change in the schedule at that point. I got mine from a MINI dealer as well, which gave a bit more peace of mind vs. a generic dealer.
Good luck!

 

Seems very high to me. Around here, MINI S's that year w/low miles seem to be going for around 18-19k (USD). I sold one in March and still look at the for sale ads all the time.

I should add - what the dealers are asking and what they are actually getting are probably 2 different numbers. When I bought my MC cabrio in March the dealer took $900 off the already reduced asking price without blinking.

 

I agree - the asking price is on the highside, but a dealer will post a higher price in hopes of 1) a person falls in love and buys it and 2) it gives them negoitating room. Don't be shy, go in and offer 15% (even 20% lower) as a starting point.

You will pay a premium because it has the 6 year warranty. but is that 6 years left or 2 years left? If it is 2 years left, that would put the car typically say 44k. (You really would'nt expect much repairs during that period.)

 

The price seems a bit high. I'd search around for a private owner selling.
However, the pre-owned warranty is pretty good and most of the time they'll take a trade-in.
The most important thing is... is it what you want?
That's the game changer, you could search forever and find that you always have to compromise on something... color, options, mileage, etc..

 

That is what I paid for mine, nearly identically equipped, 3 years ago with similar mileage. Let that sink in.