Hello all. I am potentially in the market to buy a used R53 within the next few months, but I wanted to check in with a few people here before I began looking at potential MINI's.

In early 2007, my wife and I bought a brand new R56 MINI. It was a non-S, automatic, and it was her car. I never really cared for MINI's one way or another before that, but my wife grew up in England, and the MINI was always her favorite car. So one day I surprised her and bought her one . Even being a 115hp car with an automatic transmission, I absolutely fell in LOVE with driving that car. We ended up selling it at the end of 2008 to get rid of the car payment because we bought a house and wanted to save for a year or two. She was very sad to see it go but we both knew it was the right thing to do at the time.

Fast forward to today, my wife suggested that I get rid of my VERY old car (1998 Toyota Camry) and buy something fun for myself for a few years, because she knows how much I like cars. The first thing that came to mind, was a MINI. The last MINI was for her, so it was automatic and non-S. I want this one to be a 6-speed and an S . Only problem is, my price range is reasonably low as far as MINIs go ($14k tops) because I want to pay the car in cash, so it seems like I have a small pool to choose from.

Basically, I just wanted to know if you guys had any tips on shopping for used R53's. What should I be looking for when I am checking out a potential MINI? What can I look for/listen for/feel for when I drive it? Are there any common problems that can be checked by visual examination? Also, what are the major "maintenance" points...at which mileage do I have to worry about expensive services? Was there any certain model year that is better or worse than the others?

Thanks in advance for any help!!!


EDIT: I am located in Baltimore, Maryland...if anybody knows of any excellent examples for sale within a few hundred miles that would fit what I am looking for (02-05 S, 6 speed, must have sunroof), let me know!

 

Take a gander at this article from MotoringFile.com. Its an R53 buyer's guide. In general, I'd go for 04-06, the newer the better. Mushrooming strut towers are always something to look out for.

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

I got my '04 MCS 6 speed pretty well loaded (w/ every option but GPS & rear fogs) 50k miles for $12,500. It was owned by a 60 year old banker and well cared for. Just keep your eye out for a good deal and be patient. Always take used cars to a mechanic.

 

Some things that I look for myself whenever I am looking at a MINI:

Any residue on the expansion tank, especially around the seams. If you see any white markings on the plastic, it could be a sign that the tank needs to be replaced.

Look down between the radiator and the front bumper of the car (usually a flashlight is extremely helpful in this instance) and look for any white residue (or even liquid in extreme cases) hanging out on the black plastic portion of the bumper. You will be looking at the inner bottom portion of the bumper cover, and if there is any form of significant leak in the radiator, you will see a residue in that location.

As somebody else mentioned, check the tops of your front strut towers. They will have two very pronounced humps that run from the front of the strut tower to the back, but the surrounding areas should be very flat. Any rounding of the metal, or any upward slant towards the round hole in the middle may clue you off to the dreaded strut tower mushrooming. (easily repairable though)

Depending on the mileage of the vehicle you are looking at, upon startup, make sure that any exhaust noise coming from the vehicle is coming from the exhaust at the rear. The front end of the car should be relatively quite with a little whine coming from the supercharger. When I purchased mine at 50,800 miles, it had a nice sound but it seemed to be coming from the rear of the engine bay/exhaust manifold area, but it wasn't loud at all so I didn't think much of it. 50,000 miles later the catalytic converter cracks all the way around and requires $2,000 worth of work to replace it! Turns out there was a hidden pinhole in the catalytic converter which weakened the rest of it causing it to break. In MD, the exhaust laws are pretty stringent, so there aren't any other options for a catalytic converter other than the stock one from the dealer.

If you do wind up purchasing an R53, dump your runflats and throw on a pair of regular tires, and get yourself a goo/compressor kit. It can usually fit behind one of the little panels in the boot of the car. No one really wants to repair runflats around here, so you are usually forced to shell out 500 or so bucks for a new pair of tires. Expensive when on a regular tire the damage could have been repaired. The S's have no spare.

Listen to the supercharger upon startup, make sure there is no loud clicking noise coming from it. While not a super common problem on lower-mileage MINIs, there are times where the gear that runs the water pump seizes because of a lubrication leak, and the gears begin to eat eachother, necessetating a new supercharger.

Other than those couple of things, I'm not sure what else to tell you to look out for. Hopefully others will chime in!

-Chase

 

Just do it.

 

I got my 03 MCS w/ 60k miles for $13,500 out the door in White Marsh. I think your $14,000 budget is right on.

I'll be out in York car shopping with my girlfriend this weekend and will keep my eyes open for ya. Any other preferences? (color, packages, mods, etc)?

 

Keep in mind that you'll do better buying private party. It's usually at least $1,000-1,500 cheaper than at a dealer, and you pay less tax. I almost bought a MCS from a dealership, and the tax & license was $1,400 for a $12,500 car. I bought same year / priced MCS private party (better equipped & less miles) and it was only $158 in tax & license due to different tax laws (Illinois). So total thats $2,200-2,700 you'll potentially save.

 

The 05/06 models are more fun to drive than prior model years, thanks to gearing changes and a slight HP increase.

 

I know you said it must have a sunroof, but just thought I would let you know about this one. I looked at this one when I was looking for Mini's and it is very clean. Drove like new and the prcie is great.

http://www.hondaoftysonscorner.com/u...6015a4daa2.htm

 

Just saw this one, very low miles and priced fair.Take a look!

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...629075547.html

 

Wow!! Thats a no brainer! 14,5k is a steal for (an almost) brand new mcs! Indie blue is also my fav color... It's also got just about every option I'd want.

 

there seem to be a lot of used R53s in the DC/VA/MD area. im sure you will be able to get a deal on one that meets your needs.

i bought mine from a dealer and issues so far (nothing major, but stuff to look out for.)
- starting of mushrooming towers
- coat hanger held on rear exhaust
- airbag light came on
- fog light went out

id say definitely check the strut mounts to make sure no major mushrooming or cracking. also do other basic things like check for leaks, check the oil, brake fluid, etc color so that you will know how well the car was maintained.

id also see if you can check the boost the supercharger is generating to ensure it is still healthy.

 

Just do it...and does your wife have a single sister?!

 

05-06 seems to be the preferred one.
And since it will be out of warranty avoid dealers exorbitant costs and take it to a shop like Helix. You can also go Auto MCS if you want the lady to drive it as well.

 

I know 05/06 had some major revisions compared to previous models but, is it worth going after an 04? I won't touch an 02-03.
I've found a loaded 04 R53 with 39k miles for $14,656 What do you think?

Sorry for hijacking the thread but looking for same advice as well

 

I bought my 2004 in Texas for 13,000 plus TTL.
S w leather, H/K stereo, 6 speed , 17 inch factory mini wheels, basically every option but no nav.
The car had 61K on it and now only 7 months later i'm already at 73K.
I bought the car for commuting after moving to the burbs and absolutely love this car.
I have come across minor issues:
Drivers door doesn't unlock w keyless entry, driver's headlight flickers sometimes, just last week the electric fan is going out.
Mechanically, this car drives very well and I am satisfied with my purchase.
I have added cold air induction and it runs great.
Test out the electronics as best you can, thats my advice.
When I tested my car, I ran it wide open through all 6 gears and it was solid. Did a few roll ons in each gear with windows up and down.

 

Here's a link to a good '04 Jet Black MCS in NC w/35K miles for $15895 (a little higher than your price range): http://www.tarheelminis.org/showthre...-S-Dinan-15895. As for older MINIs, I think it's best to get with a private party and check it out yourself. I consider myself lucky. I had hardly any problems with my old '02 MCS w/115K miles (until I totalled it ).

 

Gearing change alone in the 2005/2006 is worth it IMHO...


Only thing I'd add to what's mentioned above is check the hydraulic engine mount (It's on the passenger side in the engine bay)--although relatively eashily replaced, they tend to go at relatively low miles--and make a big mess. One advantage of the earlier models is they have the rubber engine mount, but BMW changed it out to a hydraulic one (there was concern that the rubber mount was transmitting too much noise/vibration to the cabin, and it was prone to cracking). Come to think of it, BMW never really has solved the engine mount issue, but there are good aftermarket alternatives.

 

would the powerflex polyurathane bushings help prevent the motor mounts from going?

yeah, the gearing+supercharger on the 05 vs 04 makes the 05+ MCS about a second faster 0-60. However, I'm coming from an 02 justa. The cooper s is gonna feel plenty fast enough, especially once the modding beings

Besides, the taller gears on the 04 will yield slightly better gas mileage.
And, if the getrag every goes (hope not) but if it does, I can just drop an 06 getrag in with the revised gear ratios. Hell, maybe even get one with the factory LSD! I found one with only 36k miles on it from an 06 with the LSD and it was only $1,500

The 04 I'm looking at is loaded anyway. Sunroof, computer, heated seats, DSC, xenons, climate control. I'm content with it. AND, they lowered price to $14,300.

Other than the 5 pc dash known to rattle, what other issues are of concern? No signs of coolant or oil leaks thus far.

 

The powerflex bushings are stiffer--they may actually put more stress on the hydraulic mount. You can get an engine damper (TSW) that may help--it didn't for my car, but I put it on relatively late. The next time my hydraulic mount goes, I'll replace it with the aftermarket nonhydraulic mount (a different product than the engine damper, also made by TSW.

Just look at the engine bay on the passenger side--if there's no fluid coming from the metal resevoir about halfway along the side of the engine bay, you're good. If there is, ask for a replacement--I'd just replace it with a non-hydraulic mount. Mine went at 15,000 miles--many of those were on the track though.