Hey all,

I am still trying to buy a MINI Cooper S. Ideally, I'd want an 05 or better, and I've read the Motoring Blog Buyers guide several times. I'm starting to get impatient and thinking of going for an 03 S 6-spd. Does anyone own one of these and can speak to their reliability later in life?

I plan on keeping it until I finish medical school, so 4-5 years. I'd want to get something with low miles, 60-80k (which is low compared to the 145k on my Cherokee).

Thanks!

Jon P

 

All R53(2002-2006) are supercharged. Superchargers=dont last forever.
Do some searches, some superchargers are said to have gone 150+ k miles, while others fail at 70k. So if you plan on buying one around 80k miles like you said, keep that in mind... However there are a lot of relatively cheap swaps for the supercharger once it goes.

Also with 80k miles think ahead with clutch replacement. Around 100k miles or so is when clutches start to go...

Nothing wrong with getting a '03, reliability prior '05 were not much different. Only the transmission has some known problems.

 

R53's (S) did not have the transmission problems. It was the R50 (non-S) that had some CVT and 5-speed problems.

 

If the previous owner took good care of it, then it could work great for you.

Just be prepared to invest some time and money fixing issues like clutch, front arm bushings, tower strut bases, corrosion (if any), PS Fan, Low speed fan, leaks, etc which are the things that could fail at that age. (but not always). Even if you are not a mechanic or technically inclined, those things are not that expensive to fix if you know where to go.

I recently got a very mint 02 MCS with less than 68K miles on it, but prior to the purchase I took it to my trusted mechanic to check it thoroughly and found minor issues on mine, just front arm bushings and strut tower bases... oh, and both front wheel bearings.

Ask for maintenance records!

Good luck!
RayanMX

 

clutch clutch clutch clutch clutch

average life for this clutch is 70k...mine went at 68k

if you don't plan on doing it yourself, plan on a $2,600 bill...unless u take it to the mini dealership, in which case it will be a $3,500 bill

everything else is great on the car, and a pleasure to drive

Mike

 

Hmmm. Any corroboration on this premise? I hadn't heard that. (and at 63K, I'd like to know!)

 

I'd say that it just depends on how a person drives it when it comes to the clutch. I had my '03 from 51,000 miles to 120,000 miles and had no issues with the clutch or any signs that the supercharger could be failing. Technique maybe? I'd just say that you should be a proactive buyer. Don't buy the first thing that comes along, and keep an eye out for possible issues.

My best suggestion? Keep an eye out for the MINI that is perfect for you, with all of the options and features that you want. It gets expensive and time consuming when you have to go back and start adding things on (or in my case, wanting most of the bits and pieces from 2005+ cars.

-Chase

 

call up a mini dealer and ask them...their service department is who gave me the estimate, for life and price.

 

Clutch life is HUGELY based on how you drive the car. My dad had a cavalier he put 190k on one clutch before it went out.

I have 90k on my 03 S and its the original clutch. I can drop it if I need to and it doesn't slip at all...

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. In reference to the clutch, were those figures referring to a known problem with the 02-04 clutches or just clutches in general. My mom's vw new beetle clutch has 185k miles on it, then again...she drives like a mom :P

I'd really prefer to get an '05 for many reasons, like the gearing, the burble, the headlights, and the updated steering wheel, however I'd be willing to go with an earlier model if I'm not making up the cost difference in known defects that may have been updated later.

 

Nope not a problem with the 02-04, i provided wrong info previously stated above, my apologies.