Hello all,

I have lurked these forums for a while and finally have decided to pull the trigger on a car and be active in the mini world.

I was wondering if you could provide thoughts on the below private party 2006 MCS I am looking at. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

The car is a 2006 MCS, black on black with anthracite interior/black leather seats. Is has had two owners. 45k miles. Manual transmission with all options checked except for chrome, nav / sports gauge pack. It is located in central llinois and the owner is asking $14750. Both he and the original owner kept very detailed records and held on to all receipts. The car is imaculate. It sleeps in a heated garage and during the winter is cleaned every week.

I have seen the car in person and can attest to it being "mint". No oil/coolant leaks on his garage floor or traces on the underside of the engine bay.

Do you feel that $14750 is a price you would pay for said car?

Again any help would be greatly appreciated!

Jeff

 

Sounds like a nice car. Here is my take.

You will be a whole lot happier in the long run with a nice car than you will by saving $1000 bucks.

Let me put it another way.
The car is going to be around for a long time. The lack of the extra money spent is a very short term thing.

One more.
The 5 year payment on $1000 is only $17/month

I think that is a fair price but at the top of fair for a real nice car. Make him a reasonable offer. Again, it is much more important that you love the car than it is how much you pay for it. (as long as it is in the ball park)

 

That sounds like a good deal. My '06 MCS is valued higher than that price through KBB, and I have 65K miles. Brakes and rotors come to mind as far as possible maintenance in the near term. There is also the 60K Maintenance II coming up down the road. It was about $450 when I had that done on my old '02 MCS back in 2006. The only other possibility is some people have the slow oil leak at the knock sensor; that can be repaired at your leisure. Otherwise, just keep an eye and tap the NAM forums as things might occur.

It may also still be under warranty if it has the extended 4/50K plan. If not, you can always check in with your local MINI dealer to get an extended warranty (not the same as an extended maintenance plan). It is more costly, though, for 1st-gen owners. I bought a 5/60K extended warranty plan that started right then, so it is good until I hit 110K miles. However, it was roughly $4K, has a $100 deductible (which is still better than paying the high $$$ for no coverage), and is non-refundable (provided I never file a claim that makes use of it).

 

Sounds like a fair deal.
Of course, get it check by a qualified MINI expert, look for the common problem areas and make sure you have a mods budget.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

@thulchatt - I absolutely forgot about the PPI! Thank you.

 

We bought an '06 S cabrio used from a BMW dealer and love it to death. Good service experiences all around too. You will become adicted to the SC whine and rue the thought of trading in for a turbo, at least I do. Grab it and become one with the spirit.

Look to SooperCooperInfo.com for a still growing list of independent MINI service shops across the country.

 

It's on the high side of the price range. Make absolutely sure you can live with the cleaning requirements of the Astro Black. You will be dusting every day and washing at least once a week to keep it looking nice. This may sound do-able at first, but this is a long term commitment.

 

My pure silver 06 justa had 19k and i paid 12 for it after a pro check out. The black roof w/ sunroof is a pain to keep clean, but worth it. Now im just bunnin up the check book on extras.

 

It is not a bad price for a delaer but is a bit high for a person to person sale. Remember, you don't even get a 30 day warranty from a private sale. Absolutely have the car checked out mechanically at your expense. Ask a dealer to run a compression test. You want some peace of mind that the engine is rock solid. Checking the dipstick for brown oil, listening to the engine and taking a test drive is not enough! Minis are performance cars, they are rarely owned by little old ladies or treated very gently.

 

That isn't a bad price IMO. I purchased my 2006 MCSa in December for $15,500. My MINI had 37,000 miles and is loaded; excluding NAV, heated seats, and JCW package. I also have the Checkmate package which I wanted. I think you looking at a fair price. I don't know the price difference between So Cal and Illinois, but I know we don't have issues with rust due to "salty" winter roads. Either way I would have a mechanic, preferably one who deals with MINIs check out the car.

 

That's a good price. I just paid $13,200 for a 2006 justa with 30k miles. I sold my PW MCS (modded) for $15K

 

I bought my 06s in november for 14.5k with 45k on it from a dealer. In my neck of the woods at the time retail on it was 17.8k. So I dont think price is off.

 

I recently picked up an '05 MCS and one thing that I was very thankful for was the VIN check done on this site "what options does your MINI have". It gave me a great way to compare a variety of cars and check through what options the one I ended up buying had. Also gave me a way to calculate the "value" of all the options, particularly things like LSD, sunroof, Nav, leather (ones that are harder to retrofit at a later date that you might find you really want).

Your happiness with a given car will last long after the $1-2k you might save on a lesser car. See above, the resale on the more optioned one may be that much higher come selling time.