Hello Everyone,

I am looking at 2005 Mini Cooper S with 89k miles on it and I was wondering what is a fair price for it? Is $9k good price?

Also I heard couple of my friends (they had mini cooper s before) to look for one with less miles, as they don't last long and you will have to replace some expensive parts after 100k. Is this true?

Also looking for suggestion and advices as to what look into when buying one. Thank you for your help.

EDIT:

What do you guys think of this one?

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

 

That seems kind of low to me. I bought my 2006 MCS with 38k miles for $15,500. I can't imagine a year newer and less 50k miles is worth $5,500. The 2005 and 2006 models are considered the best years for the R53. There many members here with well over 100k miles on their MINIs.

Check out this link for more info: http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

 

So you are saying that 9k is too cheap for that car? I thought it is still expensive lol.

The car is 4 hours from me, I checked carfax and it is clean, 2 owners. Services were done at dealership, doesn't have any problems. Worth driving and checking it out?

 

We can't tell you if it's worth looking at without detailed information and pictures.

 

What detailed information do you need?

 

Is there a craigslist ad we can look at?

Engine bay pics will clearly indicate if it's been modified (indicating hard driving).

Exterior will show if it's been washed and waxed frequently (photos including the door jambs are real good for this).

Any service history information would also help us make a more informed decision.

For instance, if it has all new control arm and subframe bushings, a new crank pulley and a few other maintenance tid bits, I would hazard to say that the car would treat you well and hopefully require very little. At nearly 100k miles (and the age), if they haven't already been done; they need it (my '03 at 34k miles needed em done).

Just anything you know about the car we could perhaps use to give you a better idea as to what it may need and whether you should continue to pursue it.

Cheers.

 

$9k for an 05 with that many miles is a good price. Not low enough to raise eyebrows. Completely realistic.
Less miles would be better, but in the used market, you get what you get.

 

Thank you for your reply, appreciate it.

If I talk him down to $8500 for the car with 89k miles on it I guess it will be good price? I think it has Navigation too, it is a bit hard to see the way he took pics. I asked him to take some more pics and he said will do this weekend.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but people tend to modify a car to handle better, accelerate faster, brake harder, etc. This all lends itself to a car being driven harder. You may not, but you're in the minority there.

Regarding "clear" modification - camber plates, strut tower reinforcements, upgraded / changed engine mounts will be visible. A pulley isn't (easily) visible but would be noted in the advertisement for sale...

And I'm no "forensic analyst," however I think having something to base a reasonable estimate off of is at least a basic requirement.

 

What do you guys think of this one?

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

 

depending on the pictures he sent you if you can see the interior and if there is 2 gauges on the steering column it either has a chrono package or the navigation. either way I would think 9k is a good price. Just do a good look over on it before you purchase maybe even see if you can take it to a mechanic before you buy just to be sure... somethings I ran into when I got my 06 last year was bad passenger side engine mount (spewed the oil all over the frame near it very easy to see) and a leaking thermostat housing... (not so easy to see but the dealer fixed it so all is well)

good luck with whatever you end up getting though... I still love mine even with the little head aches it gives me

 

i bought my 05 mcsa for 10,000 with 49500miles, sports package and everything but the cold package from a private owner, he was asking 11000, the night i went to see it was the night i bought it, been happy with it, did an oil change and all the filters but the fuel filter. good luck with your hunt

 

To the OP: whatever price is feel is "correct" for you, a good car buy will come from a mechanic you trust to do the pre-purchase inspection. He should be looking for leaks (oil and tranny), do a radiator pressure-test, etc.

This mechanic can be one you know is good or take it to a dealership.

I'd also add that the body be inspected by a body repair shop and one who looks underneath, Carfax I don't trust at all, it's a good start but on the end. I have gone with friends to see a zero accident "clean" Carfax and lo and behold, overspray from a right side wipe out (bolts underneath the right front were replaced using the wrong bolt size, tire upper wheel well had tire marks on top, right side suspension items looked new, etc), the seller was pretty red in the face when we approached him with these facts. I'm no expert in detecting those flaws, but without the pro looking at it, it was a very good repaint job overall.

I agree at $9K that's a pretty darn good price and just hope it's not too good to be true. But you never know, sellers today can drop a price as they need a quick sale for some other personal reasons and the car is still in the best of condition.

 

What about this one? It seems like it doesn't have any controls on the steering wheel.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

 

The car that you just posted looks clean, but steve has a good point. Be sure to have the car inspected. Also buying a used car means you nights not always get every single option you wanted and some concessions may have to be made. I wanted every option my MCSa has with the exception of the auto trans. I would have preferred a manual but the checkmate package and premium package were first and foremost. Good luck on your search.

 

Well, after owning both acura's and hondas, which are very reliable car and no matter how hard I drove them, I've never had any problems (except burning clutch lol)

After reading how many problems mini has, makes me afraid that I will spend lots of money on it trying to fix it. I love minis and always wanted one, though not sure if my pocket will be completely empty after getting one and then trying to fix it all the time.

 

IMO these boards are not necessarily a fair reflection of a cars reliability...naturally there are lots of posts about issues and frustrations people trying to get advice on an issue or what have you. I wouldn't buy any used car including a honda or toyota (which I've previously owned) without taking it for an independent inspection. Additionally, I'm the OG owner of my '05 MCc 106k (original clutch) my most expensive repair was replacing the bushings last summer. I can't fix a car to save my life and don't have an endless supply of money and no doubt it when Baxter is ready for retirement I will fer sure be buying another MINI. Besides if MINI's were so awful they wouldn't have such a strong following and great resale.

 

I totally agree with Tykoon. Forums are generally a place for people to discuss the good and the bad. The result is a concentration of success and horror stories. You must have a mechanic look over the car.

I am very pleased with my MINI purchase. I had a mechanic look over the car and every thing checked out just fine. Three weeks later my throttle body was starting to go bad. I had it fixed and moved on. I don't fear driving my car thinking something might go bad. As with any car, something will fail. I am a full-time independent student. I don't have tons of money to pour into a car to fix it and that is why I shopped for several months until I found a car that met my needs, desires, and checked out mechanically.

There are great used MINIs out there. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. Ultimately it is important for you to make the right decision for you.

 

I was worried about reliability when I bought my '06 Cooper. It had very low miles and seemed well maintained but I'm a worrier by nature, so I bought an aftermarket warranty. It wasn't cheap, but if I don't need to use it over four years, I get most of that money back, and I have peace of mind in the mean time (unless I somehow break the clutch, which is never covered it seems.) so that was a good value for me. May be something to look into.

That said, I've owned the car for something like 8 months and it's been very solid with the exception of a leaky thermostat housing, which was fixed under warranty.

 

Thank you guys for support and a lot of information and feedback. I appreciate it.

Right now I have 2000 Honda Accord EX 5-speed, and I was thinking of buying 03 Acura CL-S 6-speed, but couldn't find one with low miles, and then started to look at 05-06 Mini Cooper S. I really love that car, test drove one and fell in love even more lol. But until recently I test drove 08 Mazdaspeed 3 GT and it is an amazing car too, with more hp and torque but not friendly with MPG compare to mini.

I then I started to think as the price difference isn't that great and started to look at MS3 and couldn't find one for less than $12k as most of them are holding its prices. So now I am back at looking for MCS. I am very picky when it comes to picking out the car, as I want every option that's there is, except navigation. I really like when the tachometer and speedometer are on the steering wheel and the center is for gas/temp and some other stuff.

Now the question is, what is that some people are talking about "facelifted" I am not quite familiar with that. Also I noticed not all minis have Xenon HID system but have regular headlights or the leather is different and rims.

Again thank you for all the help guys, appreciate it.

 

Turbo, I echo the opinion of those who say you should have a mechanic check out the car before you buy it regardless of which one you choose. I have purchased two used cars, my first was a 2005 BMWz04. I bought it in 06 with 11K miles on it. I had the car sent to a BMW dealer and paid them to inspect the car in detail - they even measured the paint thickness to determine if it had been repainted. Because of the care I took and the low mileage I have never had a bad day with that car.

This year I bought an 06 Mini for my son as a Christmas/Birthday present (nice dad, huh). The car had 44K miles on it. I drove 77 miles away to see the car, had the dealer put it on a lift, followed a detailed checklist to review everything. I test drove the car and it ran like a dream. But I didn't get it checked by the dealer. It turned out the control arm bushings were bad, the headlight alignment was way off and it has weak pressure in the #1 cylinder. Don't get me wrong, I love that car and will get it fixed, but I would never have bought it had I had the car checked out thoroughly.

The moral is, avoid high mileage cars if you can, if you can't, get it checked out by an excellent mechanic and make sure they pressure test the engine and do a blow down check as well. I'd also be prepared to invest $1K to get it in shape after you buy it - there will always be surprise problems, just make sure they are not BIG surprises!

Good luck!

 

Edward, you are nice dad indeed, I wish mine did that for me. I am however still in college, and finishing up and want something faster and newer than my Accord that I drive right now. I am mechanically inclined a bit and have a tool that measures compression in cylinders, plus can check for bushings, paint thickness (as I detail cars) and some other stuff but what mostly bothers me if I will overpay for a mini or not. I can't seem to find one for a good price, or more like have low budged as I am in college. Not sure what to do.

But here's my car, just to give an idea what I drive now.

 

Nice ride Turbo-911! Given you are driving a Honda and you have limited funds as a college student, why consider Minis? I like em, but they are not the best value for the money around and they are not even the best performance car for the money you can find. I was going to suggest you consider a BMWz03 or Z04. They are actually cheaper as used cars than Minis and are better cars. There is no better engine than a naturally aspirated BMW six cylinder and most are owned by older guys (like me) who don't drive them into the ground. The insurance would bankrupt a college student though since you are probably under 25 and its a convertible sports car. Mazda Miatas are also good cars and reasonably priced as used vehicles but it too is a convertible.

If you are really set on a Mini you can get a decent one for about $14K. I wouldnt go for a car with more than 50 or 60K mileage or older than a 2005. You can find Minis that meet those specs. Several on this site have reported buying 2006s for about that price with that sort of mileage. It may take a little longer to find the one you want, but it will be worth it!

Good luck!

 

Thank you for reply Edward! Well this is my third car and before that (2.5 years ago) I had 2001 Acura CL 3.2 v6, which was a very nice car, but not economical, and plus at that time gas prices for premium were $4.30 a gallon was ridiculously high so I had to sell it and almost bought Mini cooper when I stumped across this honda that I still have it. I like it, it is nice car, haven't had any problems with it, but I want something more powerful since I miss my Acura a lot.

I was thinking of getting a car where I wouldn't spend more than $13k as I have that much but not a penny more lol. I like BMW Z4 M that's what I think it is called? really nice car indeed but maintenance is high and gas mileage isn't great.

I was going to buy 07-08 Mazdaspeed 3, test drove one and loved it a lot, but the price tag is a bit high on them, that's why I started to consider Minis. Other choice was just to keep my car and put a turbo on my Accord, which would make me spend around $3k and I think it is just not worth it, since it is 11 year old car. Tough choices, but I do want something new

 

my mom has put less into her z4 maint. wise then I've put into my mini. and she actually doesn't go through too much gas.