I'm looking at a 2004 Mini Cooper with 86,000 miles on it. It no longer has any warranty and it's a a 1.6 L engine (although I'm sure most of you know that!) I really love the car, I think it would be so much fun to have, but I'm worried that it will be unpractical. As someone who is about to be a poor college student, I'm worried that there won't be enough space for me to haul stuff around as well as the cost of maintenance being too high. Does anyone have any advice for me? This decision is really confusing me!
Thank you very much for your time!

 

If you are just entering college my gut advice to you is to drop it (i.e., don't get the MINI). But ... here are the follow up questions ...

---who's paying for college?
---how much? (how much debt??)
---can you fix things yourself?
---do you have the time to fiddle with the car? Do you enjoy it?
---do you really understand your financial future? (Do you care?)

I would hate to discourage a fellow MINIac, but I would advise financial responsibility first, especially for someone of your age.

 

Oh, WELCOME!

 

My parents and grandparents will be paying for whats immediately needed, I will be paying student loans which will turn out to be about 20,000/4 years. I cannot fix car things by myself, and I do very much care about my financial future.
the car will be just under 10,000 and i will be paying for gas and repairs while my parents will buy the car and pay for insurance (i am very lucky, I realize).

 

/\ What he said - both posts!

If you can work on cars, have tools and a place to work, it may be a great car to have. The Cooper S is not a fragile car, but it is somewhat complex and that means it can be expensive to fix, depending on what happens. If you don't have skills and tools, aout the only way I'd recommend one to a poor college student is if you can buy one new and have 4 years of warranty to cover you - of course if you can do that are you really a poor college student?

I think you should ask yourself if you really need a car at all? A lot of students take a car to college, and most of the time someone is already going where you need to go and there usually is plenty of metro transit too. Or you can walk - or ride a bike or skateboard. Where are you going to school?

Is the candidate a Cooper, or Cooper S? Does it have an auto trans - if so do not buy it. If you can't drive a stick or don't want to learn an early model Cooper is not your car, find something else.

Good luck!

 

The R50 is not as troublesome as the R53.
There are 2 issues though that are major concerns.
The 5 speed Midlands transmission
The clutch
I suggest you have a good European or Mini tech. take a look at it before you buy it.

 

I am a full time student as well. I won't touch on the financial side or repairs much since that has been covered some. However if you are worried about having enough room to haul stuff around, I think it is perfect. The MINI is easy to park, fun to drive,fairly reasonable on gas (depending on the weight of your right foot), and with the seats folded you can haul more than enough for two IMO.

I have had one major repair which cost me $880, but I could have done it myself for less than $300 but that is a lesson learned on my part. As with any used car, the possibility of something breaking is always lurking around the corner. If you can't afford or are unwilling to pay for scheduled and preventive maintenance because of financial security, it could end up being a larger financial burden than you are willing to take.

 

Dont get me wrong here, I love my Mini and it is an 04 MCS, I have 93 K on it and would not think of getting rid of it. However i do alot of the work myself and have room to do it plus other cars for when I take it out of service, that and I have 6 plus weeks of vacation time every year to do the work.
So that being said, I have 3 young adults at home, 2 of which are driving and in college, and they wanted to get used Mini's, I opted for 2 new leased Honda civics for them at 129 a month each for 3 years. 1 I dont worry about them breaking down, 2 its under warranty, and 3 when the lease is up they can buy it out and have a good car in hand. They now have less of a worry, and if your parents were going to pay anyway, take 2 grand lease a car and for 3 years you are still under that 10 K you were putting down for the Mini,
Also, I know exactly how you feel about the car being fun to drive, , just my opinions as a 47 year old car nut who wont part with his Mini anytime soon

 

I have a 2004 MCS and it has been fairly reliable, but, no, I don't think it is a good choice for a cost-conscious college student. With the lack of rear seating and tiny cargo area, it's not terribly practical. And if you're not handy with fixing things yourself, maintaining it can become very expensive. It's a boutique car - what you want for a first car is something more common, more simple, easier to work on, and generally more reliable. Think Japanese.

I have a son about to graduate from college and I've thought about giving him my 2004, but I really think he'd be better off in a different car. He'd like a GTI, but I think a used $10K three-year-old Mazda3 would be his best bet.

- Mark

 

I would suggest going with something a bit more reliable like a Honda civic. I just picked up my MINI and love it very much but at 79K I already have a laundry list of things to take care of that would have been very expensive, save the fact that I do all my work. MINI's are fun but college can be much more fun. Focus on doing great in college and have yourself a great social life. Worry about toys when you're out and making good money.

 

Not to completely dissuade you, but i am an extremely poor college student with a 2004 Mini cooper, and the first year it has given me no trouble at all... but since this January, I have already spent $300 on it (that's a lot in my life) and now my power steering pump and cooling fan has failed (people please read the latest post by me on this issue) and the dealership has quoted $1200. I really don't have THAT kind of money.

So, these are some things you should think about.

PS: I got my car when it had done 42,000 miles, and even now its only at 47,000 and its giving me huge pains!


Though, at the same time, i absolutely adore my car and its a real pleasure to drive - when it aint acting this b*tchy.

 

I own a 2004 R50 (just hit 70K), I am a not so poor college student. I sincerely recommend NOT getting the Mini. Don't get me wrong, I love this car, there have just been a few expensive repairs that could prove disastrous to an ill prepared wallet:

Original Key failed. New key and alignment with EWS: $420

Blinkers on right side quite working. New BCM computer and programming: $600

If this is an automatic it's going to have the dreaded CVT transmission (a $7000 repair) If there is a nearby MINI dealership, have them give the vehicle an excellent once over. If there ISN'T a nearby dealership, or place that works on mini coopers... I would avoid at all costs. Although an excellent and fun ride, it can become expensive... quickly. Your financial situation as a college student wouldn't bode well for this car. My advice (till you're more fiscally prepared) is to get a cheap/reliable ride that can be fixed locally. Should you purchase the Mini, we welcome you with open hearts and wide open throttles and we'll see you on The Dragon

 

My key also died a long time ago. Now I just insert the metal part into the slot in the door and twist. Voila! Door opens!

 

My issue was that my car wouldn't START! It was terrifying!