Looking to possibly buy an '06 with 92k miles. It's an S with leather, interior looks very nice, has boost gauge left of the tach and voltmeter to the right. Is that stock? The manuals are there, as is the jsck and tools. A couple of minor flaws, left sun visor mirror flap is broken on one end. Left speaker grill on door has a crack and the sliding door on the center armrest doesn't lock light in the forward position.The car drives nice, has brand new tires, two piece 17" wheels with some minor curbing, brakes are good but rotors and pads are worn, paint chips on hood and front area around lower grill is pretty rough from sand abrasion and road debris. Hid headlights, no sunroof which I like. Body overall looks pretty good, the black plastic fender and rocker trim looks a bit faded otherwise ok. Under hood looks good, cristal clear motor oil, one headlight washer nozzle is broken. right strut tower visually mushroomed, left looks flat. Everything else looks un-molested and intact. Selling price is non-negoiatiable and $9500This seems like a great buy, thousands less than other cars of the same year and even older. I think I could fix the issues, and have a real nice car. I'd like your thoughts on this car, two days ago I didn't know if Minis were front or rear wheel drive and if the motor was inline or transverse. Thanks!

 

Welcome Nick. The 2006 MCS is a great car, I just bought one myself a few months ago. I would definitely have a mechanic who knows MINIs look over the car to make sure there isn't anything you can't visually see that needs to be addressed. The boost and volt gauge kit that is mounted in that particular MCS is the Auxiliary Gauge Kit. It was an OEM option. There are much better gauges out there if you ever decide to upgrade. It sounds like a lot of the issues you address are cosmetic. My arm rest didn't lock in place either and I just placed a dab of super glue to lock it in place since I don't use it anyhow. I was able to get a replacement speaker cover for $19 from Classic MINI in OH. Have a mechanic check it out and if he thinks it's in good shape I think you might have a fair deal. Keep us posted.

 

Went for a second test drive today and took wife. We went on the freeway for about 6 miles then back thru the city streets. This particular car does not do well on the freeway. The suspension is not very compliant, but abrupt. There are rattles and a feeling that some suspension components are quite worn. Bumps on the freeway and expansion joints make the car jump around and wander a bit and it does not feel good. My wife said the car might be ok for a run to the store but over 30 mph it feels pretty bad. She said it's rougher and noisier and has a lot more rattles than my lifted '99 Jeep Cherokee. I agree, I wanted to retire the Jeep as a DD and get something sporty and fun as I sold my Porsche 996 a few months ago. I'm looking for a Porsche Turbo but it will take months to find the perfect car so I thought a Mini would be fun in the interum. The one I'm looking at must be a poor example, I expected it to be tight, rattle free and a good handler at speed. Guess I'll keep looking.

 

An 06 will probably need front suspension bushings looked at, at the very least. Does it still have run-flats on it? Those will give you fits on grooved pavement and expansion joints. And the S suspension is very firm, right from the start. Maybe not what you are used to, but maybe normal for an 06 S. More input needed to give a better impression.

 

The 1st gen MINIs tend to be rattly and rough. The 2nd gens are a little more solid-feeling and less rattly. There are pluses and minuses both ways (I've owned both).

I would drive several more to get a good feel.

 

This is how I look at buying a used car:

1. make sure the engine and transmission has no major damage/problem

2. Project spending atleast 1500 on maintenance: brake rotors/pads, fluids flush, spark plugs, brakes, worn suspension parts, etc.

3. Try to get the car as low as possible to offset your cost for maintenance in the future.

This will give you a good start on your choice. Myself, I really dont care about mileage (to a limited extent atleast), either way 50k or 100k, you WILL be fixing stuff unless you want your car to break down on the road then you'll be kicking the can and pulling your hair.

 

At 96k miles you will definitely need new bushings. My 06 with 79k miles definitely feels like it could use new control arm bushings. Check for leaks and maybe have a mechanic do a compression test. I would also have your local MINI dealership pull up the service records with the VIN.

 

Thanks for your replys.

I'm not looking for a project, just a reliable, no issue DD, that's fun and gets good fuel ecomomy. I think I'll pass on this car. It could be very nice with a complete suspension overhaul, new brake pads and rotors, new clutch and PS pump/fan. That would most likely cost $5-6k.