Hey guys,

I have been reading quite a lot on the forum for a few weeks now but this will be my first post

For some time now I have been looking for a Mini, and having driven both the R53 and R56, I am sold on the supercharged MCS.

With that said I was originally shopping around for an 05-06 but have been finding it difficult to find the right one.

With that said, I recently came across a great deal on an 02 MCS JCW.

The car is fully loaded, however has a lot of mileage ~ 190,000km (118k miles)

Seller is asking for $8,000 and from what I can see from the pictures, the car looks mint inside and out.

I've taken a look at the Motoring file buyers guide, however I was hoping to get some insight from any of you that have purchased or currently own high mileage 02s (things to look out for, reliability, general maintenance for such high mileage, etc)

Any help would be great

Thanks in advance guys.

 

I bought a used '03 MCSM a few months ago (January) Honestly I would go look at the car, look for leaks underneath, take it for a test drive, etc. Make sure everything works, (windshield wipers, horn, sprays for wipers, lights, etc)

My car had a few oil leaks, as well as a recent coolant leak, all had to be fixed. Get the car inspected, check oil pan gasket, dipstick O-ring, thermostat, oil filter housing gasket (leaks that I had). Also check all the fans on the car... I had to replace my power steering fan, as well as the radiator fan (low speed not working). Power steering fan is underneath the car, in the middle, a little behind the oil pan, it should be spinning with the AC on. Radiator fan is...well behind the radiator lol, it should be spinning with the car idling, and not be making a lot of noise/going on and off (that's the high speed)

I proceeded to change, (not that I had to, but I wanted to just in case), the spark plugs, belt, coil and wires, oil changed, coolant flushed.

The front control arm bushings also had to be changed, as well as the strut mounts, and the belt tensioner. I also changed the intake/filter (completely replaced, had some odd cone filter/tube put in with a hole cut in the stock housing.)

Check for mushrooming, a clean idle, listen for any rattles, odd whistling sounds, etc.

After that I have spent a little more on go-fast bits (: But you'll get into that after your purchase :P

 

Thanks a lot for the help Cheerio! My main concern was buying the car for 8k and then sinking in another 4-5k just to get it up and running, in which case I might be better off waiting to find a good deal on an 05-06.

Also rust seems to be a relatively common problem which concerns me a little.

With regard to oil leaks i'm aware that this is a relatively common problem with Mini's of that generation, i'll be sure to look out for those.

My main concern at this point is the mileage. I wanna to be sure I can drive another 100 miles or so.

 

Not a problem (: I'm glad to help. Btw my car had about 83k miles when I bought it, so either go for a lower mileage car, or find one which these repairs have already been done:P

 

problem solved. can i delete this?

 

problem solved.

 

You may need to change the radiator fan, that's the high speed fan going off. I did it myself, its kind of a daunting task seeing as you have to take the front end off, but its doable in one afternoon. I can post links with instructions if you'd like.

 

Would you mind posting these links? I've pulled the front end off before, but I believe I will have to go into it a little more than in the past. I am looking to replace the fan and also the plastic housing unit that surrounds the front end and supports the radiator, etc.
Thanks.

 

I actually think what it is doing is normal. The PS fan is working again, and the radiator fan kicks into high only when the car is sitting with AC on

....guy at shop says that is normal because when the car is sitting it with AC on it needs to cool down so the fan will kick into high temporarily, then go back to low. Once I start driving and some wind gets going through the radiator I think it keeps it a little more cool and keeps the fan low. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...hopefully not ;-)

 

How to remove modular front end :

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-end-mfe.html

How to swap out radiator fan :

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-assembly.html

That's basically all I used...As for the power steering fan, that ones easy, it's just two bolts that hold it on to the car(: