so a good friend of mine has been considering buying a MINI and join our culture. She's been doing her homework and not jumping into the first MINI she finds. She saw a 2003 MINI (non S) for a reasonable price with a little over 90k miles on it. Now, she joined NAM and wanted to post this herself but for some reason she couldn't post This is where it gets fun: I need people with experience in 03s, anything she should look for in specific before the buy, what problems do these Coopers have, what she should expect, things she should do to it at first, gas mileage, all things that would either make her wanna buy this car or not buy it. I'd appreciate all help and I'm sure she will to. Thanks, Spaniard.

 

hallo! I am the friend. the car has a little over 90k miles.. here's the link:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

 

I do not have experience with the 03s - but I would recommend checking out Consumer Reports. Some of what they say is contradictory, so I don't take their word as the gospel truth - but still it will give you some idea.

The 03s are rated as only average to slightly below average in reliability. The big thing to avoid is an automatic transmission.

Generally speaking, MINIs improved in reliability after 07 (tho the "S" models were up and down in their reviews) - but MINIs hold their value so well, that once you start looking at 07s and greater, you have to then consider buying new (which is what I wound up doing).

Also another thing to consider is whether or not the timing chain has been replaced yet. It's got enough miles that it should be done soon.

All that said, I absolutely love my MINI. I am a new owner mind you, but I look forward to driving it everyday.

 

I've read several consumer reports, mostly on the 05's because that's what I've been looking at, but then I saw this car and OMG is it pristine. when I'm actually ready to purchase, I'll get the carfax, but I just wanted to know what others had found were issues when their 03 MINIs got over 90K miles.

 

Good luck, hope you'll keep us posted on your decision.

 

thank you

 

Amy/AJ --

I found this Motoringfile buyers' guide to be invaluable when I was shopping for my MINI:

http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

That should give you an idea of general things to look out for.

Also, I'd strongly recommend taking any car you're thinking about buying down to Pete for a pre-purchase inspection, if you can swing it.

 

My 2003 MC is at about 48K miles and the only problem I have had to far has been a cracked strut mount. Easy fix.

I do have a CVT transmission, but I take very good care of it and I don't drive it into the ground so I am not that worried about it.

I don't obviously have over 90K miles on her, but I would recommend one to you in that year just on my experience with my own MINI. Good luck with your search and purchase of your first MINI!

 

Last month I sold my 2002 MCS with 78K on it for $8K. So if you decide this is the one for you then I would certainly negotiate a bit. I was honest when I sold my cars and told people not familiar with MINI's that they do not have the reliability of Toyota's or Hondas, but on the other hand, they don't look like them either. I like these cars, for many reasons and I encourage people to own one. Good luck with your search.

 

I'm going to email him as soon as I make a decision haha

 

Oh yeah... I'm definitely going to negotiate the price. it's a buyer's market these days!

 

The Gen1 Mini with the manual tranny and no supercharger (justacooper) is probably the most reliable Mini ever produced.

The price is high for the year/mileage. Even reliable cars need some TLC at this point.

Get it inspected. Look for oil leaks, maintenance records (oil changes particularly). Get the carfax ... then get 'em to lower that price.

Good luck.

 

I think the price is a bit high too. I got an 03 MCS with less miles for about 3k more (which was too much according to the common consensus).

This seems to have a couple more features, like the onboard computer system and sunroof, but you can probably talk them down a grand.

You can use the fact that they say it has "leather interior", which is not true, to negotiate a little.

The only issue I have had with my car so far is the ABS Module seems to have failed. I have to see if I can get it working somehow, but it will probably at least need a rebuild. I am at around 60k (the odometer stops working if the ABS module fails), but this problem seems to be somewhat random from what I can find, so it probably doesn't matter for you.

My car also seems to leak/burn a good amount of oil, which is a common problem in these cars. Here is a link that explains some common issues of all model years.
http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

 

The price is definitely too high, I would never give them that much for a car with that many miles on it. That being said, it looks to be in great condition, however, I would always have it inspected, check the carfax etc. before I purchased. I've been down way too many used car roads to make that mistake!

 

I agree, get it thoroughly checked out. I have an R50 and it's been very reliable and a blast to drive. The only problem I've had was a leaky thermostat housing, which is a very common problem and pretty cheap to fix.

 

+1 on taking it or any other one you find to Pete at Greasy's garage in Worcester.

 

planning on it!

 

And thus it begins....

 

Any updates, Amy?

 

I've had my 2003 R50 (base) Cooper for 14 months now. It had 45,000 miles on it when I bought it and I've brought it up just over 75k now (yes, I drive 30,000 miles a year). The car was a one-owner and had been in Miami all its life, so it's in great shape (check out my gallery). I paid $9,995 for it.

So, in this year/30k miles, I've replaced the radiator, power steering hoses, strut mounts and struts (while I was at it), axle seals, front control arm bushings, all the motor and transmission mounts. Plus a new battery (it was time) and the 50k mile service. I'm up around 4 grand in repairs and maint at this point.

It's a 5-speed manual and the throw-out bearing sounds dry for the first 20 minutes in the morning. Eventually I will need to replace it along with the clutch and likely the flywheel while he's in there. Probably over $2k because this $30 bearing was not sufficiently greased when it was new.

So what am I saying here? First of all, I love my Mini. I'm not mad at it in the least. This is simply reality. It's an expensive, high maintenance relationship.

But if I had to do it over, I'd budget $16k+ and get an '08 or newer one. (My mechanic says the '07's are riddled with issues)

The pre-2007 models are known to be unreliable on average. True, you can get a good one. i did my diligence, thought that I was, and ended up not getting a reliable one. And interestingly, nothing that's gone wrong with mine was evident on the day I bought it.

These older Minis are built from a lot of sub=contracted parts. The motor is Brazilian, the gearbox is Dutch (I belive) and the bushing, bearings and motor mounts were of inferior quality. No doubt because they needed to get the car to market at a price point so cut costs with these parts so they could spend more elsewhere (like on the uber-cool dashboard). With the 2007 redesign, they finally became all BMW built.

So, still want to look at an 03? Check for coolant leaks, transmission/axle leaks, check the motor mounts by having someone flex the running motor with the clutch and observe how much it rotates forward. The wheel bearings are expensive and known to fail under 100k, check for water damage around the sunroof if there is one, the power steering pumps are known to have a high failure rate and cost $600+ to fix. The mechanic should check that the power steering pump cooling fan is working and that the hoses aren't leaking fluid all over it.

One way in general to asses a used car is to read the tires. People who care a lot about their vehicles put good tires on them and keep them rotated and balanced. If it's got cheap tires or unevenly worn tires, it's a possible indication that someone didn't care as much for it as you might.

I know this is a lot. And there's more if i had time to write.

These cars are tons of fun. I'll probably never own anything else from now on. But I'll be sure to buy a 2008 or newer in the future (and I'll get an S the next time too)

Happy motoring.

 

I have a 03 r53 (cooperS) I like it over all but it has required some upkeep. Make sure the control arm bushings are good, you have to drop the subframe to replace them. It is a real pain to replace them (expensive if a shop does it). Check for oil leaks I had to change the oil cooler seals. Oil pan gaskets and crack sensor seals are known to fail. I have not had many issues with mine. In my opinion they seem no worse than any other european car, don't expect it to be a honda where you need only oil changes.

 

I have an 03 MC 5 speed and i've had to replace 2 transmissions (im on my thrid one) and it feels like that one is going out too and im already at 94k miles, also i replaced my compressor last year and its already locked up(thats a no bueno in this TX heat), also i've had to replace my shift cable link, clutch(x2) upper engine mount, power steering pump hose and fan, RH strut mount, battery, and my control arm bushings. These cars are a lot of fun but if you don't have the $$ to keep up with them, they can be a major hassle. Most of my driving is done on highway miles between 65-75, i do push it every once in a while but most of the time i baby it.

 

Your location says Ma, not sure where but if it this place is not too far, Pete can help you get a handle on the car's shape

http://www.greasysgarage.com/main/


edit: now I see I'm seconding another suggestion for Pete