If your gli was that blue lagoon color I would be so jealous. The platinum gray is my second color choice on those though. Beautiful jetta.

The mini looks pretty Damn cool too.

 

FLOW is a good dealer but they have been known to be a bit high on used vehicles. That being said, they have also been known to have some good deals too. I will ask if the MINI they had was a CPO car. if it was , while still overpriced, it can also explain some of the high costs

The blue MINI is nice looking. Things to look for on either car, oil leaks from drain pan for front of engine, coolant leak from expansion tank, worn control arm bushings, worn engine mount, leaking upper engine mount, clattering noise from the supercharger, squeaking, squealing sound from the clutch, and mushrooming strut towers.

Not saying these are bad cars, just areas to look at. Most of what I listed is minor but a few things are not and are more complicated.

Just be sure to avoid buying as an impulse (which it seems you are not) and do a good check over the car. If you get the blue one (looks like it's at CarMax on Glenwood) then I would have a complete inspection done by the dealership after getting it.

 

Do a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) at a MINI dealer or specialist, on any car you are considering- make it a deal-breaker if the dealer refuses.

 

I spent about an hour underneath and inside the engine compartment of the Blue MCS. Bone dry, strut mounts are true an no strange noises from the SC or clutch. Clutch felt the same as the 06 MC at Flow. I have not put a dpeoist down and may stop by tomorrow to check again incase I missed anything. Anyone in the Raleigh area want to look at it with me?

It is at Auction Direct and they offer a complete refund after 3 days/500miles if I chnage my mind.

The 06 at FLow is not a CPO, just a recent trade in from the original owner. I noticed it recently had the coolant expansion tank changed (nice and clear) and the motor mounts looked new.

I sill have the Porsche as a second car and have no problem passing on both if I do not feel comfortable.

 

Ok, hope I'mnot driving anyone nuts here but found another one to check out.

A MCS 2006 with 75,000 - asking $14.5K

It is listed by the original owner and has the maint. service package through 100,000 miles and all service records since new.

From the looks of it, the owner has kept in a excellent shape as my GLI.

Also has Xenon headlights and the Panoramic sunroof.

 

Doesn't drive me nuts.

The new one sounds good. Any pictures of this one?

If you can run a carfax on it and it comes back clean go drive it.

It sounds to me that dollar for dollar the new one is better than the original mini you posted about.

Have you driven a standard cooper and cooper s for comparison? If so, what did you prefer?

 

I have driven both and probably would have stayed with a base cooper if I never tested the S, now I'm hooked

I liked the non-S for the fuel econonmy and easier maint. but love the S for the additional options, 6-speed and extra HP.

Here is the one on CL

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2772828166.html

 

That one gets my vote pending clean carfax.

Thats my favorite color on these with some nice options and all the records.

Plus with the s you won't miss the power of your gli like i suspect you would on the standard mini.

Try to offer the guy 12.5 or 13 for it. But worst case if all is well id probably pay the full asking price since he has records.

 

Auction Direct is asking $11,500 for the 05 MCS plus fees/tax so in the end it will be about $12,300.

The 3% auto use tax is not applied if I purchase from a private owner.

Much better then paying full sales tax rates in NY.

I prefer not to have a sunroof(never use it) but won't mind if it's the right price and I do not plan on tracking the car yet...

 

 

The darkness seems to indicate a spill because it is dry and doesnt seem to be leaking fluid at the moment.

It still give you protection up to 100k whereas the others didnt. It seems like a good car to me because of the protection and the records. The fact that the owner is an older lady also makes me tend to think the car wasn't ever beat on.

 

Underneath the front of the motor it was still moist(oil- pan leak leak?).
Good thing was she changed the oil every 3,000 miles instead of the recomended 10K schedule.

I als0 like the 05 MCS without the sunroof and the place just redid all the brakes, belt/tensioner and a bunch of other stuff.

Not sure what to offer yet.

I am going to see if she can have WS Flow send me the service history as one pdf document,

 

Does the 6 year/100,00 maint plan cover 6 years fromt he contract purchase or 6 years from the build date?

 

It should be from the purchase date. I know that's the case with my wifes 09 cooper s.

 

Yes sir, should be from purchase - would only make sense. I.e. if a car was built March of 2011 but wasn't purchased for a year after then that wouldn't be fair to the customer to have time taken off of the warranty.

 

Ok, that makes sense.

So any leaks should still be covered if it gets worse.

Since being away from air-cooled VW's for a while I forgot what oil leaks were. Even my 911 is bone dry - "knock on wood"

Thanks !

 

Yes. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be covered.

I miss my old air cooled vw. I'll have to buy one sometime soon.

 

Seems scary but here is the service hsstory of the 06 MCS, transmission service inluded rebuilt gearbox

1-9-2007 11,700 Miles
Oil Change, Rotate and Balance Tires,

10-29-2007 21,217 Miles
Replace Passenger Side Seat Botton for Air Bag Light, Replaced Front Wipers

12-15-2007 22,783 Miles
Oil Change by time, Front and Rear Wipers

5-19-2008 Miles 30461
Inspection 1, Brake Flush, Front and Rear Wipers, Sunroof repairs, a transmission concern, and installed mud flaps. (We currently have a new system, some of the actual "repairs" are not listed, just the initial complaint.)

6-25-2008 32283 Miles
Does not shfit properly, Brake Pressure switch, Headlight washers not working, water leak in boot area.

8-28-2008 34081 Miles
DSC Module, Rear Boot Leaking Water, Door Hindge Squeaks, Flywheel replaced, Rear Latch Rattles, Install Four Tires

1-5-2009 39,703 Miles
Rotate Tires, Thermostat Leaking, Wipers, Clutch Rattle

4-29-2009 42775 Miles
Service by time, AC Operation Conern, Emblem on Steering wheel coming off, Shake in steering wheel at highway speeds, Balance tires,Windows Squeak, Sunroof squeaks, Dash lights dim

11-9-2009 48445 Miles
Oil Change, Check over for out of town trip

6-24-2009 44033 Miles
Alignment, LF Wheel Speed Sensor

1-14-2010 51,255 Miles
Griding noise when shifting gears, Clutch noise, Mirror caps turning yellow, Mini Emblem, Air Bag Light was on, Passenger side door handle hard to open, Rotate tires and check suspension, leaking slave cylinder

1-21-2010 51440 Miles
Hard to shift, bled slave cylinder

12-30-2011 72123 Miles
Water pump, wheel bearing, oil change, wipers

I wonder if she got tired of the repairs and really wants to just unload the car and selling right oafter having the waterpump replaced makes me a little nervous, then again, most of the issues have been corrected.

My GLI has needed nothing besides oil changes, 40,000 mile plug change, tires and the rear brakes over 7 years, even the wiper blades are original and work fine without streaking.
Warranty issues were software update and coil packs.

 

Looks like a nice car. I would check the leaks but they usually not much to worry about. Did you meet her at SouthPoint? I see the picture taken in lot by Crate and Barrel/ Regal. Anyway, let us know how it ends up.

 

Good eye; I can't hide anywhere now

 

If you haven't done so and you keep the vw change that timing belt now.

I don't see anything on that list I'd worry about though.

 

The buyer of my VW is picking it up tomorrow.

I already let him know that the timing belt/water pump should be replaced and referred him to the shop that did the job on my old 04 TDI.

Now this one shows up (I also like Pepper White)

http://www.flowauto.com/CarDetails.a...-Winston-Salem

 

Good man.

That white one looks good and lower mileage is nice.

But could you live with a regular Cooper after driving the S?

 

I know, big mistake I made

Just as bad when I used to drive the Porsche for a few days and then hop into the VW Thing and stomp ont he gas, felt like I was hauling a boat anchor up hill both ways...

Benefit of the white non-S is no worries about the SC and it has a 2 year warranty until 100.000 miles but after driving the "S", I got sucked into the Dark Side...

 

Thats what got me and the wife too... and she never actually drove a Mini before buying one. I did all the test driving, she just went along for the ride.

I was happy test driving the regular Mini. So was she. Then we tried an S to see if it was worth the extra money. We both knew instantly that it was so that's what we knew we had to buy or we just wouldn't be happy.

In fact prior to driving the S we were both happy with the performance of our respective cars - her 07 Rabbit, and my e30 BMW. But from the moment the test drive was over we both lost interest in them.

I think if you buy a standard Mini you will miss the performance of the GLI and always have a bit of regret in the back of your mind about not buying an S.

Judge for yourself, but to me the little loss of fuel economy is worth the fun you gain. Especially after adding a 15% pulley, exhaust, and intake.