Hi guys!

Last summer I had to sell my Camden because of financial circumstances. I totally miss it and have always had it in the back of my mind to get another Cooper at some point, but probably not until I get a nice raise, I can't really afford a very fancy one...

...BUT I came across a 2005 Justa hardtop with 106k miles, stick shift, pano-roof, heated seats, 16" wheels, HK stereo and leatherette. It looks very legit and in good shape. Best of all, I believe the price is right.

I will be checking it out in person tomorrow to make sure all is good with it, but I had a question:

At 106,000 miles, are there problems to watch out for? Any sort of maintenance that I should definitely check on or take care of?

Control arm bushings, low speed fan resistor and various oil leaks are a good place to start. Have a pre-purchase inspection done by an independent shop. Good luck!

Thanks! I forgot about motoring file's buyer's guide: http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Useful!

Also look for front strut tower mushrooming......
Good thing about the 2005, no problematic midlands 5 speed, the sticks got a 5 speed getreg.
Check the production date on the door....the 2005 cars and up made after jan1 got a dual stage airbag...so the pax seat got a sensor to determine if a child or adult was in the seat....this mat/sensor is kinda problematic and is about $1000 to fix if the airbag light is lit...but the prejan1 production cars that were 2005 (like mine) had the older, non weight sensing seats/airbags.....

Thanks!

Does anyone know how I can tell whether this car was supposed to originally come with run flats? Not sure if they all had the tire pressure reset switch even if the car wasn't equipped with RFTs.

Appreciative,
Chris

If tha car is on oem 16 or bigger, then it had runflats...
15's were the ONLY nonrunflat option if i recall.
Prettysure all gen1 cars had the flat tire montoring system with the button by the e-brake handle...it is just an added feature of the ABS braking system....it just counts rpms of the whells spinning for a given distance, and looks for a sudden change....no extra sensors needed....only very late production gen1 cabrio's got sensor based flattire monitors....those were the carryover gen1 cars, 2007+..

Zippy and Helix, you guys rock! Thanks again. I have some more questions, if you aren't too busy. You guys are gurus!

1. I thought these wheels are 16" (which should mean originally they were RFTs) but I found a spare tire underneath the car... Hmm, I will try to remember to look at the wheel size when I return... MINI didn't make this particular 5-spoke style (see picture above) in both 15 and 16, did they?

2. The dealer has listed this car as having cruise control, but the steering wheel is not of the multifunction sort. I see a button that looks like a cruise on/off toggle at the 10 o'clock position next to the center speedo on the dash-- but I can't seem to find any corresponding + and - buttons to adjust/lock in the speed. Thoughts?

3. There seems to be some rust bubbling below the right tail light. Is this common? And is there a way to check for rust under the door sills?

4. The exhaust system looks like the hangers are gonna let it drag soon and the muffler is pretty rusty. I've seen the OEM cost of the exhaust (because I want the sound as quiet as possible) and it's so expensive! Would it be silly to do non-OEM non-performance mufflers, and if so, any recommendations?

Eternally grateful!

as for the spare tire...
the just-a-cooper did come with one...even if it was equipped with runflats..it simply had a spot in the trunk for it..the S has the battery in that location..so ALL S tire options were runflats, but on a cooper, runflats were an option.

as for the cruise....
I thought that the 3 spoke was the only option in 2005+ cars...thought the MFSW was no longer an option...but check anyway...maybe it was available for a few months..the buttons on the MFSW gen1 are kinda hidden, and some folks did toss an older steering wheel on...the std 3 spoke was not everyone's fav.
Not sure about the button on the dash...I have the chronopack (gauge option) in which I have TWO small circles over the steering wheel, one for speed, one for rpm's, with a full gauge cluster in the middle....all my cruise controls are on the steeringwheel.

Those 5-spoke wheels are 16", which were part of the Sport Package. If it came with the Sports Package, it would have come with cruise control.

My 2003 has the Sports Package, and the build spec included the spare tire as an add-on option. I have to assume that a Justa with the Sports Package (with those 5-spoke alloy wheels with run-flats) could have been delivered without a spare.

Keith, who is happy to have a spare, since his replacements tires are not run-flats...

Those wheels are factory standard. Came with run flats. Cruise sounds after market.
MFSW has controls on top and under spokes. Poss some one has made cruise control controls (sorry) fit there. Spare is space saver (pretty sure). Rust not common - salted roads? If so and you buy the car clean off the underside by whatever means you think appropriate (I'd Kartcha the living daylights out of it on a ramp, with the trims removed). Rusty sills - get it on a hoist. If the dealer says no - walk!!

I had to go look at my MINI's dashboard, but the button you mention should be the brightness control for the instrument lights. I typically only use it by mistake...

Keith, who lacks familiarity with the 3-spoke steering wheels used on the "later" MINIs...

Yep that sounds right. (Should have guessed ). Make sure you get owner manuals and service history books too. Most non genuine dealers have no idea about the MINI and its controls and their functions. Ask him how to stop the interior light comming on each time the door is opend. If he says it cant't be done you know you are talking to a MINI baffoon.

make sure you get both keys as well...

Val

Actually 3....
One key was a plastic wallet key.....but most used cars will have had this key lost...

Thanks, everyone for your contributions. I really want this but am still on the fence!

After having the vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic, it has been found to need a little work: 4 new tires, 2 outer tie rods (the guy had me try moving them while the car was up on the lift... Are they supposed to have play?) And finally they recommended a new muffler and exhaust hangers.

So this is my concern: I have the guy down to a price of $5468, but that's as-is condition. He claims he won't go any lower but offers a "bumper to bumper" warranty that I can use to fix the rest of the problems after 30 days with a claim, except the tires. The dealer group has atrocious reviews on google and yelp about both their service and even sales being poor. As such, I feel like the extended warranty would be more like an extended headache.

Am I crazy to buy this Carfax-certified no-accident 3-owner MINI with 106k miles and a little work needed without a warranty for $5468, and just pay the extra 1000-1500 for the extra work and for tires out of pocket? Or should I ask the guy to go lower? And/Or ask him to throw in a warranty? Or maybe this is already a steal of a deal and I should be happy for this price and handle the repairs out of my own pocket since it's so cheap already?

Thanks for your thoughts, for all who share.

Chris

Buying a warrenty, and expecting it to cover stuff IS sketchy.... tierods are almost to be expected with that kinda of miles, so not unusual. Mufler is good till they leak....anything earlier is just for the convience of picking thr time/place. Sounds like you have descsions to make......
and i'm guess the warrenty line has been used many times before...perhaps the reason for the poor reviews? They then reject the repairs...and the new owner's mad, but don't want to implicate themselves in fraud....so gives the dealer a poor review? Just a guess, but karma is a b!$ch. Nothing with the car screams runaway....so it sounds like a simple is it worth the $$$.

Well, after all of the back and forth, the salesperson at the dealership tried the old bait and switch technique. Told me he "doesn't remember telling [me] that price" and had it written up for about $2,500 more than what we discussed on Saturday. I thanked him for his time and walked out.

I guess it was not meant to be and dealing with him was such an unsettling and stressful experience anyway. He was constantly on his cell and desk phone, his mind was elsewhere perpetually, he was doing the "eye blockage" thing: when he spoke to me he would face me but close his eyes and only open them up when he was no longer facing me and no longer making eye contact, on our test drive today he stopped and got food, he was complaining about how cold it is outside and how he has to suffer the cold when he goes out on test drives with customers, he lied to me about how many owners the car had (but I knew how many before he even told me the lie) but I didn't even bother calling him out, he got furious when I told him the inspection found problems and, FINALLY, when we were going over the numbers and about to finalize the sale (before he baited and switched), he told me that he will have to run my credit even though I had financing arranged through my preferred bank and I said "no, you don't need to" and he started giving me "it's because of 9/11" as an excuse!! Haha! What in the world is going on in this guy's head? Maybe he thought that I was a total idiot.

I'm pretty bummed about the whole situation. But I guess if I wait, I can work on my credit and save up even more to get something nicer.

Thanks Zippy, Valvashon, MINIFatherFigure, Kedwards and Helix! You guys have been most helpful!

Actually… my 06 r53 came with 4. Two remotes one wallet key and a valet key (dummy remote). Too bad 1 remote does not work as a remote :(.

Sorry to hear it did not work out, but those are some pretty big red lights, at least for me . There will be another one. Just keep your eye out and also scout the classifieds here!

Good luck!

Good thing you passed. That guy sounded really shifty and didn't deserve your business anyway. Plus, there are better cars and better deals out there. Good luck!

Yeh, I'd have taken a pass on the salesman too. FWIW, I think the price was right. Assuming it wasn't going to need a clutch soon.

Good luck in your continued search.