Hi everybody, I'm new to this forum and to Minis in general. I just bought a 2005 Mini Cooper S and am incredibly stoked to go pick it up (it's in California and I live in Vegas - I'll be picking it up Saturday).
I was wondering what would be the best thing to do with it as soon as it's back in town. Are there any checks that I should do on it, or anything in particular that I should look for? And after that, what would be the best upgrades to do first? I am definitely interested in a bit of customization, but as of now, not dropping in thousands of dollars of upgrades. Thank you all for any help, and sorry if this thread has already been made, I couldn't find one that fit what I was looking for.

 

Clean it, fill it with fuel, then go out and learn all the squeaks and rattles it makes.

Then look at a 15mm rear ARB.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be sure to look into one.

 

Unless the previous owner has all the maintenance records, assume nothing's been done. Start with an oil change, replace brake fluid, transaxle fluid, etc. When complete, contact your favorite vendor and buy a 15% (or more) SC reduction pulley.

 

Before you do anything go over the car bumper to bumper and note all the oil leaks, worn bushings, mounts and so on. Then make a priority list and do the repairs as you can.

When your ready for mods the first to hands down are
Supercharger pulley
Hsport Rear Sway Bar

 

Make sure you take a look at the serpentine belt and tensioner.. I caught my tensioner right before it died at 54,000 miles. When they go (and aren't stopped by an aftermarket stop) they tend to break other parts in their destructive path.

Also if it's a later model, ensure the passenger motor mount has been done, they leak fluid and cease to function properly. Check for coolant leaks, drive it!

 

I'll be getting maintenance records with the car, so hopefully everything has been taken care of how it shoul be. Thank you for the suggestions, I'll be sure to watch and inspect closely. Do you recommend a specific pulley?

 

Excellent. Thank you!

 

Thank you for the heads up! I will certainly check that immediately, and invest in an aftermarket guard for that ASAP, whether or not the belt is shot yet or not.

 

Just follow Bill:
http://www.billswebspace.com/mcs.htm
Worthy OE upgrades:
-VibraTechnics motormount
-Powerflex bushes
-ATI super damper
-Canton or RMW coolant tank
-Cravenspeed or VIP strut tower plates

 

http://www.soopercooperinfo.com/Used...questions.html