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Hello! I've owned my BMW E46 330Ci for about 18 months or so... It's been a splendid car, but it's time to move on. I've had my eyes set on Mini for the last few months. Now, I'm making my move towards purchasing one. I'm checking out a 2004 MCS on Tuesday, I'll post some pics below. I've love to hear some feedback on the car, along with what to expect in ownership. I've done my fair share of reading, but hearing it from the actual owners is so much more informative.
Details:
Mileage - 57,000
Owners - 1
Accidents - None
- CARFAX shows all scheduled maintenance done at local BMW dealership.
Transmission - 6-Speed Manual
I quickly plan on upgrading the suspension, along with a new set of wheels. The body-colored grille also must go, I like the mesh grilles featured on the JCW edition. Suggestions???
Glad to see you are moving on to a real sports car
Looks like you are getting the better transmission of the ones offered and the mileage is a big plus. Good job looking up the CarFax, sounds like it has been well taken care of. Check to see if the power steering recall was performed or if it has had any issues.
As far as modifications go if you do suspension the car will seem like it is faster due to the handling. These cars are not known to be straight line drag racers but will handle corners with the best of them.
I love the JCW accessories, I'm a little bias though.
Good luck with buying a car and let us know what you end up with.
Good looking car, yes, a nice JCW Aero mesh grill would be a nice swap. (I too am a little biased toward the JCW accessories e.g., (the exhaust system is about 60 pounds lighter than the OEM stock S exhaust)
57K is low mileage for a 2004, my two are at 247K and 145K and they are running great.
Lots of MODs out there... how deep are your pockets?
Good looking car, yes, a nice JCW Aero mesh grill would be a nice swap. (I too am a little biased toward the JCW accessories e.g., (the exhaust system is about 60 pounds lighter than the OEM stock S exhaust)
57K is low mileage for a 2004, my two are at 247K and 145K and they are running great.
Lots of MODs out there... how deep are your pockets?
Motor on!
It all depends on the mod I suppose... What are some of the common CHEAP ($50-$150) mods done around here? I've seen some great looking headlights/taillights that appear to be smoked. Also, is there any maintenance that I should plan to pay for in the long run? I'm already aware of the cooling system problems, but they're NOTHING to me coming from an E46. Thanks.
It's good that all the scheduled maintenance has been done. Just be sure to keep up on it and fix things when they need to be fixed. Take care of the MINI and it will bring a smile to your face for time to come! We also have a great resource of DIY tech articles here to help keep costs down as well as read up on a lot of services and issues that may arise. We also have a great amount of MINI parts here as well. Good luck with the purchase and let us know if you end up getting it!
Congrats . I know you will want to make it pleasing to the eye, but, start with the suspension, brakes, tires. Meaning make sure it stops, and handles the twisty turnys that this cars were built for. As you know , you can spend as much as you want on mods. The 04 is the year they got the rattles out, and the fit a good bit better. Best of all, in my limited opinion, its an S. These cars handle like Go-Karts. They do bring a smile to your face. Chili rules also, but then I'm bias. 06 R-53
Another question... What are some good websites to buy parts off of?
www.waymotorworks.com
We sell New and Used MINI parts as we have been working on MINIs since 2002 and have a full service shop so we also have installed the parts we sell so our experience can't be beat.
And the largest catalog. 
