I will most likely be purchasing a used 2005 S tomorrow however I am rather new to the Mini world. This car has roughly 145k on the ticker. Unfortunately I've read several complaints regarding some mechanical issues that appear to be relatively common, this is a bit of concern.

I consider myself fairly well mechanically inclined, having installed motors transmission etc in project cars. Although I realize that Mini's are quite unique in their engineering I would still expect to be able to service the vehicle myself- the more concerning part would be the expense.

Ok. So I ran across some good info on the net and it seems the majority of those issues deal with the strut towers, timing chain, clutch, supercharger rebuild, water and power steering pumps. While it seems the previous owner performed typical maintenance there could certainly be problems around the corner. Any suggestions on what to look for when checking it out would be appreciated!