Hey all. I am thinking of possibly doing something I didn't think I ever would but I am tossing around the idea of selling my Barnaby. I was wondering if any of you could tell me what my 2006 MCS with 133k on the clock and EVERY option available from factory would be worth. If you don't have any ideas do you know where the best place for pricing online is? I was thining KBB or NADA but I dont know what the fairest best place is to find out. Thanks all!

 

Depends on location but in my area it would be about 4 to 6K.

 

Well this is part of the decision..I can either sell it before I leave Kansas or trailer it back to Boston and drive it into the ground or sell it there. Trying to weigh the options out now. I also have ALOT of extras on the car.

 

Just curious, why are you thinking of selling Barnaby?

 

In the New York area i live in ....NADA says about 8,000 ...Maybe it would be better to bring the car to the east coast when u move and get more money for it ......

 

Extras lower the value.

 

Thinking about selling because I am moving across country and don't know if its worth the money to have it shipped or trailered home. Plus I am thinking ill need a 4 wheel drive or AWD for New England..

Interesting..so do you think the NADA is the best price tool?

 

In my experience (buying and selling over 20 cars in my lifetime) KBB and NADA are not accurate for the private owner-seller market. They're mostly used for dealers and banks to figure loan value. AutoTrader used to be closer to the truth, but the past ten years or so have sellers asking ridiculously inflated prices. Craigslist now seems to be the truest retail prices (and you can check in on just about any major city in the U.S.) even though they, too, can be ridiculous. Just remember that someone's asking price in no way reflects what they would accept in cash on the barrel. Any car is only worth what somebody else will pay for it on any given day.

Adding to the unknown is that older (10-year-old) cars will have very wide ranges of condition and mileage. Yours, with any/all extras may be worth $7K to someone, whereas someone else local to you might be "dumping" their similar 10-year-old R53 for $4K. We see this all the time on NAM boards.

In your research, you may be able to discern a percentage difference in pricing in different locales, which would give you a better idea of where to sell it. The same car might be worth $6K in Kansas and $7K in Boston. I would think spending $600-$1,000 to ship it to New England would nullify any sale price increase you might get there.

Just be prepared for not getting what you feel the MINI is worth - to you - after putting so much time, effort and love into it. This is the bane of car enthusiasts the world over.

 

Thanks for the advice I appreciate all the input. I will keep that in mind!

 

I tend to think that car would be worth $5,000ish here in colorado. I second the suggestion to use craigslist to get an idea of what cars are selling for in an area. I also like auto trader but there are a significant number of people asking insane prices on auto trader. Why do you think you'll need 4wd/awd in new england? I've been driving an R53 in snow since 2005 and spent 5 winters living and working in a ski town, the MINI is fantastic in snow! Handles great, it gives you plenty of warning before it loses traction (which it rarely does if driven sensibly) It's also much less dramatic when you have a little skid compared to a heavy SUV with a high center of gravity. I also prefer a small car in big cities, it makes parking so much easier.

The one weakness of the MINI in snow (and maybe this is why you're leaning towards a 4WD?) is the ground clearance. If the snow is too deep, it can kind of plow through the snow, and I've actually high centered it in deep snow once.

 

Can you please let me know what you are using for snow chains, it looks to me like the suspension system is way to close to use chains on a mini r53 but I'd love to be proven wrong living in a snow town. I pretty much gave up driving my mini if there's a potential for snow.

 

Yea if its only worth 5000 I think ill just keep it. I paid 6100 for it when I bought it as a second owner. But I really havent drove it much in the snow yet. I thought about it last night and have much of an attachment to the car so I wont be selling most likely.

I just dont want anything really bad like the engine or transmission to go on it. Not the reason I am selling it, just talking out loud. It does have 134k on it...

 

Car Guru's is a good site to use for research.


Lets you know if it is over or under market value plus how long the car has been on the market.


Here is a list of 2005 to 2006 with over 100,000 miles on the east coast.


http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invento...tion=undefined

 

Pick up an extra set of 16 inch rims with Blizzak tires for the winter.


The older Mini's remind me of the Porsche 944. You can find a decent 944 for about $6K, easily put $4K into it for clutch, water pump and timing belt service and it is still work $6K....

 

+1 on the snow tires. Not that this has been a bad winter, but I have 17 inch snow tires on the S-lights and it does better than our all wheel drive Taurag with new all seasons. I'm sure in the deep stuff the VW will out do it but with the normal 2-3 inches, it does fine. 16 inch would be better still.

 

Or pick up a beater Honda with snow tires as a winter car.

 

Man, I've never even thought about putting chains on it. In all my ski seasons I only had all season tires (cause I was a poor ski bum and had no space for an extra set of tires) I also worked a job that weather/snow was not considered a legitimate excuse for being late to work.

I got snow tires last winter (Hakkapelita R2's on 16 inch OEM wheels) and it's even more amazing in the snow! I had one day that I passed a BMW X3 in a parking lot, he was spinning all 4 wheels and going no where and I calmly drove past him in complete control of the car. We're in the middle of a pretty awesome winter storm in colorado springs right now, we're looking to get up to 16 inches by tomorrow, and I had to be careful not to speed on the roads this morning.

If you live in California with their backwards chain laws, I think that there are cable chains that will fit, but I haven't looked into it.

 

X2 on the snows. I just bought my '05 MCS with 133K on it, its in great condition (two paint chips TOTAL) here in CO for $5600. I've got Hakkapellita 8s on it right now, and its fabulous. I'm expecting another 14" over the 6" that I had this morning, had no problem getting to work- but then I plowed my road before I left too .
I commute 31 miles with 20 of it in the canyons, haven't had a problem other than realizing that I was doing 80 UP the steepest part .
Gotta keep my foot out of it!

 

As most of you have mentioned I have decided to keep my Barnaby after all. I feel like the 6k I bought it for and the 3k I put into it will never pay me back for my investment. Plus I love this car too much! Off to Boston with Barnaby it is. Does anyone know if I should use the dolly or the full car trailer for my trek across country?

 

I have used a tow dolly on mine for shorter trips and it's been fine however, for a cross country drive, I would use my full trailer. Just my opinion. Not much real data to back up what I'd do.

 

if you have the option full trailer go for it. full trailer is less likely to get damaged. also I run a r53 all year round, ive never gotton stuck, im also the idiot at the mountain skiing when the conditions are at their worst. the r53 is the best vehicle ive had for snow that I have owned. it was better than my 95' pathfinder and my 01 impala.

 

X3 on the snow tires. Tire rack, discount tire, or craigslist for the best deals on rims and tires.

I love driving my Mini in the snow. Just need to turn off the traction control most of the time

 

I don't have much experience but I'd go with a full trailer if possible, no wear on the rear running gear and you can reverse it if you need to, echo I think is challenging with a dolly.

 

Nokian Hakkapellita R2s... 'nuff said...

Unfortunately, Tire Rack does not offer the Nokians, but there are plenty of distributors that do. Check Nokians website.

All other snow tires are a compromise.

 

I've only had the Michelin snow tires that came with my Mini. The Nokians are that much better?