R50/53 New to me R53 with 7K miles fly & drive ?'s
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New to me R53 with 7K miles fly & drive ?'s
Hello,
New here, not new to MINI. My wife had a 2002 Sport (non S) that we bought from the back of the BMW lot before there were MINI dealerships. She loved the car drove it for 150K miles, Silver over Red cloth, manual, with the 5 spoke wheels. Great car, according to her, best car ever.
She felt that the miles would start affecting reliability and money spent would not be worth it, she traded it for a manual TDI Beetle a year ago. Now that the Beetle has to go back she was forced to decide on what to get, new MINI is bloated and no fun anymore, FIAT Abarth is bit too boy racer, GTI is a lot of money and she is pissed at VW, so she started looking at Toyota Prius, I had to intervene...
I found a 2002 R53 S on BaT (Bring a Trailer) with 7K miles on it, and bought it. She is super excited to be back in a "real" MINI.
http://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-mini-cooper-s-3/
My plan is to fly & drive, car is in Detroit and will drive it back to Boston, about 750 miles. The car was recently at the dealer for fresh fluids, new tires, and current owner has put 3,000 miles on it this past summer.
What could go wrong? Right? AAA is paid up.
Anything that I should be concerned about?
Thank you.
New here, not new to MINI. My wife had a 2002 Sport (non S) that we bought from the back of the BMW lot before there were MINI dealerships. She loved the car drove it for 150K miles, Silver over Red cloth, manual, with the 5 spoke wheels. Great car, according to her, best car ever.
She felt that the miles would start affecting reliability and money spent would not be worth it, she traded it for a manual TDI Beetle a year ago. Now that the Beetle has to go back she was forced to decide on what to get, new MINI is bloated and no fun anymore, FIAT Abarth is bit too boy racer, GTI is a lot of money and she is pissed at VW, so she started looking at Toyota Prius, I had to intervene...
I found a 2002 R53 S on BaT (Bring a Trailer) with 7K miles on it, and bought it. She is super excited to be back in a "real" MINI.
http://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-mini-cooper-s-3/
My plan is to fly & drive, car is in Detroit and will drive it back to Boston, about 750 miles. The car was recently at the dealer for fresh fluids, new tires, and current owner has put 3,000 miles on it this past summer.
What could go wrong? Right? AAA is paid up.
Anything that I should be concerned about?
Thank you.
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,965
Likes: 393
From: In the here and now, for now.
Speed traps. Oh, and Top Tier and 91 or higher only. And figure out how you're going to tell her you've fallen in love with it and she can't have it.
Actually, when I picked up my new to me 2004 it hadn't been driven a lot in the previous 2 years (maybe 3k miles in total) - I changed the plugs and leads, reset the ECU, and put a can of seafoam through the engine (1/3 into the oil, 2/3 into the fuel) and it did wonders for it . . drove it from Seattle to Portland and on the return leg it drove beautifully, far better than on the way down. Not sure whether it was the plugs, the leads, the ECU reset, the Seafoam, or a mixture of all of them
R53
Hello,
New here, not new to MINI. My wife had a 2002 Sport (non S) that we bought from the back of the BMW lot before there were MINI dealerships. She loved the car drove it for 150K miles, Silver over Red cloth, manual, with the 5 spoke wheels. Great car, according to her, best car ever.
She felt that the miles would start affecting reliability and money spent would not be worth it, she traded it for a manual TDI Beetle a year ago. Now that the Beetle has to go back she was forced to decide on what to get, new MINI is bloated and no fun anymore, FIAT Abarth is bit too boy racer, GTI is a lot of money and she is pissed at VW, so she started looking at Toyota Prius, I had to intervene...
I found a 2002 R53 S on BaT (Bring a Trailer) with 7K miles on it, and bought it. She is super excited to be back in a "real" MINI.
http://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-mini-cooper-s-3/
My plan is to fly & drive, car is in Detroit and will drive it back to Boston, about 750 miles. The car was recently at the dealer for fresh fluids, new tires, and current owner has put 3,000 miles on it this past summer.
What could go wrong? Right? AAA is paid up.
Anything that I should be concerned about?
Thank you.
New here, not new to MINI. My wife had a 2002 Sport (non S) that we bought from the back of the BMW lot before there were MINI dealerships. She loved the car drove it for 150K miles, Silver over Red cloth, manual, with the 5 spoke wheels. Great car, according to her, best car ever.
She felt that the miles would start affecting reliability and money spent would not be worth it, she traded it for a manual TDI Beetle a year ago. Now that the Beetle has to go back she was forced to decide on what to get, new MINI is bloated and no fun anymore, FIAT Abarth is bit too boy racer, GTI is a lot of money and she is pissed at VW, so she started looking at Toyota Prius, I had to intervene...
I found a 2002 R53 S on BaT (Bring a Trailer) with 7K miles on it, and bought it. She is super excited to be back in a "real" MINI.
http://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-mini-cooper-s-3/
My plan is to fly & drive, car is in Detroit and will drive it back to Boston, about 750 miles. The car was recently at the dealer for fresh fluids, new tires, and current owner has put 3,000 miles on it this past summer.
What could go wrong? Right? AAA is paid up.
Anything that I should be concerned about?
Thank you.
When you have the time, we have a new R53 Guide on our site. I can tell you, the R53 I picked up this year was one of my best buys ever! Any questions, please ask!
http://new.minimania.com/MINI_Cooper...nd_Accessories
Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 279
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From: Spokane WA.
Nice purchase. My first mini was a 02 base model it was a fun little car,but my second mini is a 05 mini S with a 6 speed and 47k miles it a whole lot more fun. I had to rebuild the motor (timing chain tensioner fail) because the PO didnt maintain it very well. Its has the blue interior as well. Your wife will enjoy it for many years.
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Thank you for the suggestions, and making me feel welcome to the forum. Looking forward to getting the car and being part of this world.
The obvious, fluid level and tire pressure checks I can do before the 11 to 12 hour drive.
Since tires are new, fluids have been recently changed, and the car has been driven this summer, there is not much more I can do until I get it home, like replacing plugs and leads.
Adding some fuel additive might make sense, Seafoam was suggested, it appears that the amount added can vary greatly. Is this the best choice and what ratio is recommended? I should burn through 2+ tanks of gas...
The obvious, fluid level and tire pressure checks I can do before the 11 to 12 hour drive.
Since tires are new, fluids have been recently changed, and the car has been driven this summer, there is not much more I can do until I get it home, like replacing plugs and leads.
Adding some fuel additive might make sense, Seafoam was suggested, it appears that the amount added can vary greatly. Is this the best choice and what ratio is recommended? I should burn through 2+ tanks of gas...
Sea Foam Motor Treatment
Hi Tobi: Here's a good Q&A that should help re Sea Foam.
https://seafoamsales.com/faq-ask-jim/
For those interested, we have it on sale right now!
http://new.minimania.com/part/G2NME9...tment-16-Fl-Oz
Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.
https://seafoamsales.com/faq-ask-jim/
For those interested, we have it on sale right now!
http://new.minimania.com/part/G2NME9...tment-16-Fl-Oz
Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.
Congrats.
I saw it on BaT and hoped a real enthusiast would pick it up. From what I saw I think you are good to go. Fly in and drive it home that is what I would have done.
No Seafoam needed as the early cars don't get carbon build up.
I saw it on BaT and hoped a real enthusiast would pick it up. From what I saw I think you are good to go. Fly in and drive it home that is what I would have done.No Seafoam needed as the early cars don't get carbon build up.
Looks real clean... Good luck with it.
Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of the orange/white wires that emanate from behind the positive jump terminal area and connect to the p/s fluid tank bolts?
An aftermarket remote starter installation?
Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of the orange/white wires that emanate from behind the positive jump terminal area and connect to the p/s fluid tank bolts?
An aftermarket remote starter installation?
Last edited by AoxoMoxoA; Nov 21, 2016 at 11:19 AM. Reason: Clarification
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 136
Likes: 10
From: Seattle, WA
I almost bid on that car with a pretty high budget but backed away when wife talked sense into me.
We have her twin at home, with identical options and built in the same month. Bought new and now has 55k on her.
I wanted to save this guy from becoming someone's daily driver.
That one has been saved and garaged its life time for you to take it on a Midwest road trip in the middle of winter.
At least do something to protect its paint.
And congrats.
We have her twin at home, with identical options and built in the same month. Bought new and now has 55k on her.
I wanted to save this guy from becoming someone's daily driver.
That one has been saved and garaged its life time for you to take it on a Midwest road trip in the middle of winter.
At least do something to protect its paint.
And congrats.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 193
Likes: 2
From: Rochester, NY
Drive the snot out of it. Look at it this way, the first guy spent a whole lot of money to NOT drive his car. What did it get him? A car that he looked at for 14 years for $13000 plus maintenance, insurance etc. Cars are a bad investment unless you are starting at $250,000.
I recently went through the same dilemma. I bought a car that was number 43 of 100 ever built. It had 6,800 miles on it. I bought it for less than half the original sticker. The guy spent $40,000 to not drive his car. It cost him almost $6 per mile for just the depreciation of the car, forget what it cost for maintenance, insurance, registration and storage for 8 years. I vowed to not make that same mistake.
The bottom line... Not driving your car to keep miles off of it is like not sleeping with your girlfriend so her next boyfriend will enjoy her more.
I recently went through the same dilemma. I bought a car that was number 43 of 100 ever built. It had 6,800 miles on it. I bought it for less than half the original sticker. The guy spent $40,000 to not drive his car. It cost him almost $6 per mile for just the depreciation of the car, forget what it cost for maintenance, insurance, registration and storage for 8 years. I vowed to not make that same mistake.
The bottom line... Not driving your car to keep miles off of it is like not sleeping with your girlfriend so her next boyfriend will enjoy her more.
Last edited by Wertles; Dec 2, 2016 at 06:49 AM.
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Update
This is what I submitted to BaT as a follow up to purchasing it.
I want to share my BaT experience to encourage others to do it.
For several years, I have enjoyed looking at images and reading the comments on cars that are of interest to me. It has become a morning ritual, while I drink my coffee. Lots of informative comments to help educate me on the cars I covet.
A bit of background to explain how I got to the point where I registered to bid, and was determined to win, a 2002 MINI Cooper S with 7K miles that was located in Detroit. My wife Judi, bought one of the very first new MINI’s in 2002 from the back-parking lot of Gallery BMW in Norwood, MA, this was before there were any MINI dealerships. It was sliver, black top, black mirror’s, red cloth interior, 5 speed, with Sport package. Her favorite car ever, after 140K miles and 13 years of relatively problem free ownership it was starting to show its age and was becoming questionably reliable. She reluctantly traded it for a new VW Beetle TDI, which is now going back to VW, and found herself back to looking at new cars. Judi regretted trading her MINI and felt like she would never get an opportunity to have a care like it again…but wait.
In a quest to find a small well built, fun to drive car we looked at and she drove the FIAT 500 which is okay but at the end of the day hard to justify. The new MINI which is bloated, and has lost its soul. VW GTI is very cool but a lot of money and she was not excited about giving VW more money.
I shared the MINI that Richard Truett listed on BaT, and we agreed it would be worth biding on. Buying a car on an auction site, sight unseen was a new experience for us. When the day came to bid, I found myself distracted with anticipation, the experience was great, the 2-minute reset after each bid is brilliant as it provides enough time to feel that you are in control of the process, and it prolongs the excitement. It is a great rush for sure, and then the surreal moment when you realize you have won it, I recommend it. Judi was overjoyed that she would once again be driving a “fresh” first generation new MINI.
The communication with Richard (Seller) was a pleasure, responsive and with appreciated attention to detail, money was sent, title, bill of sale, and the envelope full of service records and original window sticker were received.
As the reality of buying a car that was in Detroit was sinking in, I requested quotes on having the car transported to Boston, seemed like a lot of money, especially when a Jet Blue ticket from Boston to Detroit is $49.00 per person, so we did the right thing, and committed to fly and drive together.
The only disappointment through the entire process was not being able to meet Richard, the day that we planned to fly in, he had a work commitment previously scheduled. He offered to drop the car at offsite airport parking the night before.
We arrived at Detroit airport mid-morning and took the shuttle to the offsite parking lot. The car was great, and as described, Richard even had a screw driver in the cup holder so that I could mount the new MA plates, a bottle of BMW windshield fluid, a printed coupon for a discount at the parking lot, and printed directions back to Boston in case we did not have GPS, awesome.
The original listing shared all the work done to the car including OEM wiper blades and BMW washer fluid “because I like the way it smells”. This is the kind of person you want to buy a car from.
The drive to Boston was great, we had clear skies to start, we stopped for coffee, we stopped for lunch, we stopped for more coffee, and the car seemed to wake up nicely. As darkness fell and it started to rain we eventually got to familiar roads. Through NY and into MA along the MA Pike I pushed the car and it seemed to get better and better as the drive progressed and the harder it was pushed. We got home after 11 + hours without a hiccup.
The car will stay stock, except for maybe a new sound system and proper winter tires and wheels. The comments leading up to, during, and after the auction made it informative, and fun. The overall experience is what buying a car should be, good knowledgeable car people, properly presenting interesting fun to drive and own cars.
Great experience, made for memorable day, I recommend it, and if possible I highly recommend to fly and drive.
Images
#1 Picking up at Qwik Park – Before in Detroit
#2 Ready for snow with winter tires and wheels – After in Boston
I want to share my BaT experience to encourage others to do it.
For several years, I have enjoyed looking at images and reading the comments on cars that are of interest to me. It has become a morning ritual, while I drink my coffee. Lots of informative comments to help educate me on the cars I covet.
A bit of background to explain how I got to the point where I registered to bid, and was determined to win, a 2002 MINI Cooper S with 7K miles that was located in Detroit. My wife Judi, bought one of the very first new MINI’s in 2002 from the back-parking lot of Gallery BMW in Norwood, MA, this was before there were any MINI dealerships. It was sliver, black top, black mirror’s, red cloth interior, 5 speed, with Sport package. Her favorite car ever, after 140K miles and 13 years of relatively problem free ownership it was starting to show its age and was becoming questionably reliable. She reluctantly traded it for a new VW Beetle TDI, which is now going back to VW, and found herself back to looking at new cars. Judi regretted trading her MINI and felt like she would never get an opportunity to have a care like it again…but wait.
In a quest to find a small well built, fun to drive car we looked at and she drove the FIAT 500 which is okay but at the end of the day hard to justify. The new MINI which is bloated, and has lost its soul. VW GTI is very cool but a lot of money and she was not excited about giving VW more money.
I shared the MINI that Richard Truett listed on BaT, and we agreed it would be worth biding on. Buying a car on an auction site, sight unseen was a new experience for us. When the day came to bid, I found myself distracted with anticipation, the experience was great, the 2-minute reset after each bid is brilliant as it provides enough time to feel that you are in control of the process, and it prolongs the excitement. It is a great rush for sure, and then the surreal moment when you realize you have won it, I recommend it. Judi was overjoyed that she would once again be driving a “fresh” first generation new MINI.
The communication with Richard (Seller) was a pleasure, responsive and with appreciated attention to detail, money was sent, title, bill of sale, and the envelope full of service records and original window sticker were received.
As the reality of buying a car that was in Detroit was sinking in, I requested quotes on having the car transported to Boston, seemed like a lot of money, especially when a Jet Blue ticket from Boston to Detroit is $49.00 per person, so we did the right thing, and committed to fly and drive together.
The only disappointment through the entire process was not being able to meet Richard, the day that we planned to fly in, he had a work commitment previously scheduled. He offered to drop the car at offsite airport parking the night before.
We arrived at Detroit airport mid-morning and took the shuttle to the offsite parking lot. The car was great, and as described, Richard even had a screw driver in the cup holder so that I could mount the new MA plates, a bottle of BMW windshield fluid, a printed coupon for a discount at the parking lot, and printed directions back to Boston in case we did not have GPS, awesome.
The original listing shared all the work done to the car including OEM wiper blades and BMW washer fluid “because I like the way it smells”. This is the kind of person you want to buy a car from.
The drive to Boston was great, we had clear skies to start, we stopped for coffee, we stopped for lunch, we stopped for more coffee, and the car seemed to wake up nicely. As darkness fell and it started to rain we eventually got to familiar roads. Through NY and into MA along the MA Pike I pushed the car and it seemed to get better and better as the drive progressed and the harder it was pushed. We got home after 11 + hours without a hiccup.
The car will stay stock, except for maybe a new sound system and proper winter tires and wheels. The comments leading up to, during, and after the auction made it informative, and fun. The overall experience is what buying a car should be, good knowledgeable car people, properly presenting interesting fun to drive and own cars.
Great experience, made for memorable day, I recommend it, and if possible I highly recommend to fly and drive.
Images
#1 Picking up at Qwik Park – Before in Detroit
#2 Ready for snow with winter tires and wheels – After in Boston
This is what I submitted to BaT as a follow up to purchasing it.
I want to share my BaT experience to encourage others to do it.
For several years, I have enjoyed looking at images and reading the comments on cars that are of interest to me. It has become a morning ritual, while I drink my coffee. Lots of informative comments to help educate me on the cars I covet.
A bit of background to explain how I got to the point where I registered to bid, and was determined to win, a 2002 MINI Cooper S with 7K miles that was located in Detroit. My wife Judi, bought one of the very first new MINI’s in 2002 from the back-parking lot of Gallery BMW in Norwood, MA, this was before there were any MINI dealerships. It was sliver, black top, black mirror’s, red cloth interior, 5 speed, with Sport package. Her favorite car ever, after 140K miles and 13 years of relatively problem free ownership it was starting to show its age and was becoming questionably reliable. She reluctantly traded it for a new VW Beetle TDI, which is now going back to VW, and found herself back to looking at new cars. Judi regretted trading her MINI and felt like she would never get an opportunity to have a care like it again…but wait.
In a quest to find a small well built, fun to drive car we looked at and she drove the FIAT 500 which is okay but at the end of the day hard to justify. The new MINI which is bloated, and has lost its soul. VW GTI is very cool but a lot of money and she was not excited about giving VW more money.
I shared the MINI that Richard Truett listed on BaT, and we agreed it would be worth biding on. Buying a car on an auction site, sight unseen was a new experience for us. When the day came to bid, I found myself distracted with anticipation, the experience was great, the 2-minute reset after each bid is brilliant as it provides enough time to feel that you are in control of the process, and it prolongs the excitement. It is a great rush for sure, and then the surreal moment when you realize you have won it, I recommend it. Judi was overjoyed that she would once again be driving a “fresh” first generation new MINI.
The communication with Richard (Seller) was a pleasure, responsive and with appreciated attention to detail, money was sent, title, bill of sale, and the envelope full of service records and original window sticker were received.
As the reality of buying a car that was in Detroit was sinking in, I requested quotes on having the car transported to Boston, seemed like a lot of money, especially when a Jet Blue ticket from Boston to Detroit is $49.00 per person, so we did the right thing, and committed to fly and drive together.
The only disappointment through the entire process was not being able to meet Richard, the day that we planned to fly in, he had a work commitment previously scheduled. He offered to drop the car at offsite airport parking the night before.
We arrived at Detroit airport mid-morning and took the shuttle to the offsite parking lot. The car was great, and as described, Richard even had a screw driver in the cup holder so that I could mount the new MA plates, a bottle of BMW windshield fluid, a printed coupon for a discount at the parking lot, and printed directions back to Boston in case we did not have GPS, awesome.
The original listing shared all the work done to the car including OEM wiper blades and BMW washer fluid “because I like the way it smells”. This is the kind of person you want to buy a car from.
The drive to Boston was great, we had clear skies to start, we stopped for coffee, we stopped for lunch, we stopped for more coffee, and the car seemed to wake up nicely. As darkness fell and it started to rain we eventually got to familiar roads. Through NY and into MA along the MA Pike I pushed the car and it seemed to get better and better as the drive progressed and the harder it was pushed. We got home after 11 + hours without a hiccup.
The car will stay stock, except for maybe a new sound system and proper winter tires and wheels. The comments leading up to, during, and after the auction made it informative, and fun. The overall experience is what buying a car should be, good knowledgeable car people, properly presenting interesting fun to drive and own cars.
Great experience, made for memorable day, I recommend it, and if possible I highly recommend to fly and drive.
Images
#1 Picking up at Qwik Park – Before in Detroit
#2 Ready for snow with winter tires and wheels – After in Boston
I want to share my BaT experience to encourage others to do it.
For several years, I have enjoyed looking at images and reading the comments on cars that are of interest to me. It has become a morning ritual, while I drink my coffee. Lots of informative comments to help educate me on the cars I covet.
A bit of background to explain how I got to the point where I registered to bid, and was determined to win, a 2002 MINI Cooper S with 7K miles that was located in Detroit. My wife Judi, bought one of the very first new MINI’s in 2002 from the back-parking lot of Gallery BMW in Norwood, MA, this was before there were any MINI dealerships. It was sliver, black top, black mirror’s, red cloth interior, 5 speed, with Sport package. Her favorite car ever, after 140K miles and 13 years of relatively problem free ownership it was starting to show its age and was becoming questionably reliable. She reluctantly traded it for a new VW Beetle TDI, which is now going back to VW, and found herself back to looking at new cars. Judi regretted trading her MINI and felt like she would never get an opportunity to have a care like it again…but wait.
In a quest to find a small well built, fun to drive car we looked at and she drove the FIAT 500 which is okay but at the end of the day hard to justify. The new MINI which is bloated, and has lost its soul. VW GTI is very cool but a lot of money and she was not excited about giving VW more money.
I shared the MINI that Richard Truett listed on BaT, and we agreed it would be worth biding on. Buying a car on an auction site, sight unseen was a new experience for us. When the day came to bid, I found myself distracted with anticipation, the experience was great, the 2-minute reset after each bid is brilliant as it provides enough time to feel that you are in control of the process, and it prolongs the excitement. It is a great rush for sure, and then the surreal moment when you realize you have won it, I recommend it. Judi was overjoyed that she would once again be driving a “fresh” first generation new MINI.
The communication with Richard (Seller) was a pleasure, responsive and with appreciated attention to detail, money was sent, title, bill of sale, and the envelope full of service records and original window sticker were received.
As the reality of buying a car that was in Detroit was sinking in, I requested quotes on having the car transported to Boston, seemed like a lot of money, especially when a Jet Blue ticket from Boston to Detroit is $49.00 per person, so we did the right thing, and committed to fly and drive together.
The only disappointment through the entire process was not being able to meet Richard, the day that we planned to fly in, he had a work commitment previously scheduled. He offered to drop the car at offsite airport parking the night before.
We arrived at Detroit airport mid-morning and took the shuttle to the offsite parking lot. The car was great, and as described, Richard even had a screw driver in the cup holder so that I could mount the new MA plates, a bottle of BMW windshield fluid, a printed coupon for a discount at the parking lot, and printed directions back to Boston in case we did not have GPS, awesome.
The original listing shared all the work done to the car including OEM wiper blades and BMW washer fluid “because I like the way it smells”. This is the kind of person you want to buy a car from.
The drive to Boston was great, we had clear skies to start, we stopped for coffee, we stopped for lunch, we stopped for more coffee, and the car seemed to wake up nicely. As darkness fell and it started to rain we eventually got to familiar roads. Through NY and into MA along the MA Pike I pushed the car and it seemed to get better and better as the drive progressed and the harder it was pushed. We got home after 11 + hours without a hiccup.
The car will stay stock, except for maybe a new sound system and proper winter tires and wheels. The comments leading up to, during, and after the auction made it informative, and fun. The overall experience is what buying a car should be, good knowledgeable car people, properly presenting interesting fun to drive and own cars.
Great experience, made for memorable day, I recommend it, and if possible I highly recommend to fly and drive.
Images
#1 Picking up at Qwik Park – Before in Detroit
#2 Ready for snow with winter tires and wheels – After in Boston