Hey guys long time no post. Well on Xmas day my 2011 MCS caught fire and was a total loss. Long story short I still am not in a car. The new minis are just too expensive for me right now and I'm a bit nervous to get back into a r56... I found a couple nice looking r53s and thinking about picking one up. There is a pepper white r53 s with the web spoke wheels on it that I really do love. It has ~74,000 miles on it so pretty low for the year. I haven't checked it out yet because I'm torn. Should I pick one up. I'm scared to get back into another mini especially an older one. I know pretty much all the known issues but I just don't know if I'll be in a money pit or not. What do you guys think yah or nay?? I was thinking about just keeping it really clean and maybe throwing some coilovers on it for looks and that's about it.

 

Yah! I love mine with 177k on it. Standard issues, but no lemon. It's the best year of the first gens.

 

Get a different car. You're nervous and afraid of Mini's.

I love my Mini but there are plenty of other good cars out there.

 

A good, low-mileage 2005 or 2006 MCS that has been properly serviced and maintained should be an excellent automobile. Don't let one bad experience cloud your thinking.

 

I had an 02 and never had a problem with it until someone totaled it 😑 My 2011 had a lot of issues but was an awesome car until it spontaneously combusted. I think I'm just nervous buying a used car as I've never have. I know pretty much everything there is to know about minis as it's the ONLY car over ever driven. Also I'm pretty good with working on cars. Hmmm

 

No offense but if all you have ever driven is a Mini then you are good at working on a Mini maybe. Not cars in general.

And this is the r50/52/53 section so of course we are gonna tell ya it a good idea! Having all your experience with driving being in a Mini does make it a more obvious choice since you are more familiar with them than other cars.

Also 05-06 was when they updated a lot of the different little fiddly bits that made them generally more reliable and perform a hair better, so an 05 is a great year to get.

I've heard that the crank pulley is of a better design, but I'd still take a good look at it for cracks and replace if needed.

Also the 05-06 supercharger has Teflon coated internals, which equals better performance from the supercharger.

The only real issues I know of for 05 06 is the occupancy mats in the seats acting up. So be weary of the airbag light being on. If it is don't let them try to brush it off as not that big of a deal or anything. If it's not been repaired under warranty yet you may be able to get a dealer to fix that for free, as well as drive down the asking price.

Other than that the problems are just look for mushrooming strut towers and bad front control arm bushings, being mini specific.

Everything else would just be general car issues, look for leaks etc......

 

Agreed - if you're this nervous about it already then its probably not a good idea

 

Since you're good at working on cars I'm changing my opinion.

There's a video on how to fix everything on a r53 and most of the repairs I've done have been pretty easy. Probably doing the lca bushing was the biggest pain in the ***. Not really hard to get off but my homemade tool to put them back on didn't really work lol.

Like Veritas said, find a newer one since they're slightly better. Don't get an automatic, and you should be fine.

 

haha maybe I'm more so trying to talk myself out of it. Ya I'm only looking for 05-06 for this reason. There is a GP for sale here too 🤔 I'll check it out probably and go from there. I know with proper maintenance they can last a long time. Just wanted to check with you guys just in case there was something I'm missing or forgetting. Also side questions. Is there a way to know if they have a LSD

 

The GP has an lsd for sure lol. Get that one!!

 

Low mileage isn't so important when looking for a 12 year old used car. I'd rather purchase a Mini that was routinely maintained with 124k than one that has 74k and very little record of being serviced. These cars will become money pits if you dont have a reasonably priced shop to work on the car or if you cant do the work yourself.

 

this Is what I'm more nervous about the inspection part. I know what to look for etc etc. I know it should have good service record but is there things that should be replaced besides the usual things that break on these cars? Example I found one that had a ton of things swapped for new parts... axles, supercharger, etc. maybe I don't know what to look for lol

 

New parts don't worry me. If it has a good service record and regular oil changes, and receipts for big parts that shows it was taken care of.

 

Go to bimmer.work and plug in the last 7 digits of your potential purchase'sVIN. A factory equipped LSD will appear in the options section as code 2TA Limited Slip Differential

 

All that wouldn't matter if lower grade aftermarket replacement parts were used. Or if the P.O. did regular oil changes but used conventional oil and fram filters....

Selling a car with a ton of newly replaced parts is kind of suspicious. Most people wouldn't spend a chunk of money only to turn around and sell the car. Buying a used car is generally tough. Even with a detailed service record and receipts, you're still guaranteed nothing.

 

Quick answer. Yes! I love the 05-06 R53's. ( a GP would be sweet )

All that aside it seems like you know what to look for and what to avoid. If your question is about reliability I have had my mini for 4+ years and it still runs amazing at 146k. Look for all the signs of wear, rust, etc and I think you can find your self a good one.

 

2005 and 2006 are the BEST years and MOST reliable.

Joel told me this ( head mini mechanic)

ALL the techs drive these years !!!!!!

We did not this when we bought our FIRST 2006......it was not long after that I bought one for ME !!!!!!

We BOTH have 2006 !!!!!!

LOVE THEM !!!!!

SO MUCH FUN !!!!

 

Yeah my 02 is such a piece of junk it's just amazing I even make it to work everyday.

If only my 02 had the same engine and transmission as an 06 it would be so much more reliable. It wouldn't have needed a new tensioner pulley or control arm bushings. The fan resistor would always work, the crank pulley would last forever, and the supercharger would never had run out of oil. Everyone should probably just scrap their 02-04 Minis since they are so terrible....

All sarcasm aside, I know there are some improvements in the newer models, and I would take the newer one if all things were equal, but give me break. A well maintained 02-04 Mini is a far better choice than an 06 that hasn't been taken care of.

 

Easy fella, no one has said 02-04 we're junk, just that if you get one 05-06 are the better choice. I drive an 02 myself.

And no one would ever suggest to buy a beat up 05-06 over a well taken care of 02-04.

 

Lol couldn't help myself after reading that post

Like i said, I would get a newer model too, but if there was a good deal on an early model I wouldn't hesitate just because it's not an 06.

 

Well no, but if you don't need, just want an r53, and have the money it la worth it to wait to find a good deal on an 05 06 is what we are saying.

It's like that with any car or truck. The last few years of a model are always the best to get because they have worked out all the major issues by then.

 

I bought an '05 S with 126k in October '15. There were no service records available on the car.

Today it has 169k miles and I commute 200 miles round trip every day in it. The size, performance and comfort are a perfect match for my needs. I bought the car cheap and it has handled the abuse I have thrown at it and never failed to get me home.

I have replaced the following in those 43k miles: passenger side power door lock, battery, tires, power steering pump (recall), control arm bushings, passenger side engine mount, clutch slave cylinder, fan resistor, front brakes, windshield, air conditioning compressor and starter.

If you're dedicated to routine maintenance and comfortable with needing to make the occasional repair due to age or wear, you should be fine.