High milage, engine swap
 

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about buying a 2003 s manual its got 176k miles pretty high but he only wants 2k

I was thinking I could justify the high mileage by just preparing to buy a new engine and transmission later on if anything major fails

is switching out the engine with a lower mileage one, or maybe even a better engine, a realistic option for your wallet and time?
Should I expect major problems at this mileage that would make even a mini this cheap, a money pit?

The bottom end of these engines are pretty stout, if it was decently taken care of there should be no reason you wouldn't get 250k or more before a rebuild.

But as far as a replacement, as long as you get another supercharged Mini engine, it's just a straight swap, no drama. You would however also have to match transmissions if you were to replace it as well, automatic to manual, 5 to 6 speed, does require extra work.

I've got close to 170,000 miles on my R53....still chugging along just fine. Just buy it, chances are that if it was maintained...it will last you a long time. Try to talk them down some...... :thumbsup:

I just did essentially that. 176k mile car for $2100. It didn't NEED anything to speak of, just a few things here or there.

Yeah, you're rolling the dice, but my thought process was: they all died around 100k miles because of the supercharger, so if it's still alive significantly longer than that, either the maintenance was well kept up, or it has a lot of replacement parts.

Find a mini specialist in your area and get it checked out. Especially if the owner doesn't have receipts showing what work has been done. Also to consider is the entire suspension will likely need to be redone. The engines and trans are pretty good on these. Though the later years 05-06 are the best ones for reliability.

I would get it, and for the piece of mind I would start with Drain and Fill ALL fluids.
Oil and Filter
Gearbox Oil
Brake Fluid
Coolant <inspect and replace perished hoses>
<Not a fluid but the Cabin Filter>
Serpentine Belt
Then inspect and prepare to replace the suspension bushings including the Strut Towers.

Sounds like a lot but these are the most wear and tear items (not including the tires).

Save your money on engine for much later, if taken care of these can last a good long time.

Motor On!

So you would be able to swap a 2003 s engine with a 2005 s as long as their both supercharged and transmissions are matched without any surprises and drama?

Correct, any of the few parts that are different, you will have on Your car. Motor mounts in particular.

Go for it! I bought an '06 with 190K and picked up a spare 100k motor with supercharger on local CL for $600. Did some maintenance on the 190k motor and am slowly rebuilding and upgrading the new motor (pistons, BVH etc). Swapping motors on these cars is not too difficult. I was more concerned about getting a rust free straight body than the motor.

At that mileage you will need a timing chain as it will be stretched, and likely have oil leaks. But I'd just plan on doing those fixes and whatever as you need. We have customers well over 200k miles and still have the original engine so the mileage isn't a big worry.

WMW - it 'will need' a new timing chain because it's stretched? How do you know that? Were they weaker on the early gen1s? My '05 has 220k on it now and never even thought about the timing chain...or on my '04 with 136k.

The only thing I'd add to what others have said is to do a supercharger service if you don't know if it has been done. My '05 had no oil in one of the chambers and almost none in the other when I did it at 190k. Seems fine, though. (knocks on wood). My '04 still had oil at 130k...but not sure if it had been done or not.

Congrats on the purchase - now drive the wheels off it! :-)

I would be more concerned with other parts (suspension, axles, struts, etc...) I just purchased one with 101K miles with a spun bearing. I decided to swap it with a junk yard motor with only 84K miles. That was $900 ($1200 minus $300 for the extra supercharger). I then spent about $1500 in struts, supercharger service, mounts, suspension poly bushings, the common engine seals, 17% pulley w/ plugs, harmonic balancer (the stock one can fail at 100K), radiator, etc. Not that you will need all of this (unless the prior owner did nothing for the car). I traded my old blown block for two new race axles. I did all the work myself. The only issue I have right now is the passenger mat sensor which MINI claims is not in the recall and I am chasing down a gazillion rattles, mostly interior (but it does run great). It is a LOVE hate relationship (mostly love)!

This is actually a very good point, cheap insurance and much easier job due to the highly limited space with the motor in the car.