I am thinking of trading my car in for a used MCS and I would like to know more about used MCS. Would they be reliable and problem-free? Is there certified warranty on them? Are there any common problems that I should look for? One reason I want to get a used one is that the new color choice is worse than before (I was thinking of the dark grey or the blue which are not available anymore). Comments will be appreciated. Thanks

 

If you review the posts in this forum, you will find that for the mostpart MINIs are fairly reliable and that most owners are preety happy with their cars. As with any mass-produced product there will be some with problems. There will also be people that "buy the wrong car". Every car is a compromise. I love the handling of the MINI, but my wife feels that it rides to rough. If she had bought it, she would probably not be happy. I, on the other hand, get a big grin on my face every time I get in to drive. You will have to determine if a MINI is right for you. The other factor with a used car is the condition of the car and the care that the first owner gave it. Do you have any information on how the car was maintained and why it is for sale?

 

->Do a search throughout this forum and also try http://www.motoringfile.com to see what the Mini is all about

->Reliability is never a guarantee, but for the most part the Mini is a very reliable car that holds up great in regards to retail. With that said, earlier Minis did have the usual first year blues such as extra squeaks and rattles and the such. People may come on here telling about their horrible experience with the car, but for the most part a majority of the people have not had any problems with their cars. Stick to the later years and you have an even stronger chance of not having any problems.

->What kind of problems to look for is based on the year, but again, these cars do not have major problems. Most are problem free, with a vast majority of the rest only afflicted with minor problems. There are not rapant engine failures, transmission failures and the such.

->Dark grey is still an option for color in 2005. The Indi Blue was replaced by the Hyperblue. The colors did not radically change, but there were a few changes.

Good luck, and welcome to NAM.

 

Latest issue of AutoWeek. Got it in the mail Friday. Read about the long term MINI here:

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=101360

 

Really? But when I looked at miniusa.com I thought they replaced it with astro black (is that the same as dark grey?) Cause from the website, it looks like black...And when you say hyper blue, you mean that purple blue right? (I think that is what they call it on the website as well).

 

No, the purple is a different one. Hyper Blue is almost indistinguishable from Indigo Blue. They discontinued one of the blacks, I think, one had a slight shimmer, one was flat. I think they got rid of the shimmery one. Dark Silver is still avaiable.

 

Oh, and to address your questions. If you get a used MCS with less than 36K miles, you'll have the balance of the service package, less than 50K, you'll have the balance of the warranty. Generally, you'll find the reliability to be quite good. If you're buying used from a MINI dealer, find out it's service history. If it's been in and out many times you may want to skip it. If it's from another dealership, get the VIN and perhaps you can find a cooperative MINI dealer who will let you know it's history.

I bought one new, one used, both have been great! Not perfect, but never left me stranded or unsafe. A frustrating creak in one of them, but that's it. Good luck.

 

there is no dark grey, not this year nor in the past...

it is, and has been, a dark silver...and it's still called dark silver this year...

u don't get much off of the car buying it used, thanks to great residual values...and the 05s are even more reliable, have a side visor that is great, play mp3s from the stock head unit, have LSD available if u order an S now, have good lights (door handles, etc) that are a welcome addition, etc...

and u can still get your dark silver or hyper blue (very similiar to the electric blue)...

 

opps, I found the colors I guess I must have looked into the MC instead of the S. Yeah, I just checked the prices of used MCS and they are selling for almost MSRP at dealerships. I guess I probably should look for new ones if that is the case. But in general, do they hold value real well? The thing is that by 05-06, the oldest mini will run out of warranty and the used market will be flooded by then (that is when I probably will sell the car when if I get it).

 

At this point they have one of the highest resales of any car. I don't think the used market will be flooded for quite some time. One reason is that most people who purchase this car are real enthusiasts and they are not being turned over the same way a lot of other cars are. Also, I would bet the percentage of leasees for the Mini are much lower than for other cars. A lot of people are keeping these cars long term. There are people who are selling these cars, but with demand still up and many dealerships still selling over MSRP, I think the resale value will still be safe for some time. I also think the new Mini will sell to a slightly different car. Not many of the current Mini owners are too happy about the new design, and the turbo engine will be selling to some in a different crowd. I think the current S/C one's are still safe.

 

Right now I think the majority of MINI owners are keepers; that's if the cars are fairly good to them the first 40,000 miles or so. Most problems with new cars are evident before 36-40,000 miles. Despite what Consumer reports sez MINIs are generally reliable cars that have improved dramatically since 2002. Autoweek and Automobile both rave about their long-term S.

MCS's also seem to suffer from the assorted annoying sometimes fixable rattle buzz squeak syndrome (RBSS) more than the MC: be forwarned that if U live in a cold clime RBSS gets worse.

Yet few folks are stranded because of a rattle or buzz or squeak. I love my 05 MCS, despite its occasional RBSS. It's running mechanically perfect and delivers big smiles :smile: I bought it planning to hold onto it for a long time. Jimbo

 

A comment about maintenance. The MINI has all of the required maintenance fully covered. Almost all of these cars should be well maintained, since it is free.

 

I was in the same boat as you two months ago and I was looking for a used one due to the fact that I didnt want to pay full price for the new one so I emailed and called a couple of dealers only to be asked the same question over & over, Why did I want to buy a used one that was roughly the same price as a new one with little to no warranty? After my MA quoted me a price for the exact one I was looking for and it was only $1000 more than one that I had been looking to buy that had 30000 miles on it and that made my decision for me, The buying experience with MINI is one that everybody should have because I have bought many a cars in my time and it is like extracting teeth but MINI was no haggling and they make you feel like somebody especially when you go in with your Mini sitting on the showroom with a cover over it!

 

They do hold their value. We bought a used one about three months ago. It was an 03 MC with 11k miles on it. The car was a leased vehicle out of the Virginia Beach area but it had been well cared for. The interior was really clean and the outside only had 1 nick in the paint on the boot. It is a nice car and I really love driving it. If I had bought a new one I probably would have got a MCS but I have no complains about the power in our car. Good luck on getting your car and you will find that you will love it!