Hi all,

I have been looking at R53s for the better part of 2 months. I am looking for one to use for autocross and track days. I will largely leave it stock with minor improvements to make it better for the above.

I just came across a 2003 S with manual trans in dark blue with 142k miles. It has an older owner who has had it about 6 years. It got a new clutch at 120k miles, no evidence of a timing chain nor a supercharger service being done. Its a loaded car with moonroof and the two-tone (blue and black) leather interior (neither of which I particularly wanted). The paint looks pretty good but it has stone chips all over the nose, scratches and dings typical of a 20+ year old car. It has no rot and looks good under the passenger taillight and gas cap. It comes across as an unmolested, original, honest car.

Owner is looking for $4700. This sounds near the high end of the market to me but these days it appears difficult to find a bone stock car that isnt already sitting on coilovers with a smaller pulley, etc. I prefer to buy a stock car than modified.

What's the going rate for a car with the above description? The car is in the Northeast U.S. if that makes a difference.

Thank You in advance for your input!

 

That’s a bit high, but not crazy high, if it was maintained. Watch for rust. Watch for electric gremlins due to sunroof leaks. Pics would be helpful. 2500 probably gets you a basket case. Then in another thread somebody got an 06 for free. Stuff is expensive. And I think the r53 market is going up.

 

I’m the guy who got the free jcw but that was special circumstances.

My other R53, the track car, was a “cheap” r53 around $3k that I bought to track and had some mods on it already. I’ve spent WAY more than that into it making it safe and useable on track including replacing just about every component on the car. Moral of the story, find one with good bones that won’t need all new everything to make it safe on track and able to pass the track pre-inspection. If you find a cheaper one that needs all new bushings, suspension, steering worn out, hubs worn, etc, you’ll quickly spend more than a sorted one would’ve cost you getting it up to snuff.

 

Got my '06 drophead with 20K+ miles considering tracking it. All I upgraded was to a heavier 19MM rear sway bar and KONI FSD struts, since replaced. Got it on the road and dropped the track thoughts. Nearing 150K from road trips all over the country taking the roads less traveled...thank you Mr. Frost. It handles the twisties like a pro. Have fun with yours. Oh, and don't forget the MINI wave.

 

it depends on what the car is worth to you, specifically. when i was looking for my "forever" r53, i had a few things that i really wanted and a few things i wanted to avoid. i found that with cars such as these, which were so incredibly personalized at the dealer, it was tough to find what i wanted. so when i found one that matched most of what i wanted, i bought it at the top end of what i wanted to spend.

 

modmini has a good buyers guide on youtube

 

Ordered/Bought my 04 Mini R53 (sport package), new in 2003 w/3mi on the OD from the dealer ($23k).
Since then I had done alot of upgrades, performance mods, and meticulously maintained ($$$). Three years ago @80k miles or so, I did a Kelly Blue book and Edmunds evaluation (excellent /very good condition) - To my disappointment my Mini's value came in at $3,800 - $4,200. Now @122k miles - I will never sell my Mini.
It is worth much more to me than that/valuation.
Point is: how bad do you really want said Mini and how much work and money are you willing to put into it.
IMO - 1st Gen Mini's are not just a fad...it's a relationship.