I'm waiting on a 2008 MCS, but I just came across a used 2006 MCSc that has a great price - so great that I'm considering buying it instead. I've thoroughly investigated the 2008 MCS, but I konw nothing about the problems and things to look out for on the older engine types and the convertible body style. Would you mind pointing out a few things to look for when purchasing a 2006 MCSc? Namely, specific questions I should ask the seller regarding problems that could be particular to this engine type or body type?

Thanks.

 

By the way, I assume the '06 would still have warranty left on it, right? It doesn't have enough miles to push it out of warranty, does it?

 

Very low mileage - under 15,000.

 

I was going to write a few things to look out for, but IMHO, it is a moot point since the car is still under warranty. Buy it, if you find something wrong have it fixed under warranty at no cost to you.

Really, the only thing they will not fix are mushroomed shock towers.

Buy it while you can, if you wait, it will be gone.

 

I would check for mushroomed towers -- do a quick search and you'll find more about it than most would care to read.

As mentioned, most other cabrio-specific issues (such as canvas top wear or rear side window scratches) could be fixed under warranty.

You may want to ask about any aftermarket mods that have been done to the car (ex. exhaust, supercharger pulley, etc. . .)

 

There's quite a bit of info on this site, far more than you will find by waiting for those few members who might repeat themselves about things that have been said ten times over.

I was in the same situation as you, but I was not looking for new, due to budget constraints [paying all cash, no financing] I was restricted to what I could buy.

Ended up with a 2006 MINI cab. See my gallery for a few pics.

What they said, about warranty, is critical. But in making a decision, run a CarFax on the MINI [$30 for one month of running unlimited checks] and find out exactly when the car went into service [first sold.] This will determine how much warranty is left on the car, in terms of months on the 48 month warranty.

Mine was first sold in June 2006, so I get the comfort of a warranty until June 2010. Plenty of time for things to go wrong and be covered. I also had 27,000 miles left on the 50K warranty, but I don't drive much so time remaining was more important than miles, unless of course there was less than 5K left on the mileage portion of the warranty.

I would opine that 12 months, 15,000 miles left on the MINI warranty would be sufficient to cover you on anything that might pop up. But that's just my opinion. I have seen some MINIs out there with even longer warranty remaining than what I got, which I thought was pretty good.

Hopefully the one you are interested in did not go into service in 2005, as that would give you less warranty remaining [obviously.]

The other big things for me, after reading NAM, was to stick to getting a manual [mine had the far better Getrag, that they started putting on the MINI in 2005-2006, I think.] Also check the mushrooming thread, there's pics and a detailed discussion. Fortunately, my seller lived in San Jose where the roads are in better condition than here in San Francisco. Also, she drive conservatively, so I don't think she ever put the car into a shroom situation. My strut mount areas were perfectly flat.

Above all else, do some research, not only on here, but on the car you are interested in. It's easy to get too excited and to make mistakes. You could get a shroomed car, over pay, or as one member almost did, buy a salvaged MINI where the seller was misrepresenting the extent of damage that the car had suffered to be declared a total wreck by the insurance carrier.

I'd also look for any signs of abuse on the car. Lots of sites discuss that [wear on pedals, areas indicating the car is not as clean as it appears from the outside, uneven tire wear, lots of door dings. All these items indicate that the seller was a negligent owner.]

Also, you may want to check with MINI [a dealership can run the VIN] and find out if the owner got all the required maintenance done on the car. If he did not, the warranty may be void or voidable at MINI's option. The service department's computer [and even CarFax] will tell you when the car was taken in for maintenance.

Update on what you decide.