Someone talk me out of this, it seems like such a bad idea but I cant help it. I found an R52 Cooper S with 144k miles 6 speed for $1500, though I'm offering $1k. Its in decent condition mechanically, save for a check engine light, airbag light, and some needed regular maintenance. I'm going to assume for the sake of argument that it's had zero maintenance, though the seller says it drives, turns, starts, stops, etc.. just fine. Needs tires.

The bad:
-rust under both tail lights
-convertible top cables are done
-weird paint marks on back seat

I have a complete set of R52 seats collecting dust, I'm actually looking forward to learning how to sand, bondo, and paint the rusty bits, and worst case scenario I could just leave the top down like god intended. Im either going to spend a lot on another very nice Cooper or a real dog in need of restoration. This would be a nice winter project, so I'm actually kind of looking forward to the latter.

 

Here's the youtube clip that gives me the false sense of confidence which leads me to believe I can, in fact, fix the rust myself.

 

You can do it!
I did it on my R53. There is a write up on here some where also!

 

Im somewhat handy, and it didn't look terribly complicated. Mixing the paint to match seemed like the hardest part, but thats done for you. Where can you get car paint matched in a rattle can?

 

Here is the older thread about it
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ight-rust.html
I think somewhere in there is the place I ordered the paint from. Also, if you have the paint code, a local automotive paint supplier can mix and add it to a rattle can for you. Here is Tucson we have PPG, Finishmasters and Sherwin Williams Automotive. In Colorado, I used Napa.

 

I see a negative $4,000 in your future! If you can't do the mechanical repairs yourself you need to increase that by 50%.

 

I'll never do all the maintenance truly needed, this car is a lost cause. I plan to address the most immediate to make her road worthy and fully functional. I'll probably drive it on weekends (3rd car) and put few miles on it, eventually listing it for sale.

I'll address the rust, seats, top, and basic maintenance. When I sell it in a year or two I would fully disclose what I've done and haven't done, but should turn a $1k car into a $2500 car with little investment, but lots of time.

 

Run.

 

Bwaaaaahahahahahh

But for $1k, worse case scenario I can part it out for that much. Seriously, the last R50 I bought was in far worse shape: I harvested several parts, and was still able to make back $1500. It was a lot of work though.

 

Id say much depends what the issue is with the roof. A convertible with a stuck roof is basically a dead loss. You might get lucky and pick up an entire roof mechanism off ebay for $800 and just unbolt and swap it out, but if you need factory parts and trained labor to fix it, its going to be expensive.

The rust is not that daunting, basically its a cosmetic thing and any inperfections in how you fix it will bother you more than anyone else looking at it.

The airbag light could be as simple as resetting the warning with a higher level scan tool if it was something dumb like taking the front seats out without disconnecting the battery, or it could be more expensive, but ultimately up until the 90s cars didnt have airbags anyway, and even with the light on the bag will likely trigger in most circumstances anyway.

CEL might be something simple like a misfire needing new HT cables and coil pack, but could be a major expense.

Then there are the mechanical issues any highish mileage car may be facing that dont show up on dashboard lights, CV joints, clutch, timing chain. brake rotors etc that might show up in a pre purchase mechanical inspection.
17" tires are going to run around $100 a wheel installed if you dont pay more for premium performance brands.

For $1k it might be worth it if you plan on doing the majority of wrenching yourself. My justa R52 has 175kmiles, runs fine and gives me a lot of pleasure, but if I were you I would try and get all the error codes off this one and see what you are up against. The decision is going to depend on how much you can potentially afford to throw at it if some of these are major fixes, and whether you are doing this purely to make a buck, rather than to have fun with the project and driving a fun rag top at the weekend.

 

The top has a broken cable, which are ~$400 new, but I'm sure I could pull one from a parts car for less. It wouldn't bother me much to have a broken top, since this is a 3rd car. My last project car was a '76 Jeep CJ-5 which had no top, and I drove it in the winter. I plan on doing everything myself, and I'm handy enough to tackle most of the issues unless the clutch goes. No way I'm spending 13 hours under this thing, I have kids and my garage isn't heated.

Mainly I'm looking at this thing as a means to learn body work, and chasing codes will give me something to do for a few weeks. I have many used parts from my last part out. Mainly, its a labor of love which afterwards I hope break even. That said, I plan on spending as little as possible.

If I find the clutch starts to slip: part out. If the timing chain needs replacement: part out. I dont plan on going through the front end to replace every ball joint and tie rod unless it absolutely needs it, as this would exceed my budget. This car isn't worth a complete revival, but I will make it safe for the next buyer. If it were an abused JCW with low miles, I would spend the money. My previous '05 JCW with 65k miles (chili red R52) needed a new clutch 200 miles after buying, so I put in a single mass and replaced all bushings, tie rods, ball joints, and supercharger service to the tune of $2400. Totally worth it, this however, I would never spend that much on.

I'll give it a test drive and if the clutch doesn't slip, no timing chain noise, power steering pump works, nothing falls off, I think it should be a safe bet. He's agreed to $1k, but we'll see if there are any surprises when I get there.

 

Sounds like a plan. My only concern is that as far as any resale value goes the top pretty much has to work, and to me fixing the roof is one of the more daunting DIY jobs, one that the BMW dealers charge through the nose for, and which takes specialised shops quite a few hours to do.

But if you are going to recoup most of what you have into it as a parts car if it all goes pear shape anyway, then good luck and have fun with it! Keep us informed.

 

I bought my '07 S, Sidewalk with 148K from a buddy for $2K. I now have an additional $4K plus into it, and now it is ready for the next 100K miles (for sure there will be little things along the way)...but mine was in much better shape than yours. Interior perfect, new rear tires, recent clutch and brakes...and everything else worked except the convertible mechanism (see my other post). I would punt on that one for $1K unless you are comfortable having $$$ invested in it when all is said and done.

 

Fix what needs to be fixed and just drive it. I'd scrap it if it were me and sell the parts that I don't want for my own car. If that was near me, you wouldn't have this thread as I'd buy it and have installed the hood and front bumper on mine. It's worth it in parts as far as I'm concerned.

 

Part of me wants to just do the bare minimum to make it read worthy and just drive it with the top permanently down until the engine goes, then scrap it. Seeing as how I'm currently Cooperless, it sounds like a cheap way to get back into one, for now. After I swap out the seats and fix the rust (both easy enough), it wouldn't look half bad. I think the rest of the paint will clean up fairly well, it mostly just looks dirty. Its amazing what a good clay bar and wax will do.

The seller currently has the title in the previous owner's name, he never switched it over. He added his name to the "new owner application" section of the title, and I'm awaiting instruction from my county courthouse. Might have to wait for him to reapply for a new title, then send me the new one. What a headache.

 

Someone bought it before I had a chance to check it out, probably for the best.