I am looking for a MINI Clubman S and have found one that's a good price at the following link:

http://www.georgiacarport.com/detail...ID=13072&.aspx

It's not a big dealership and from the AutoCheck & CarFax I see it was bought at an auction.

I'm curious if there's any advice y'all can give me before I go meet them Saturday to try and work a deal. Since it was bought at an auction the dealer will have (likely) little info on it.
Thank you!

 

Dunno if this is too late, but from the link I see the dealer is listing a bunch of vehicle "options" at the bottom of the page. Those are all standard features, as far as I know, so shouldn't add any extra value/expense to the price of the car (i.e. don't let anyone push those features as a means to counter offer).

Good luck!

 

My car came with all of those "options" as standard...except the vehicle anti-theft so if they try to say that those extra options will add more to the price then just walk away. The price your getting is pretty ok though, i would check kbb.com and type in the details to check their fair purchase price and compare it to what your going to pay. I have a clubman just like that one but with black instead of the white trim. Good luck!

 

Take a listen for the timing chain rattles...

Beware of carbon buildup... HPFP failures.. and coolant leaks at the thermostat housing.

Make sure all the goodies work..

Check for water in the spare wheel well. (this is a Clubman issue..)

 

Might I suggest you contact the Georgia Miniacs Club and ask if one of them from the Marietta area would stop by this dealer, check out the car for you and perhaps take it for a test drive. I've done that for people from outside of Columbus that find a car via the internet at one of our local used car dealers.

 

At the risk of offending all the S owners, I might suggest looking for a Justa model. Seems like there are far fewer engine problems on them. So if you can live without the extra hp, you might save yourself some headaches down the road. My Justa has been engine problem free for 5 years now. Buddies with the S haven't fared as well.....

 

I appreciate all the feedback! Turns out this little MINI had been though hell & back! - New engine at 23k; new turbo at 24k; leaky valves, broken hoses... on an on. I got the lowdown from the MINI dealer who sold her originally. Seems she had so much trouble that the dealer auctioned her off. Initial culprit was 1st owner hit something & broke the engine cooling hose and drove her until she died. So sad! I loved the interior and all the additions. But was relieved to get the info and pass on her purchase. I learned that it's probably not a good idea to get a MINI at an auction.

 

As someone mentioned earlier, get a MINI vet to test drive a used one for you. If you end up finding one in Alabama (we have an official dealer in Birmingham) I'll be happy to meet you and give it a spin. PM me if you want to take me up on my offer.

 

If you find one anywhere near Atlanta just call us and we can set up a time to do a prepurchase inspection for you. That way you will know what your getting.

 

The MINI dealer in Birmingham has 4 pre-owned Clubmans on its site all less than $18,000. I would take a look there if I were you.