Hey all - been a while since I last posted on here.

Anyways, I'm currently hunting for Minis for the girlfriend, I took her out to test drive a used '08 automatic non-S at Carsense the other night and she fell in love. She's a girl after my own heart; she loves fun cars, and I think the Mini brand would be a proper fit. I won't get her an S, I don't need the headaches, and I'm the one working on the car.

Background on myself: I've been in and around the car industry for several years, I work on my own cars, and drive a GTI... so let's just say I'm a car guy. I've also admired Minis from afar for many years as well, whether it be from lurking on here or watching them at Autocross events. However, I would like to know more about them to be able to identify problem areas to watch for.

Much of the discussion on here centers around issues with the S, so I'm having a little difficulty finding good information about purchasing pre-owned non-S Minis. I suppose that's a good sign, as it points to a lack of issues in general, however I'd just like to make sure I can thoroughly vet the car we're looking at.

I found a Lightning Blue CPO manual hatch with 46k on the odo and the premium & cold weather packages, plus pacific blue color line with brushed alloy accents. Nice car. Clean, not many cosmetic issues, and it was definitely garage kept and well taken care of; the engine bay is nearly spotless save for some dust. Price is right at just under $15k, and the fact that it's a CPO car is worth a lot to me, since after-all, it is a German-engineered British car with a French engine.

One minor flag is that it's been damaged on the passenger side, it does show on the Carfax, and I can tell that the passenger door's been painted (it's not that obvious, I just know what to look for). Carfax states RF impact, vehicle disabled and towed. Not a huge issue if the car was fixed right, and it does drive straight down the road, but I would like to know where the work was done and what was replaced. I plan on bringing this up to the dealer, because they seem to have been taken by surprise when I said it had been wrecked.

So, what do you guys think? Avoid at all costs, or continue to pursue the deal?

 

That seems expensive to me, 15k for a non s with 46k and damage. For reference, I got my 2010 S with 16k and not a single scratch for under 20k. I think you can find a better deal out there.

Make sure you get the GF into a manual car, much more fun that way when you borrow it!

 

Seems Minis run at a premium in my area, the car's listed at $14,604. Was originally listed at $16,981 on Miniusa's Mini Next listing.

I can't seem to find a car in the area that touches the price or even the condition.

 

Paid 13 for my 08 s (plus taxes and warranty) non cpo with 42k

 

Got my '09 Cooper/Auto 2+ years ago - 13K miles, currently 51K. Not a hint of a problem. I am mechanically inclined and I probably over-maintain the car, but... I enjoy doing the maintenance and the car. The cars can and do have/don't have a lot of options that can really add up. In my case when looking at the price - the overall condition and the cost of a new/similarly equipped [miniusa.com] helped me evaluate the asking price. Honestly, I probably would not have gotten so many expensive options [Lounge Leather, Comfort, Convenience,...] when had I bought a new MINI - but now - I am sold on each and every one and would pony up for a tricked out new car if my current one disappeared!

I wonder if you were able to take the key fob to a MINI dealer, or perhaps just the VIN could you get some, more useful info on the maintenance/problems that the dealer... just speculating here...

I am not commenting on the collision damage situation nor the asking price - you have more info than I have got opinions.

Anyway, for what it is worth, here is a Cooper owner that was doing, a couple of years ago, what you are doing now and my experience has been positive.

 

the price does seem a little high. you can find cooper s with that mileage for less then that. you should be paying closer to 11 or 12 for that. as for issues, from what i have read the non s are quit a bit more reliable as they do not have the direct injected engines so they dont really have the carbon issue. and the timing chain issues seem to be a S thing as well.

 

Hey there...I live in PA too and not too far from the same carsense you probably went too. For the 08 and damage that it has, I think $14.6K is high. Is this a firm price or more room to negotiate if you (your girlfriend) really like the color and car? Have you checked the dealer for CPO to see if there are any good deals?

 

The dealer is a "Customer Preferred" dealer, which means no haggling on price, according to them.

Regardless, I sent an e-mail to the sales manager and the salesman bringing up the fact that the carfax clearly states that the car's been in an accident at some point, which may not have appeared on the carfax when the car was traded and/or hit the lot for sale. I asked if it would be possible to find out what was replaced on the car and where it was repaired.

If it was fixed right at a Mini/BMW dealer, I'm not overly concerned. We'll see what they say.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

Too expensive. I got a 2011 's' with 9k miles for just under $20k... Keep looking though!

 

Well, no response from the salesman or the manager, and the car disappeared from Autotrader, so it might have been sold. It's still on their website, though, so who knows.

Here's a link to the Lightning Blue CPO w/46k: http://www.princetonmini.com/Vehicle...-NJ/2001684543


Anyways, I did find a 2011 BRGII Non-S, non-CPO with 12k miles listed at 16,500 in northern NJ. Link: http://goo.gl/Wr85HM

Thoughts?