The 2006 MCS's are far more reliable in that sense. Plus they are super charged and not turbo charged like the current 2007 you are looking at. If you buy the 2007. Buy a good extended warranty with it. I have had both. But if I had a option of getting turbo or super charged...hands down I would get the super charged!

 

So is that something that many people agree on? that they are more reliable? Will I lose any of the fun factor going from turbo to supercharged

 

The R53's have a solid engine, they're called the Triton (Chrysler block) which is even stronger than the N14 and N18. You can do all sorts of tunes without having to worry about the bottom end. It might be difficult to find one with low miles, some of them had transmission problems, more so with the automatics. If I knew what I know now I would have tried to find one with low mileage, I love the sound of the supercharger. The N18's are much better than the N14's, but just a few timing chain tensioner issues but nothing near as bad as the N14's.

 

You will not lose any fun factor at all! Personally I like super charged over turbo. Ive had both! The 2006 should be more reliable and easier to work on if need be. But remember you are buying a MINI not a Honda or Toyota. MINIs are a euro sports cars and are very fun! But with the fun comes a price. I very rarely jump in on posts like this because I think the 2007 MINI is a awesome little car.. But it has its issues. The 2006 is the last year of the R53 series. Where the 2007 is the start of the R56 series. So by right the 2006 (R53) being the last year of the R53s should be the most reliable of that type.

 

so sorry in advance if this is a stupid question, as I did all my research on the 2007;s-2009 MCS...but I will still be able to many of the same mods without a problem(intercooler, exhaust, tune, etc..)?

so here is one that caught my eye with lower miles..:

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invento...sting=94534821

 

Well with it being supercharged, the intercooler would go ontop of the supercharger? so much smaller in size? what mods can I make with it being a superchargeR?

 

You have the same kind of mods for both, neither the R56 or R53 have more mods than one another. The nice thing about the supercharger is it has its own oil internally and you'll actually be using the hood scoop. Just under the hood scoop is the intercooler, supercharger and intake. You'll need to have it checked out by a third part shop, get an idea about what might need attention later on.

 

I test drove an 05 MCS. The supercharger when you rev the engine, sounded like it was whistling of the sorts. Exactly like this clip


Noise at .27 and more noticable on the down revs.

crank position gasket leak, crank seal leak, power steering pump goes randomly. Pre 02/05 builds have a extended warranty from mini (13 years 150k miles) But, it does not cover the leaking return line. I'd say they both have their fare share of problems. just gotta pick which ones you want to deal with.

 

i definitely had my heart set on a set of Koni's. just can't quite decide which ones. yellows are tried and true and everyone know's it, but the FSD's have some pretty cool tech in them (just wonder how long it'll last). How do you like the Yellow's? The road's around me in So-Cal are pretty rough and in poor shape...

For what it's worth, the Tritech 4 cylinder in the 1st gen Mini's made it onto Ward's 10 Best list in 2003. That test really has nothing to do with how much power it can handle or what mod's you can throw at it. Its just a measure of how it stacks up on paper and subjectively in road testing in a stock vehicle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward's_10_Best_Engines

 

The yellows are nice with nm or H&R springs. I have that setup and it's good for the potholes we have scattered in this state.

 

Get a extended warranty and enjoy the car.