Hello everyone, this is my first post. I'm going to go look at a 2008 mini cooper s here very soon. It has 57,xxx miles on it. What are some things to look for while test driving the car? What are some known issues with this year? I know nothing about mini coopers but they look as fun as fun can be. I'm a previous motorcycle road racer and I want to switch to 4 wheels and do some autocross. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks-Chris

 

Lots of information on the site regarding Gen 2 issues.
Obviously, take a test drive. Push the car if you can do it safely. It should pull smoothly and be free of clunks.... rattles are normal. Note how the owner took general care of the car.
Service records are a must. Personally, I would look for oil changes more frequent than the 15K interval. A MINI dealer can use the key fob to check to see if it has been brought up to date on all recalls and campaigns.
Have a MINI based shop check it out. At this mileage it could need (but not necessarily) timing chain, thermostat, water pump. It could need wear items like tires, brakes, struts.

If you are going to autocross, a limited slip diff is of great advantage.

 

See if the car has had 'carbon cleaning' done, this is a known issue and will indicate how well the owner took care of the car. Like stated above, leaks are common and not inexpensive to fix. If you were paying the dealer for a thermostat, water pump, turbo oil line, and oil filter housing gaskets, it would likely be more than $1000 to get this done. Therefore, bring a flashlight and look for any signs of leaking on the bottom of the engine (near the exhaust and on the passenger side). The car is probably due for a battery as well, unless that has been replaced.


These cars are fun, but there is significant maintenance required, don't think that it will be a Honda. It will likely use oil as well, nearly all of them do to some degree.


Condition and maintenance history are very important.


Have fun
Mike

 

In my opinion unless you have a cash reserve of $2K ready I would not look at any 2007-2010 . At 57K if it hasn't had the timing chain done it will soon. If the intake valves have not been cleaned, they will need it. Many of those years mentioned go through a quart of oil every 500-1000 miles. And it collects on intake valves.

 

maintenance records are huge. i own a 2008 s with 65k on it. since birth all it needed was a thermostat. (i replaced the water pump at the same time to be proactive) bring it to a reputable shop, (not always a dealer) and get their opinion. i love my mini and the fuel mileage is excellent as i have a long drive to work. dont listen solely to the individuals saying that the chains snap, maintenance is insanely expensive, etc as a lot of them are still driving and enjoying their mini s. no vehicle runs forever and i for one have recently owned a honda that was a turd.

 

I went and looked at it today and the car looked rough so I didn't test drive it. The search continues. Are there any better years to look for that don't have any issues?

 

2011+ S's with N18 engine are less prone to carbon buildup on intake valves, and all the trouble that that brings alone.
If your budget allows, start with 2011+ cars.
If your budget is stronger, skip 2nd gen altogether and go straight to 3rd gen 2014+ cars.

a

 

Another possible option may be to get a non-S Cooper. The "base" MINI is still an awful lot of fun, and doesn't go around corners much if any slower than the S model does. It also does not have a lot of the systems that are troublesome in the S, and things don't seem to be stressed as much.

I'm quite happy with mine!

 

I have a 2009 non S and a 2007 S in the driveway. The S makes me grin, the other doesn't but it gets us where we are going. Decide what you need and then buy what you want even though it doesn't make 100% sense.

But seriously, drive them both and then make an educated decision.

 

The base Cooper is rated above average for reliability, S models below average. The base Mini is still fun to drive especially if you enjoy a manual transmission! Buy for reliability or a super fun and high maintenance where it might be in the shop more than any car I have owned.