Hello, everyone! I'm thinking about purchasing an R56 Mini Cooper S and putting a few mods on it. I'm looking for feedback on the car. Here's the ad.

​​​​https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...347557879.html

It seems to be a decently high packaged one. I have seen it in person and the paint had a few chips in it but nothing a little touch up paint can't handle.
What do you think would be a good price for this car?
Thanks

 

The ad doesn't sound too inviting to me, the way he wrote about the "not so good stuff". Keep in mind this model is also known to burn oil, sometimes at a high rate, plus the fact this one is already leaking oil, oil check will have to be part of a bi-weekly check atleast.

 

I actually like the way he seems honest about disclosing issues. If you arent put off by n14 models in general, you could do worse.
Like to know more specifically what timing chain repair means. Also note no mention of clutch.

 

I like this car, and the seller seems pretty good. He doesn't say if he's the original owner, but he has all the records. And, most importantly, it appears that maintenance has NOT been deferred. Be sure to read the 2nd Gen FAQ's if you haven't already. Some comments-


-5 or 6 oil leaks have been repaired around 100,000-110,000. There is some oil seeping from the front right of the valve cover gasket.
[This is fairly common. Valve cover gaskets are an easy DIY. It's probably on at least its second valve cover, so a new one may be needed....around $400 for the cover/gasket. The most likely oil leaks that were fixed would be oil cooler seals, oil filter housing seals, and vacuum pump - the pump should have been replaced, not just have the o ring replaced...if original, a pump with that many miles on it needs to replaced ASAP....pretty simple DIY.]

-The sun shade is coming off on the sides. The dealership cost to fix was super high so I didn't get it fixed.
[Not sure what he means by this....if its the exterior sunroof gasket the part is about $100 IIRC and can be a DIY]

-I have only one key. Lost the second key a few years back.
[$250 from a dealer....must be from a dealer]

-The passenger seat sensor is malfunctioning, occasionally spitting out a warning. This happened a few times last year but has since stopped happening. Not really sure why it happened. I had it checked, and this isn't a safety issue, it's just annoying. It will not prevent the air bags from going off in the event of an accident. Turns out this is a pretty common issue on minis.
[Not sure that I agree that it will not prevent the air bags from going off and that it is a common issue. The passenger seat occupancy sensor is coded to your car, so even if you open up your passenger seat yourself, you would probably need a new sensor and it would need to be coded to the car by the dealer....they would probably charge you for an hour, but I'm just guessing. If you don't want to open up the seat, you could buy a used passenger seat and install it yourself - not difficult - and have the dealer code it. Call a dealer to confirm that they can do it and what they would charge. Used matching seats should be available in your area... Make sure that if the warning light is on that it would not be a state inspection problem. On the other hand, the seller says that it hasn't happened for awhile.]

This car is nicely spec'd - I had an LSD on my Clubman S and it was handy in bad weather and performance driving.

Good luck!

 

Thank you, for all the feedback, the oil was seeping for the valve cover gasket, but it didn't look to bad. My biggest concern would be the vacuum pump, I've heard it can be pretty bad if it seizes. But it's only about 120$ so not too bad, for preventive maintenance. Now for the key can you not buy one off ebay and then have it re programmed?
Thanks

 

You're welcome!

Ask the seller about the vacuum pump....based on all of the other maintenance he's done, I'd be surprised if its the original pump.

Regarding the key - I've read many posts on replacing keys and I don't think I've ever read anyone successfully programming a key...other than a dealer. The dealer needs only your VIN and your $$. My R55 JCW came with one key so I just bit the bullet and bought a second key from the dealer.....

 

I will definitely be looking into the key. But what do you think about the price? I have gotten the guy down to 4k. Just wondering you think might be a good price.
Thanks

 

$4k seems like a good price. I'm in Massachusetts and at that price I think it would sell around here pretty quickly at that price...esp considering that it comes with the maintenance history (and that the history seems to indicate that it has been taken care of) and that it is well optioned.

As a general reminder, a pre-purchase inspection is always worth it (usually around $100 to $150)....and you should have enough in your budget for something unexpected....not to mention that you'll need some tires.

 

Yeah, tires are a must soon. What do you think are the best ones? Also he is the original owner. I'm going to look through the service records. On the ad he does show the window sticker and what options are on it, it was originally 31k.
Thanks

 

Original owners tend to take better care of cars than subsequent owners, so that's icing on the cake. Before you go through the service records, consider making a list by going through the 2nd Gen FAQ's.

Check out the Tires, Wheels, and Brakes sub-forum in MINIs in General....lots of tire info there. For general use, my favorite tires are Conti ExtremeContact DWS here in New England. I got rid of my runflats long ago. I run Bridgestone RE71R's for autocrossing and Conti/Hoosiers for track days.

It can be stressful, but try to enjoy the process....the only real pressure is what you put on yourself. If this car doesn't work out, there will be others. Also, sit back a minute and pay attention to your instincts as well....if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

 

Also, the owner says that the timing chain has been replaced 3 times. What I'm thinking is the first 2 times what the same oem tensioner and hopefully the 3rd one was the upgraded one. The turbo has also be replaced like only 10k miles ago, any reason it would need to be replaced?

 

I'll bet the third tensioner is the upgraded version - you can check when you look at the paperwork - get the part number of the upgraded version beforehand.

Replacing the turbo at that mileage is very common. It could be several reasons, the bearings or the wastegate most likely.

Ask him how often he changed the oil....

 

I have asked him about the oil he says he did it every 10k until 90k miles and since then he has done it every 5k. Will look for the part number.

 

10k is long...at least he didn't wait till the service indicator to say to change it. Tell the pre-purchase inspection technician....

 

Recommended was 10k but luckily he decided to go to every 5k.

 

Yeah 10k is a little long probably why he was changing the timing chain at 48k. But that was the recommended changing period, at least he changed to every 5k.
​​​

 

Do not buy this car. The n14 motor is a turd and at this mileage a horror. The fact that it is already leaking oil screams run.

My r56 only had 50000 miles before the piston rings, water pump, timing chain and thermostat went. Lucky for me I had MINI extended warranty on the car from the previous owner.

Forgot to mention clutch jobs in this car are very pricey due to having to replace the dual mass flywheel with the clutch.

 

Shteve, people have had them last 200k and with this one the owner also had stuff go wrong but he had everything fixed. With the better parts.

 

It's your descision at the end of the day but I can probably count the number of R56 S models that have made it to 200k miles on one hand (on the original engine). I am saving you from a potential money pit nightmare.

 

The N14 engine is not the most reliable of the mini engines. Change the oil often and run some Seafom or your favorite cleaner through the PVC system when you do the oil change. Have it walnut blasted every 35 or 40k. And you will probably be fine. More then most motors fix it when you know something is wrong you can’t put it off. I know this it too often but I change my oil every 3,000, it’s cheep insurance.

 

FYI: I traded my 2007 MCS at the dealership on my 2014 JCW Coupe, so I'm sure I didn't get any smoking deal lol. It had 70k no mechanical probs, needed rear brakes and an interior guage light. They gave me $8k in 4/14. They sold me it new for $30k in 4/07.

 

N14's have gotten a bad reputation because they are sensitive to deferred maintenance....meaning that owners who don't have the intake valves walnut blasted, leave vacuum pumps in for too long, follow recommended oil change intervals, don't change timing chains and tensioners, etc. will probably have serious or catastrophic problems. Simply put, if an N14 is responsibly maintained by a knowledgable owner, it could last as long as any other engine these days. Yes, it does take a little more time, attention, and money....the tradeoff is worth it for many of us....as we would be doing these things regardless of which car or particular engine we own....and they are especially rewarding since these cars are so much fun to drive. Buyers of used N14's just need to know what the risks are, esp when they don't know the service history of the engine.

This forum offers insights that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. As a fellow enthusiast, I want to be a positive part of the MINI Cooper story, including the N14.

 

You can shop around for parts. I just Google the part I'm looking for: key fob sale
You will have some options. I have an key fob ordered from Seattle Mini, at about 50% the price I was quoted from an local Ohio Dealer. I think there is an dealer in Cincinnatti, Oh that had that had good prices as well.
I found great prices on line for my little M.B. SLK AMG as well, some on EBAY. Up to 80% lower than the local dealer.

 

You can shop around for parts. I just Google the part I'm looking for: key fob sale
You will have some options. I have an key fob ordered from Seattle Mini, at about 50% the price I was quoted from an local Ohio Dealer. I think there is an dealer in Cincinnati, Oh that had that had good prices as well.
I found great prices on line for my little M.B. SLK32 AMG as well, some on EBAY. Up to 80% lower than the local dealer.