2013 Cooper Base, manual, one owner
202,000 miles
Asking price: $5,000 USD

Looking at purchasing my first Mini. As much as I would probably prefer an S, I don’t drive that often and the added reliability of a Justa would probably serve me better. Being this is still a manual, I think it is a compromise I’m willing to make. I found this local to me and am searching for input. I have attached a PPI (minus details on the timing, as this shop only “listened” but if reviews were positive, I would have exact information on this done by local Mini specialist).

I think overall, this has been pretty well cared for - I’m not sure you get to 200k without some love. But this woman has no history of any timing work done, so this was my biggest concern. How do you make it this far without? But as you can see on the report, there are some other items of concern. I’m not looking for a perfect car at this price and mileage but I don’t want to get into something that will give me any major headaches. Thoughts from the group?

 

What BMW fault codes are found with a diagnostic scanner?

 

1st; that's way too much money for a 2013 with that many miles on it! Oil level being low may point to serious oil ring issues. Our first MINI R56 started using oil at the 120K mile mark, but it was not a huge issue. I recently finished the restoration on my 2009 Justa (150K miles). When I took the block and pistons to the machine shop, they discovered the cylinders were at the max wear limit, so the engine got 4 new +.020" pistons.

Will you be doing all the repair work listed yourself?

If not, walk away because you'll be dropping another $3-$4K in repairs; I know I've restored 3 MINIs (2 R56s, and 1 R53).

I love the bit about the "clutch feels solid". That means nothing when it comes to the amount of wear left on the clutch plate and the release bearing. If you don't know when the last clutch change was, run away! A clutch job at an indy shop will cost you 3-4K by itself.

Where are the service records?
When was the last time the struts and shocks were replaced?
When was the last time the wheel bearings were replaced?

 

That's a $1500 dollar car -this is NOT a toyota.