I have my eyes on a 2012 Countryman S that I have been drooling over but want to remain rational. I have done my reading making sure to limit my search to N18 engines and pay attention to noises and oil leakage on a cold start before test driving (I'm not mechanically inept as I repair vintage motorcycles as a hobby). The water pump was done already and I haven't found out about the fuel injectors. The catch is that it has 75k miles on it. The other concern I have is the previous owner had a larger intake installed in addition to a cat back (appears to be professionally done at least.

I drive ~20k miles a year and I realize that no one has a crystal ball but I am looking for something that I can have fun with for about 2 years and try to avoid major issues. The car is listed at $11,900 but I plan on offering quite a bit lower as it has been listed on their lot for almost 5 months. Should I just walk away due to the mileage or push for it?

Thanks in advance.

 

I've got a '12 ALL 4 S Countryman with 102k miles on it. Knock on wood but out of warranty I've "only" had a transfer case go out on mine, swapped in a used one from Ebay for about $800 and loads of cursing and skinned knuckles. After doing that these cars don't really scare me that much. Maybe ask for maintenance records or figure the lack thereof into your offering price.

 

Automatic,?
Manual?
All 4 model or plain Front Wheel Drive?....

 

Manual and FWD.

There seems to be a lack of maintenance records but I will get a carfax before a purchase is made.

 

https://www.vehiclehistory.com/

 

Thanks that link was very helpful. It shows all of the TSBs but not whether or not they were performed though which is what I am mostly curious on. It lists Private sale value at $8.8k which is what I may come in as my starting offer if the risk seems worth it.

 

if you like auction goodies with salvage titles, here are some listings:

https://www.copart.com/lotSearchResu...ntryman&page=1

 

I always remind people about the Robert Frost Poem that reminds us to "Sell your horse before it dies."

A used car is a used car. A used MINI is a potential adventure. There are outliers who rack up massive six-digit mileage without too many issues -- but those are rare. 75,000 easy miles are nothing on a well-loved MINI. 75,000 hard miles... another story altogether.

I would make as low an offer as seems reasonable to account for the fact that you will be putting some money and some bloody knuckles into a car such as this one.

The thinking about MINIs is their suspensions and drivetrains are what make them special -- but they do have issues. And build quality has steadily improved -- each generation of car is better than the prior on build.

Best of luck. Offer low.

Buyer Beware.

 

2017All4- That is exactly what I was thinking. I am currently trying to sell the supposedly reliable horse before it dies (2014 Chevy Cruze). Seeing after-market parts on the countryman lends me to believe it has been driven hard. But thank you for the advice.

 

Honestly,... If a car has any aftermarket mods on it, I would just walk away. Most of the time, it means the previous owner drove it almost exclusively on the ragged edge.


Granted, there are the rare exceptions out there where mods may have been done, and the owner may have had it done professionally and driven the car in a reasonable manner - I, myself, had the JCW front aero kit and the JCW exhaust added onto my R60 - but I did it through the dealership and used OEM parts to do so... I admit that I will occasionally do some spirited driving, but for the most part, I drive in a sane, safe fashion and meticulously maintain the car.


I also spent the money on the extended maintenance plan for 6 years and 100,000 miles as I have an All4 with a manual tranny. I heard all of the nightmare stories about clutches going out 3-4 times before the car was even a year old... Even though I've never had clutch problems on any of my cars, I got spooked and I shelled out the extra dough figuring that one clutch replacement would cost much more than the service plan... Plus, all my oil changes, wiper blades, brakes and brake pads, etc... will be covered. All of which, my service advisor reminded me of the last time I took it in for it's scheduled service... And, of course, not a single hint of any premature clutch wear, and the brake pads are still in good shape... even after 57,000 miles.


I honestly don't know how I feel about used cars anymore... Cars have gotten so computerized and complicated that it's not like it used to be 10-20 years ago where cars were much more simple and repairs were easy enough to do yourself or not too terribly unreasonable to have done by a decent mechanic.


If I was you, I would maybe check out the MINI CPO's in the area and see what you can get into with that. At least that way, you'll have some warranty and peace of mind in what your buying.


I also think the asking price of $11,900 is WAY too high for a out of warranty 2012 with a manual tranny and no AWD.... for that price, it should have LOTS of additional options like the HK sound system, MINI connected and/or Navigation, Heated seats, auto climate control, dual sunroof, Xenon headlights, leather, etc...


My 2013 ALL4 is a year newer than the one your looking at has essentially every option on it with 20K less miles, AWD, and it still books for about 13k to 14K.


So, I think you could easily get that car for less... If the options list is severely lacking, you should be able to get into it for around 6K-7K... Even if it's loaded with options, you should be able to get into it for well under 10K.