Buying an MCS that has had the timing chain SB done.
 

Hello,

I have been warned to stay away from 2007 to 2009 MCS cars due to the issues with the timing chain. If the car has had the SB preformed by the dealer, is there still a reason to avoid these cars?

In my search for a car, there are a lot of those years for sale and many at good prices with low miles.

What other updates have been done from 2009 to the 2010 cars?

David

Many cars that went into the dealer for timing chain "fixes" were just fitted with a larger tensioner, which was merely a bandage on a gunshot wound.

I would find out if the car received a full timing cassette or just a tensioner fix.

But for your questions; the N12 (Cooper engines) were rather problem free if kept maintained, the N14 (Cooper S engines) were the problems even when maintained for some, and the N16/18 (LCI Cooper and Cooper S engines) are a bit more refined than the predecessors.

If you can find a 2011+ Cooper S with good maintenance records I would spring for that over the pre-LCI cars, it'll cost a bit more in the purchase price but you should save money in the long run on maintenance.

Agree that 2011 or newer Cooper S or 2004-2006 Cooper S are the way to go. Lower power but better reliability would be just about any base model.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.