Hi all,

I put a deposit down on a 2003 MCS today, but I'm still not sold on the idea. The car has everything I want in the way of options, and the price is right. However, it has 98k miles, some gouges in the clearcoat on the hood, a crack in the front bumper, and two bubbles in the paint (rust) starting on the hatch above the handle. I had it checked out by a BMW-master-tech-turned-indy-mechanic today, and he found it needed new rotors and pads all around, all 4 wheels (aftermarket from MINI) are slightly bent, but could be balanced ok, power steering suction hose is leaking, and valve cover gasket is leaking.

The dealer said that they would take care of everything that the indy found before completing the sale, but I'm starting to have some reservations about it. Every time I get in the car, though, it seems like it was meant to be.

Oh, and I noticed today that the previous owner installed Purple tint HID bulbs... definitely not my style

This will be my wife's and my second car (i.e. mine), but I live only a half mile from work, so ride my bike often. So, I won't be putting too many miles on it. I also enjoy turning a wrench now and again, so I'm prepared to tackle maintenance and repairs as they come if I feel comfortable.

Anyone have any words of wisdom? Your deadline is this Saturday morning.

 

This is not a long squawk list for a 98K mile car and you've done your homework and had the car checked out. I'd be skeptical of whether the dealer is really going to fix everything (a four-wheel pad/rotor brake job is not cheap), but that's easy enough to check. It doesn't sound like you'd be terribly dependent on the car and you understand that a 98K mile Mini is not likely to be the most reliable car in the world. And you know how to turn a wrench for minor repairs.

You sound like Mini material to me. Just go in with your eyes wide open. If I told you right now that this car is likely to need $1K of repairs in the next year would you go crazy? If so, then maybe you should look at a newer Toyota.

- Mark

 

With that many problems I would walk away.

 

All 4 wheels bent, pads and rotors need replacing? Sounds like this car was driven with little thought to maintenance. Realize you may be seeing only the tip of the iceberg.

If the price is "right" and you like to work on cars, this could be a good project.

 

I agree, this mini seems to have been "ridden hard and put away wet". Unless this car is a steal, I'd pass on it. There's a lot of reasonably priced mini's available out there that have been properly maintained and cared for. If necessary, spend a little more and get a car that has a sound maintenance record/history that you can verify and you'll be financially ahead in the long run. Good luck!

 

Almost exactly what I intended to say.

Unless you're very price-constrained and this is the only one you've found at your price point, you'd likely be better off finding one that's had more TLC in its life. A high(er) miles MINI may have some needs anyhow in its near-term future (unless you've seen maintenance records documenting replacement of wear items), you'd want to start with a base of the best-maintained one that you could find. This one sounds a little (maybe more than a little) ill-used, based on your description.

And even if price-constrained...you'll have some immediate cash outlays to remedy the problems you've already identified.

 

Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies! I definitely understand where everybody is coming from and can see both sides of the argument... hence my issue! I've looked around a bit on the online sale sites, and this seems to be the lowest mileage mini being sold from a dealer (not privately) in the US at my price point. I suppose when I say dealer, that might be misleading.... from a "used car place."

A few other things I noticed - the Carfax is clean, but also doesn't list any maintenance or service.

Ugh - I don't know. My wife and I have a Prius, so we've already gone the boring, efficient, reliable Toyota route. Why do all the fun cars have to be a risk maintenance-wise or grossly inefficient?

 

Take almost any 98K to an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase checkout and you'll usually get a long list of stuff to fix. You're paying someone to find problems. As I understand it, the car has some cosmetic blemishes, needs a brake job, has wheels that are probably about like most 100K wheels, and has a couple minor oil leaks. I'd say this is better than average.

You can find super-clean 100K mile cars, but they're not going to be cheap. I guess it all depends on the how good the price is.

I will say this - probably the worst place to buy a used car from is an independent lot. These are the cars that have been auctioned because a new dealer doesn't want them. Now, they may not want them just because they're too old, but the fact you can interview the owner is a huge drawback. And you're paying dealer markup to a dealer who is probably doesn't have the resources to stand behind the car is the worst happens.

If I'm buying a high-mileage used car, I buy only from private parties and pay as much attention to the owner as the car.

- Mark