Hi All-

So I've been looking at getting my first Mini and have been doing a bunch of research and came across your site that is a veritable treasure trove of info.

To get down to it - my main desire is to get a stick-shift mini. I'm lucky enough to be able to use my Vespa (most days) as a daily driver, so I won't be putting a ton of miles on my Mini; they just look like a blast to drive and there seem to be a fair amount of them for sale with manual transmissions.

Right now I'm looking at a Used 05 MCS w/ 103K miles.

I've heard both good and bad stories about MCS's with high mileage. How can I be sure I'm not walking into a black hole of repairs? I'm thinking about asking the owner if I can take it to a mechanic (even the local Mini dealer) to give it a once-over and uncover any glaring issues.

Are there any obvious things I should be on the lookout for when looking at high mileage Minis? Is it possible to get a list of repairs based on VIN #?

Many thanks in advance for your help!

-T

 

I too am a new NAM member, and just yesterday, took delivery of my 1st MINI, 2005 MCS. I'm still smiling from ear to ear.

You can do a CARFAX check on it, any major service records should show up on that, if they were done at a shop, as opposed to the owner doing the repairs personally. If well maintained, I don't see the mileage being an issue.

I would also recommend taking the car to a 3rd party (MINI dealer) to have a once over, and let them check everything to make sure it's OK. Some items of note - coolant tank, front strut towers, power steering pump.

Good luck, and I hope everything works out for you!

Ryan

 

Keep researching, these cars do have some known issues.

There are many, many threads with "should I buy a mini?"

The more work you can do yourself the better. Especially on a car with over 100k miles.

Things like the supercharger, belt tensioner, crank pulley, and maybe the clutch are some of things that might need attention in the near future

Good Luck!

 

These are not the type of cars that you want to hire someone else to fix, unless you've got the financial means to do so.

The MINI dealer charges BMW prices and they have the attitude that everyone who enters the service department has an extra couple thousand dollars of discretionary money in their bank account to pay exorbitant rates for repairs.

If you're going to do your own repairs, buy it and enjoy...2005 is a good year.

 

Yes, take it into a mini dealer or mini independent shop and get a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection). Should be about $100 or so; sounds like a lot, but could be money well spent.