Hello all, I have been lurking around for a while and finally registered. I am totally smitten with the Mini. I was out taking some test drives to see what I liked and after driving the Mini I stopped trying all the other dumbed down cars for the masses and decided the Mini is the car for me.

So now for my questions. There is a used 02 MC with 10,000 miles on it for around $16-$17 it is pretty well decked out I know it has the sunroof and the cold weather package. The other option I am looking at is buying new and building my own dream Mini (black with white top stripes and wheels minimal options). I am wondering if the service costs on the used would make the new around the same cost after factoring in having to pay for the services.

Question two does anybody know if there is a listing of color popularities? I want my Mini to be very stock, but I want it stick out a little (so no red with white top, I swear half the Mini's I see are red with white)

Thanks in advance for any help you could give me!

 

Well, the color that I never see any of is Pepper White. I think a lot of people this year are ordering Hyper Blue, I've seen a ton of orders for Hyper Blue, including mine. Doesn't seem like a ton of people are ordering Purple Haze.

I say order one, make it unique, just the way you want it. Just my .02

 

If you can afford it, go new. The experience is well worth it.

 

From what I've seen on this forum, the money you save by going used isn't going to be worth it. For a few thousand more, you get a car with 10,000 fewer miles on it, plus the benefit of several years of BMW working out the bugs. Most 2002s have been fine, but there are definitely some problem ones, and who knows why someone would sell a car with only 10k miles? Plus, if you go for a new one, you get to order it exactly how you want, and the potential resale value will easily be $2-3k higher.

As far as what color to get, don't ask me, my car is red/white!

 

Welcome to NAM . There is a list of color combs on this site but I can't find it right now. Do a search and spend a little time and I'm sure you will find it.

Gold is rare.

Also if your wanting used check out the market place on here. Some of the deales look good.

Earl

 

New is worth it for a number of reasons, but for my two cents in either the MC or the MCS it is worth it for the changes to the transmissions. In the MC you now get a Gertrag 5 speed which is much better than the previous Rover designed tranny and in the MCS you get better ratios in the already fine Gertrag 6 speed. Finally, you can now get a real automatic if that's the route you want to go.

 

IMO, seeing as how early year MINIs are holding their value so well, the only reason to buy an 02 is if you REALLY want either Silk Green or Velvet Red.
At Desert MINI, they have an 02 Silk Green Cooper with 30k miles, not really loaded for more than list on a new 05 Cooper.

 

I picked up a used 03 MCS w/

13,000 miles
sunroof
no nav
no leather
17" rims
balance of factory warranty
body and inside near perfect
for 19,500

Bart

 

Just to add alittle to this with another question.

I live about 2000 miles from the nearest dealer, Northwest Mini, I have been on the fence now for three years on buying a Mini.
The main problem that I have is warranty coverage on a new Mini.
Should I take a chance and buy a used Cooper or get new and hope that I have no major Problems.
Cheers from the Far north

 

I don't think you can recommend new vs. used for every person and every situation. I usually prefer to buy new, but in our situation, we needed a car (a MINI, actually) and we needed it NOW. My wife changed jobs and had to turn in her company car one day and start her new job the next day. She commutes about 150 miles roundtrip most days, and we really didn't have the luxury of waiting several months for a new '05 MCS. We went to the nearest MINI dealer to test drive an '05, figuring we could work out some transportation option for the months it would take to get our new MINI in, but when we got to the dealer we found a loaded '04 MCS with leather, nav, moonroof, heated leather - actually all the options we wanted - with 19K on it, at a good price. We drove it, fell in love with it, put a deposit on it, and picked it up 5 days later.

So for us, new is preferrable, but we got used and it worked better for us. When this one's worn out, we'll place an order for our new '06 or '07 or whatever year it is and drive our '04 until the new one comes in. :smile:

 

I bought my MINI brand new, but is it as great today as it was when I drove it off the lot 1 year ago (14k later)?

Answer - YES!!!

 

rigid, I'm concerned with the phrase you used "my own dream MINI." If you have a dream MINI in mind...have mentally sorted through your select options, and even have a fave color....ya might want to go ahead and get it if you can.

I'm thinking the used MINI you're looking at is a good deal...Coopers were pretty solid from the start. I have a friend who had to have a MINI right off the bat, bought a Cooper, but seldom drove it...it just sat in his garage. He sold it and went off to the next new thing. Some people do that.

Besides color, the '02-'04 styling is different for Coopers, so if one was hooked on that one would have to go used at this point.

My advise....if you have a dream MINI and you can get it.....DO!!!

 

Hum....that's a tough one - new vs. used. It really depends on what YOU want..:smile: There are a lot of really great used MINIs out there - but if your dream car is already in your head, then you may not be happy with a used one unless you find exactly what you want - which may be hard to do with all the different combinations that can be ordered. Keep us posted on what you decide....and Welcome Aboard!!

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven)
05' Cool Blue MCSC

 

If I recall you are in Alaska 2000 miles to the nearest dealer. I had an 02 Cooper. It went to the dealer several times I think I would have to pass new or used if I were you. Really sucks that they BMW won't allow BMW dealers to work on the BMW MINI. I have a 200 mile drive 3 hours it sucks. yours would be 30 hours that would really !$#%$@#&@#%^&$&^ NEVER MIND I must have read 2 posts at the same time.
RAT

 

Acording to Mapquest about 54 hrs. Could you imagine doing that for your oil changes. So much for the matainence included with the car.