Salutations folks, I have some questions before I pull the trigger on a used MINI Cooper S.

Here is the story.

I work at a Subaru dealership and we took in a 2003 MINI Cooper S on trade. The vehicle has 96,000 miles and Six Speed Manual. My girlfriend has been looking for a car to replace her 2005 Focus (worth $1,500) which needs ~$700 of work for something fun and that can Auto X (she recently got addicted and races my BRZ). I think this car will work but I would like some of your specialized opinions on if this is a good idea. The MINI is being sold to me for $4,100.

Here's the Jist

The Good
The previous owner had all of the service documented and is with the car. It has new tires, brakes, and the clutch pulls hard (but is very stiff). The car rides very well and the super charger is not making any sort of noise, at least as far as I can tell. The car has a lot of options on it. Including a moon roof that works and hasn't yet malfunctioned. It's also very inexpensive.

The Bad

The car has never been garaged and has rust below both rear tail lights. The rest of the body and interior are in good shape. The Previous owner traded in the car partly because he didn't want to rebuild the supercharger which worries me.

My plan

I would like to get a PPI at an MINI dealership and make sure this thing is in as good of mechanical shape as I believe it is. If it passes I would immediately fix the rust and get new plugs. I would like to get Super Charger oiled around 110,000 and replaced at 125,000.

The Questions

1) Is the clutch commonly stiff (I read that it is)?

2) Should I be aware of any other problem area's?

3) Is my plan sensible and realistic? We are trying to do this on a budget, but I fear it my not be the right car for that.

4) What are the common costs of maintenance (Super Charger Oil/Rebuild, Cluth) I read $500-800 for the SC oiling, $1,200-$1,500 for the rebuild, and $1,500 for an aftermarket clutch.

5) Is there anything I am missing? (Fuel pump, Injectors, ec)

Thank you for those of you who read through this and provided feedback. Searching this forum and others has provided me with a lot of my answers but I figured I would double check and get some of your views. Thank you.

 

Here is the Rust

 

The rust wouldn't bother me too much, but a 10 year old mini? Even with all the maintenance, could easily be a money pit..

 

If she thinks that $700 is expensive and a lot of money for work, I would not recommend a Mini. Obviously you can turn wrenches and that will reduce maintenance costs greatly, but the cost on Mini parts is high by comparison. Do a quick search on just the costs of engine accessories and you'll notice that it's considerably more than what she is probably used to.

If it's going to be her DD and with those miles, common failures seem to be suspension bushings, PS fan/pump, low speed fan, AC issues, water pump. None of these are that big of a deal, but parts can be pricey. I recently bought my '06 with 95k miles on it and am shopping around for a few parts to hopefully find a good deal before they fail on me.

 

There will be maintenance expenses as with any 100,000 mile car. You already have a good estimate for S/C oil change. There are not really any other big expenses that should be expected. Lower control bushings and ball joints might need replacing if not already done, which can be expensive if labor not done by you. The engines and transmissions are strong and I would not expect any problems.

The biggest expense will be you wanting to add aftermarket products. Such as supercharger pulley, exhaust, rear sway bar, front camber plates, springs, shocks, wheels, and tires.

 

My largest fear is that we purchase the car and it immediately goes up in smoke. The cost of repairs comes with the territory of owning a Super-Charged German car. I am willing to take that on providing that it doesn't commonly need serious attention as if this moment. I would prefer to wait until spring. But I feel that being able to purchase a MINI for $4,000 with under 100K that has a well documented service history is rare. I'm I wrong in assuming that?

 

Sounds like a great deal to me.

 

There were issues with the upper suspension mounts getting pounded out. AutoX will exacerbate the problem; check those areas out carefully for any sign of mushrooming.

Something I've read about elsewhere but not much here (though I don't hang out in the 1st-gen section) is that some of the 1st-gen engines like to eject spark plugs. Check as best you can for cracks and bad threads and such. I don't know what the reason might be, though.

 

Strut tower mushrooming is common, where the top of the sheet metal tower bows up. The sheet metal is pretty weak and the strut tends to push the sheet metal up. You can pound down the metal and add a plate to eliminate reoccurrence. Adding camber plates (adjustable or none adjustable) is a great way to resolve any mushrooming issue. The rubber top strut mounts also wear out (rip/tear) after a lot of miles and might need to be replaced. Again, camber plates will fix that issue. You will want front camber plates and a larger rear sway bar for Auto-Xing.

The problem with spark plugs blowing out was usually people not torqueing them to 20 ft/lbs and the plug would vibrate loose. Most of the time not causing any thread damage but sometimes yes and an insert would be required to fix threads. In any case if this had happened to your possible Mini it should have already been fixed.

 

I may be the only one raising this, but I would be concerned that if she is planning to use this for autocrossing, that will significantly increase the likelihood of something wearing out/breaking on a 10 y.o., 96K mile car that she wants as a reliable daily driver.

I think she could use it for a few years as a DD, or for autocross, but wouldn't suggest doing both unless she has some alternate transportation when it's being fixed. Just my $.02

 

If it passes the MINI PPI, I think you could have a lot of fun with it, and I would not worry about the supercharger as much as you are.....

I've had several superchargers off of cars with way over 100K, some with 200K and they're fine, changing the oil is good preventive maintenance, but you can buy a low mileage used charger for what it would cost to rebuild it - I'd go that way.

There will be some maintenance to be done, but the PPI should let you know what that will be.

 

I had a 2003 MINI S.. the things that I had replaced are as follows..
1)Power steering pump and fan
2)Low speed fan resistor
3)pressure tank
4)thermostat
5)thermostat housing
6)wheel bearings(all four)
7)wheel speed sensors(all four)
8)supercharger rebuilt
Im sure I missed something..but those were the ones I can remember... I did buy the MINI new...and sold it with 100k on it.. But I still drive a MINI just to much fun of a car... cheers..

 

I wouldn't worry about changing the supercharger oil. This seems to be the new Cool thing to do going around right now. But I've seen plenty of MINI's with over 150k without any supercharger issues. Plus the cost to R&R the blower to do it is close to the cost to install a rebuilt blower. So just drive it till it fails, if it does.
Otherwise have it checked out you'll prob find the normal worn out bushings, and mounts. Along with a few oil leaks.

 

Also....bet the clutch is an aftermarket clutch....if it is a "high performance" clutch, they tend to be stiffer AND short lived.....
A clutch job on a mini is EASILY $1500-2000....
So if you think $700 of work on a focus is a deal breaker....ouch!!

 

Thank you for all of your impute. It has been very helpful. I will make sure to check the bushings and strut towers. The car will be a DD that occasionally auto-x's. I don't consider $700 to be a lot of money for repairs. I mentioned it because I don't think it is the best idea to spend half the value of the vehicle on repairs if you intend on selling it in a few months. I would rather invest that money on a car with less miles that she likes to drive. I realize the car will need to be repaired more frequently than a Focus and that it will cost more down the line. My only concern is that we sell her car only to immediately (with in few months) spend several thousands in repairs on the MINI. If this frequently occurs with MINI's of this year and miles I would avoid buying the car and pursue another vehicle. From what I gather the car should be okay for a while but will likely need a little work in the near future. A PPI will help tell me what those need's will likely be.

 

After seeing last weekend how long the labor is to just change the oil on the SC, I feel like it would be better spent replacing it with a new or rebuilt one if you tear that much of a car apart. Granted, doing it in a Disney parking lot wasn't the best place to do it but we both saw the parts required to get the SC out of the car and on a car that cheap with 96k miles on it I would save that cost for another day, maybe look at bushing and other more immediate problems to get the car handling good and maintained. Check coolant and brake fluids. Leaking around the oil pan gasket, power steering fan works, power steering lines aren't leaking, low speed fan works, and look at the coolant bottle and see how brown and brittle it has gotten if it hasn't been changed yet.

 

So I was reviewing the service records and the front control arm bushing, front struts, and strut mounts have been replaced in the last year. The car still has the original clutch in it.

 

I think the price is right for this MINI.. good to see some things have been replaced.. I would buy it.. there will be things that will come up but you will enjoy the car..lol..

 

I would buy that mini right away for that price, seems like a good deal. Don't currently own an R53, but could sure use one to add to my collection!

 

well, if I can get it at that price, let me know if you don't take it, I will...

 

We decided to purchase the car if if it gets through the PPI. Thank you for all of your comments, they helped guide us to this decision.

 

Post pics to share once you have it !

 

I have 2 03's and they both have STIFF clutches (OEM). I have 125K on my son's WELL BEATEN 03 and the super charger is working just fine. Just make sure, if you want to auto X it, to read the rules CAREFULLY. If you change the pulley it can throw you into a CRAZY high class.

I would say for 4K but it and never look back. I paid 7K for my sons car about a year ago. with 120K already on it.