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Year: 2006 Make: MINI Model: Hardtop Price: $1 Mileage: 100 Color: red Private or Dealer Listing: Private Listing Location (Region): Midwestern
Gonna keep posting what I find. I check especially search tempest almost everyday. Have been for atleast couple of years till I find the one I’m looking for (and the stars align) Hope all the 05/06 r53 jcw lookers do the same. Maybe we can eventually find what we’re looking for.
Gonna keep posting what I find. I check especially search tempest almost everyday. Have been for atleast couple of years till I find the one I’m looking for (and the stars align) Hope all the 05/06 r53 jcw lookers do the same. Maybe we can eventually find what we’re looking for.
Im in the same boat!! Looking for that 05/06 r53 JCW. If I find a solid 05/06 S, may got that route...
I’m not stingy on color. BRG would be my first color; but, anything but red or yellow is fine with me as well.
you mentioned Tempest? I didn’t know about that search site. I’m out west in NV. So my search area has been out west. Seems like I keep seeing the best deals out East ;(
Yah we got the best deals in the East...and most rust lol. Here’s the searchtempest link, doesn’t show everything, but I see maybe 2-3 new posts every couple days.
Yah we got the best deals in the East...and most rust lol. Here’s the searchtempest link, doesn’t show everything, but I see maybe 2-3 new posts every couple days.
thanks for the assist. There’s a seller on here with a gorgeous GP1... I’m sure most has seen his post. I’m on the fence about it. My original plans were a JCW or really nice S... but dang, the GP is sexy!
someone with experience in Mini S’s please provide some feedback. I contact the eBay seller about this BRG checkered slick top S and asked if it was still for sale. It is. He wants 5500 for it. Is that a good price for this particular car?
given the fading of the headlights and taillights this car probably has been kept outside for extended periods of time. Not that it’s a huge deal, but I’ll have to replace cosmetic stuff.
is this one of those “avoid” or “investigate” situations?
someone with experience in Mini S’s please provide some feedback. I contact the eBay seller about this BRG checkered slick top S and asked if it was still for sale. It is. He wants 5500 for it. Is that a good price for this particular car?
given the fading of the headlights and taillights this car probably has been kept outside for extended periods of time. Not that it’s a huge deal, but I’ll have to replace cosmetic stuff.
is this one of those “avoid” or “investigate” situations?
Looks like it sold for $4650. Guess his reserve was a little lower than $5500 after all. One thing to keep in mind about California cars is yeah, they're mostly rust free alright but the paint here gets beat on by the sun pretty much nine months out of the year, and by heavy winter rain the other three months. Cars don't get waxed in this state anywhere near as often as bikini lines so you can pretty much count on faded, peeling paint on most cars older than ten years. Water intrusion is a real thing with these Coopers, messing with electronics everywhere and wreaking havoc. Also, I wouldn't judge time kept outside by the headlight cover; that fading seems to happen whether the car is garaged or not.
someone with experience in Mini S’s please provide some feedback. I contact the eBay seller about this BRG checkered slick top S and asked if it was still for sale. It is. He wants 5500 for it. Is that a good price for this particular car?
given the fading of the headlights and taillights this car probably has been kept outside for extended periods of time. Not that it’s a huge deal, but I’ll have to replace cosmetic stuff.
is this one of those “avoid” or “investigate” situations?
May or may not be helpful to you, but it is on CL SF Bay Area. It’s been on my radar for a few weeks.
Looks like it sold for $4650. Guess his reserve was a little lower than $5500 after all. One thing to keep in mind about California cars is yeah, they're mostly rust free alright but the paint here gets beat on by the sun pretty much nine months out of the year, and by heavy winter rain the other three months. Cars don't get waxed in this state anywhere near as often as bikini lines so you can pretty much count on faded, peeling paint on most cars older than ten years. Water intrusion is a real thing with these Coopers, messing with electronics everywhere and wreaking havoc. Also, I wouldn't judge time kept outside by the headlight cover; that fading seems to happen whether the car is garaged or not.
Originally Posted by RedSky455
Looks like it sold for $4650. Guess his reserve was a little lower than $5500 after all. One thing to keep in mind about California cars is yeah, they're mostly rust free alright but the paint here gets beat on by the sun pretty much nine months out of the year, and by heavy winter rain the other three months. Cars don't get waxed in this state anywhere near as often as bikini lines so you can pretty much count on faded, peeling paint on most cars older than ten years. Water intrusion is a real thing with these Coopers, messing with electronics everywhere and wreaking havoc. Also, I wouldn't judge time kept outside by the headlight cover; that fading seems to happen whether the car is garaged or not.
hi, thank you very much for your reply and the infor about the car being a Cali car and the weather it’s introduced to. The car is actually still for sale. His reserve was not met. He told me 5500. I’m betting I can get that down is I show up with pure cash. Is paying 4500 for that car if it runs fine a great deal? Is paying 5000 a good deal?
I have zero experience with minis and what exactly to “look” for with regards to electrical and leaking. This was going to be a fun weekend driver/project car. So I’m not relying on it as sole transportation.
I love the BRG and the checkered top. The interior color combo is nice as well. I guess the real thing is mechanical state. 70k mileage is pretty good for a car 15 years old and I think if it drives great, it might be a great collector car given the color combos.
I figure a good detailing from a professional body shop might bring the paint back out?? Or is the paint on these not the greatest and once they start to fade... it’s done.
Failing clear coat is the common paint issue. A good detail shop may be able to bring the paint back to a certain degree. Haven’t really looked at it closely myself. I believe there’s a thread here in the forum about what to look for when buying a Mini, give it a read before you buy.
It looks like this has a JCW package; but isn’t a true JCW. Unless I’m wrong. My inner thoughts are this thing could be ragged out with the mods and high mileage? who knows. The price is pretty low for a vehicle with this setup so I presume the latter lends itself to the price.
if it’s well taken care of, what can someone expect to replace at the 200k mark? I’m unsure of what service intervals these engines need and when you typically replace gaskets, seals, etc?
Failing clear coat is the common paint issue. A good detail shop may be able to bring the paint back to a certain degree. Haven’t really looked at it closely myself. I believe there’s a thread here in the forum about what to look for when buying a Mini, give it a read before you buy.
thanks Johnny. Honestly appreciate the assist. I’ll stop stealing this forum/thread with dumb questions. I do appreciate the help!!
The timing seems to never be right for me as I always seem to be skint broke when such opportunities pop up.
Originally Posted by SydeShowJoe
It looks like this has a JCW package; but isn’t a true JCW. Unless I’m wrong. My inner thoughts are this thing could be ragged out with the mods and high mileage? who knows. The price is pretty low for a vehicle with this setup so I presume the latter lends itself to the price.
if it’s well taken care of, what can someone expect to replace at the 200k mark? I’m unsure of what service intervals these engines need and when you typically replace gaskets, seals, etc?
It is a true factory JCW, many of the Checkmate R53's were and from the few pix in the listings it appears to be totally legit.
My guess is low price is due to high mileage --- I happen to think it looks in fine fettle for so many miles, but would deffo require a thorough in-person inspection because stuff can add up real quick during the restomod process if lots of stuff needs renewal.
I have zero experience with minis and what exactly to “look” for with regards to electrical and leaking. This was going to be a fun weekend driver/project car. So I’m not relying on it as sole transportation.
Well you're in the right place. Assuming you have tools and can turn a wrench, you'll be fine.
He told me 5500. I’m betting I can get that down is I show up with pure cash. Is paying 4500 for that car if it runs fine a great deal? Is paying 5000 a good deal?
You need to be sure it is running fine, starting with an OBD scan and would ask for that at a minimum. If you're close enough by run a scan yourself.
Would also run the VIN through KBB, Edmunds, NADA and anything else you can find, take the average and lop off 10% for actual street value then negotiate from there based on the usual factors, mileage, condition, options and how "motivated" you think he is to sell it. Most sellers will take 5-10% off the asking price without batting an eye. 15-20% is an "I'll think about it + counter offer" 25% is a "Thanks for your interest. I've got three other guys coming to look at the car this afternoon."
That said $5500 will buy plenty of other cars in this market, and there are plenty of them out there.
Quick tutorial on "what to look for" from one of our favorite sources:
>Michigan car
>"35K miles" odometer not shown
>"Fully maintained" - no mention of records
>"Loaded with options" - not listed
>"Driven only in summer" - impossible to prove
>"Mint" - 35K, by definition nope
>$9999
No.
Well you're in the right place. Assuming you have tools and can turn a wrench, you'll be fine.
- Excellent! I figured I wasn’t getting myself into a hornets nest of problems if I find the right car to tinker with and enjoy. From the sound of things, patience is quite possibly my best ally in this hunt...
You need to be sure it is running fine, starting with an OBD scan and would ask for that at a minimum. If you're close enough by run a scan yourself.
Would also run the VIN through KBB, Edmunds, NADA and anything else you can find, take the average and lop off 10% for actual street value then negotiate from there based on the usual factors, mileage, condition, options and how "motivated" you think he is to sell it. Most sellers will take 5-10% off the asking price without batting an eye. 15-20% is an "I'll think about it + counter offer" 25% is a "Thanks for your interest. I've got three other guys coming to look at the car this afternoon."
That said $5500 will buy plenty of other cars in this market, and there are plenty of them out there.
—- Again, excellent advice and thank you. As mentioned in my comments above, patience is a virtue. From the sound of things, it seems like many cars are in this price range I’ve set and finding the right one with the right background will just require patience and a smart eye. Given I have little experience with Cooper’s, I’m relying on you fine folks for tidbits of advice and the guides (such as the one you recommend below) are also great resources. I really like this guy’s Cooper with the BRG and checkered slick top. It’s got fairly low miles for the age; but I think it’s also in that mileage category if necessary service (gaskets, seals, timing chain/belt) etc. I also don’t think this car has the LSD option, which I’ve read is a definite “good bonus” with respect to car behavior.
i wonder if a decent-good JCW can be obtainWe in the 6k price range?
Thanks again!!!
Quick tutorial on "what to look for" from one of our favorite sources:
08-28-2020, 02:13 PM
