My daughter's MINI, Bruce, did a fabulous job protecting her when a car ran a red light and t-boned her on the driver's side. She spun through the intersection (did at least 5 360s), jumped the curb and landed facing the wrong way. The police were shocked she didn't flip and roll. Fortunately my daughter is ok, although shaken up and sore, but sadly Bruce is considered totaled. My daughter is a bit heartbroken, as she and this little car had traveled a lot together.

She is looking for a used car; her heart is pulling her towards a MINI, but the $$$ upkeep & value compared to other cars is giving her pause. She'd like to spend less than $8000 regardless of what kind of car she gets, so she's wondering whether she can get a good MINI for that amount or less.

She's looked for used MINIs on Craigslist and has found a few in her area. We're both researching and have a few (ok, a lot!) of questions about buying a used MINI (Bruce was used when we got him two years ago; we also have three others we bought new: an 05, 06, and 09, all base models).

We have a bunch of questions about buying a used MINI and would very much appreciate input/insight. Also, she's found a car (info below) to look at - we welcome opinions on that, too.

One question - is there a rule of thumb about whether a newer car (prob 2nd Gen) with more miles is better than an older car with fewer miles? And is there a particular point in the mileage when major parts have been/should have been replaced (i.e. steering pump, clutch, etc), so that at some point the higher mileage car actually is better because it's had the replacements already made? And in a car w this many miles, in general, are there other major service expenses/part replacements that can be expected in the next few years? Since she has a tight budget we're assuming that the cars she'll be looking at will have high mileage.

One she found that she thinks might be good is an 02 Cooper S that has 158K and "extensive service" recently that included oil, inspection, Crank position sensor seal, German Waterpump & new seals, Dipstick seal.

In Nov '13 it had new pads, polyurethane motor mounts top & bottom, new clutch, new starter, new serpentine belt, & a new radiator fan.

Aftermarket parts include Alta Cold Air Intake with washable filter, Alta 15% reduction pulley, Alta 2% crank pulley, Screamin' Demon Ignition Coil,
Nology Plug Wires with recent plugs, H&R Green Springs front and Rear,
eibach thicker sways front and rear, slotted rotors all the way ($800 StageII brake kit), stainless brake lines (not sure when all of the above were added on).

Neither one of us know what most of these things are/what they do (!). Would they just be wasted, since my daughter doesn't race, etc, or does it do much to improve the car's performance? We never felt our Justas were wanting. Also, would they adversely affect the gas mileage? The exterior and interior are in great shape; what do you think a car like this should go for? The blue book thing was something like $4500ish from a private party, but that wasn't taking into account all the aftermarket stuff (which, again, might be mostly inconsequential to my daughter, and maybe even a drawback if they reduce gas mileage/cost more to service/maintain).

She's talked with the seller, who said that initially he'd planned to race the car and then decided not to because it was "too nice." He's only owned it about 4 months.

Since she doesn't particularly want an S, should she just to focus on finding justa (there aren't a lot of options in her area)? Have heard S's gas mileage isn't as good in general as the base Cooper. Do S's cost more to maintain in general than a base MINI?

Also, should she try for a 1st Gen 05 or 06 rather than an earlier 02 (in fact, should we keep away from this one because it's an 02) on the premise that the bugs had been worked out by the time 05 and 06's came along?

Sorry this is so so long! Thank you for any guidance/suggestions/insight you have! I've attached a pic of Bruce; considering how hard he was hit it doesn't look too bad, but I guess because he's an 06 the repair would cost more than the blue book. :( He sure took care of my daughter, though. RIP, Bruce.

 

there are some really nice ones listed on this forum:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...e/cars/search/

 

Thank you, I was just checking them out! Hoping to find one in the Pacific NW; she's in Oregon. I'm in Michigan... guess I could do a road trip if we found one in the Midwest, or a really great one, can't-pass-it-up on the East Coast.

 

One thing you may consider doing when she finds she you like is take it to a shop you know or trust to get a pre-buy inspection completed. Anyone that refuses to let you/her, walk away.

I'm not sure what they cost in her area but my son who owns an auto repair/performance shop charges $75. They go over it with a fine tooth comb and also plug into the ECU to check out the systems. With MINIs and some other cars, depending on the tool the shop has, they can check nearly ever single system of the car.

Spending $75 now could potentially save you thousands down the road.

Also, get the VIN and run it through CarFax and/or AutoCheck. Your/her insurance may provide that service for free or maybe someone you know has a subscription and can run it for you.

 

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Thanks, yes, she's planning on doing that. She's got the VIN and is going to look up the records, as well.

Does anyone have any input as to whether the 02 with all the mods would be a good option, or whether it has more additional $$ than would be of value to her, esp. if they lowered the gas mileage or increased maintenance costs/repair probability?

 

My suggestion is to keep looking until you find one that really fits what you need. I started looking for mine in January of this year and found mine at the end of February. I checked listings on all websites I could think of, plus Craigslist and Ebay. I know I got very lucky with mine when I found a 2005 with only 80,000 miles and full maintenance records for $7400.
If she has her mind set on a first generation, try to look at 2005 and 2006 as they seem to be more reliable.
Keep in mind that the internet gets updated with listings constantly! The car for you may pop up only a couple hours after you get offline.
Also, an inspection is always a great idea. Look for a shop that is known for being extensive.
I'm sorry to hear about your old car, and good luck finding a new one that's right for you.
Motor on!

 

Glad she's ok. I have a '05 Cooper S so I'm a bit biased, but if she's into the 1st gens, I'd recommend sticking to the '05s and '06s. And low a mileage as her budget will allow. Personally, I wouldn't touch anything with way over 100k on it. Hopefully you can find one with 15% pulley, CAI, etc. Saves you/her from buying them again. :-)

 

My advice would be to find a well kept, low mile gen1. Generally, facelift 05-06 are the best years of any MINI. 1st gens are way easier to self-maintain & mod. If you're going for a justa, make sure it has the Getrag 5 stick, not the midlands & never the ZF CVT.

 

If you don't care about power get another justa instead of an S. The S does get lower mileage and costs more and can have issues with the supercharger. The insurance will likely be lower too. The car you listed about has some good power mods that will make it faster than a regular S, but since you don't care about that stuff why pay for it?
Find the lowest mileage 05-06 with a STANDARD transmission and have it professionally inspected. It is hard to say if a higher mileage well maintained car would be a better buy. There are a number of expensive things that can go wrong starting at about 60k miles so usually lower mileage would be better.
Oil leaks and worn suspension bushings can be pricey to fix.
P.S. I like you old car's name.

 

Another vote for '05 or '06 MCS with as low mileage as possible and clean svc. records. No matter what, get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) with a compression and leak-down test. With all the MINI's in your family, someone needs to take a Vo-Tech class in Auto Maintenance and start doing your own service. Lots of "How To" stuff here and on Pelican. Will save you a boat-load of $.

 

That's good advice, and you're right - new listings come online all the time. I think I needed to hear that... wait and it will come. And thanks for the good luck wishes... not nearly as bad as losing a family pet, but still somehow hurts.

 

Thanks for your input! Looks like we'll be focusing on the 05/06's. Kills me, Bruce was an 06 with about 60K, despite the trips from VA to MI to OR...just what we're looking for now. OK, I had to Google the pulley and CAI... those are just for S's, right? I don't know anything about car engines.

 

Thank you for this info; would you say the maintenance in general is easier for 1st Gen, or is that just for self-maintenance (so far we've always taken them to a shop, but one of the other responses suggested learning how to do some of that...)? Googled and learned about the Getrag, Midlands, and ZF CVT, thanks. Would not do an automatic - that's just WRONG (for us, anyway).

 

Thanks for your input! Seems like there are a lot more used S's for sale than justas, so I needed to hear that RE: the mileage; also the insurance... didn't even think of that. You're right about the car w all the power mods, too...needed to hear that.

BTW, I was reading replies to my daughter over the phone and when I read what you said about Bruce's name, she got choked up.

 

Thank you for this info; good to know to ask about the compression and leak-down tests; wouldn't have known to ask for that.

Interesting idea to take a class; you're right, in the past two weeks we've basically been rotating the yellow, green, and red MINIs through our local repair shop for maintenance. Hasn't been the four-figure stuff we've done in the past (the week before a deer hit the red MINI and crushed the front end in.. timing is everything). I don't know that we'd ever do complicated stuff, but at this point we don't even do oil changes/ air filters, etc. I'll check into that; love all the info on this site.

 

The price is insane here for an used Mini in Minnesota. The only time the price is cheap when the car needs lots of work or automatic. They all have been sloshing through snow and salt as well here in Minnesota.

 

Yeah basically, replacing the CAI or Cold Air Intake can be done on a justa or an S. It simply helps it breathe better and maybe maybe 5hp, but on the S aftermarket CAIs will add more supercharger whine, which a lot of people, myself included, love. I have the Dinan, which looks OEM. JCW is pricey, but also very good.

Replacing the S's supercharger pulley with a 15% is close to what Mini did with JCW S's (13%-ish). As far as S modding goes, it's the biggest bang for the least bucks, you'll get an extra 15-20hp easily. Very common mod and, from what I've read, a pretty safe one. I have the Helix pulley and love it. The extra umph is very noticeable and just adds to the R53's awesome personality.

The other pretty standard, relatively inexpensive mod is a 19mm rear sway bar. Dials out the understeer and makes a Mini even more go-carty. I have an H-Sport. Again, I love it.

Now obviously, you don't need any of these mods, but there's a pretty good chance that you'll come across Minis that have been modded to varying degrees while you're looking for a replacement Mini.

 

As car designs progress, the electronics get more complex. The rest is pretty much the same mechanical mumbo jumbo. The Tritec engine is more solid & reliable than the Prince in gen2s. You won't hear about walnut blasting needs, chain tensioner death rattle, HPFP failures on gen1s(well, maybe a few). I'd take gen1 issues more than the 2nd. Most of the faulty parts have been addressed by updated OEs or improved aftermarket options. Most of the enthusiast crowd are also more familiar w/ gen1 diagnostics & are very helpful. Generally. Gen2s are more dealer dependent. If you haven't discovered the fun of DIY tinkering, R50/53s are perfect for such......Not to mention, they're more connected & simply the best proportioned MINIs out there.

If I were to get another one? Hands down, a gen1!

 

if your looking for a justa, id actually reconmend the 2nd gen. since gas mileage seems to be more of a concern than actual power, i have an S 1st gen, while my GF has a 2nd gen justa, not sure that the first gen justa got for mpg, but my GF sees 42+ mpg often and the 2nd gen justas dont haev the same problems like the 2nd gen S's theres no high pressure fuel pump, no direct injection, no oil lines on the turbo

the mods on the S that you found are preety basic, itll just make more sound with the supercharger and give a few more ponies, i see about 31 max with mine and thats solid highway driving, if i super baby i can get 33-34, i got mine for speed =)

granted the 1st gens are easy to work on, but the 2nd gen justas are reliable unlike the S counterparts. as for issues in first gens 05-06 are definently the best ones to get and theres no difference minus the supercharger in reliableitly between the S and justa.

take you time and figure out which one suits you the best.

the GF's justa does have some pep and has a tid bit more room =)

 

While I know nothing about the car -- I would not go anywhere near a car with that high of mileage and those kinds of mods if I was not fully well prepared to be stripping that car down and rebuilding it... with the tools, knowledge, space time etc. A car that was intended to be raced was definitely not babied. A car with those kind of mods was driven -- and driven hard. No one puts on a pulley and reduction 2% reduced crank pulley and doesn't touch boost from every stand still. Also -- while there is lots of debate -- the overwhelming belief is that these engines need a harmonic balancer.

Keep looking -- for your daughter you want a very reliable, safe, and trouble free car. Honest truth - if it were my daughter I would have her put that 4,500 or 8,000 if she can towards a new FIAT 500 -- similar quirky characteristics (exterior and interior) and they are only like 15k new. 7k financed over 5 years is like 110 a month. new car, similar (not comparable) for a non-hardcore driver and would have a new car warranty.

 

.....but Bruce, the proven savior, was a gen1 MINI. And, she's pulling for another one, not a FIAT nor any other car.

 

Oh yes - I know... but if my daughter were 1500-2000 miles away I would never put her in a Gen 1 MINI. Most everyone here has been replacing parts on a weekly basis on our Gen 1s...miles, age, flawed designs. As much as we love them - they aren't really cars for the hands-off crowd.

 

"Hands-off crowd" is the key phrase there!

 

Yeah, they sure have good resale. Great when you're selling, and not so when buying! We seem to keep ours forever - haven't sold one yet - so not sure how much of a bonus the good resale is for us.

 

Got it, thank you for those explanations. Makes understanding the mods and differences clearer, which will definitely help while shopping.