Hi folks!

I've just lost my Miata from being rear-ended, and I've been looking to get a fun and sprightly car that's just a little bit more practical than a Miata.

Miata.net is a tough forum to top but I think this place may just edge it out!

I'm going to see an '05 Cooper S on Monday, with 99,000km's, and the owner says he's just done a large service and added a few parts to the car:

• Polyurethane suspension bushings (A Powerflex handling kit?)
• Motor bushings
• Replaced clutch at 70,000km

I've been perusing the resources for days and I have a good LIST of what to look out for, but I'm only a backyard mechanic insofar that I can follow step-by-step guides filled with pictures, and I'm worried I may not be able to identify common pitfalls when I go see the car. So, can anyone help me out with what to specifically to look out for?

For example, I hear that things like the harmonic damper usually needs replacing by the time the car is this old, same with the crank sensor O-ring? However, aren't these things you kinda have to take the engine apart to see? In that case, will I be looking for them in maintenance records? Others like ballooning strut mounts, and rust are fairly simple to spot.

I've also read about a Kick-test to check the conditions of tie-rods? Does this just involve kicking the top of the tire to see if it flexes or wobbles?

So if anyone's got a few things I can look out for (and what those things look like) before I commit to taking it (or maybe a different mini if this one is no good) for an inspection, I'd deeply appreciate it!



This is what she looks like!

I'm so excited, Thanks!

 

Thanks for asking the question here at NAM.

The 05 is a "facelift" car so the car is has all the best improvements of the Gen1 cars. The biggest thing I would look for as you that appears to be an Ontario plate is rust from winter driving.

At those miles/kilometers I would not be too worried about tie rods, more on the water pump. On the crank pulley/harmonic damper and the o-ring, yes it is kinda hard to check those out. The biggest thing on the pulley would be dry rot of the rubber between the two parts of the pulley, for me, just assume you need to change it. On the o-ring, if the owner has not changed the ring in the last 40,000 km, then assume it is leaking. The o-ring is about dead center of the radiator, 3-4" above the oil pan gasket. It would be easy to tell if it as leaking by putting your hand on the oil pan and reaching up into the area behind, if leaking there would be some real oily crud built up. You test the crank pulley by releasing the belt tension and pushing on the pulley. If the pulley moves in and contacts the engine, it is shot.

To replace the o-ring you would put the car into front service mode that would also be the time to replace the water pump if it is original. Several threads here on how to do it (I have some postings in one of them as I did a replacement on the current JCW).

The low speed fan is also another item to look for, if you switch the AC on, turn it to LO with the inner fan on high and the radiator fan does not come on, then either the resistor or relay is shot. Again, threads here on what to do.

If the car sounds like a tractor, could be a burnt valve. Dollar bill test will give you a good idea on that. Power steering fan is another item to check but the car will have to be warmed up well to tell if the fan runs or not. I am thinking the PS fan kicks on with the low speed radiator fan.

Had two Miatas, they cannot compete with the Cooper S for power. Different feel with the front wheel drive of the Mini but the handling is tighter IMO.

 

There is a video on YouTube by Mod Mini on what to look for when buying a MINI. He also has many how to videos for the Gen1 MINI. They've been indispensable for me and my son when working on two MINIs.

As far as kicking the top or side of the tires... I tried that when looking at our first MINI - 02 Base model. The tire didn't move. Bought it and got it home, took it in for an inspection (required in New York state) and found that the tie rod end and lower ball joints, and inner ball joint were shot. If you're going to check for this you really need to have the wheel off the ground. Side to side is the tie rod ball end and top and bottom movement is the lower and or inner ball joint.

Unless the original owner has changed out the crank position sensor o-ring it will need to be changed. Both our '02 with 140K miles and out 06 with 208k miles needed them. It was clear they had been leaking for quite a while as the crud around and below was caked on very thick. The part is only a few $ and is not hard to change. We did both with the whole front end off because we were doing other service at the time (radiator on the 02 and clutch on the 06). This opens up that area of the engine and makes it easy to clean off all the caked on crud.

We've also recently changed the valve cover gasket on both as they were both leaking when we got them. Changed the oil pan gasket on the 06 when changing the clutch because it was leaking.

Check the passenger side engine mount for fluid leaking. These seem to go out frequently. Replacing is not that hard but it is something else to buy and replace.

Overall I wouldn't recommend buying an older MINI if your not going to do the work yourself. Too many things go wrong on these things. Too expensive to pay someone labor and inflated part prices.

I've been buying Hondas for years (both new and used) and generally take them to 200K and more than 10 years before replacing and have never had anywhere near as many issues with them. If your looking for Japanese reliability then stick with Japanese cars. MINI is a high maintenance European brand.

Why we bought Minis - The 02 base because my then 16 year old son wanted a MINI and was willing to learn to work on it. His is a daily driver. The 06 (just purchased this summer) because I enjoyed driving his and I wanted a convertible with a back seat to drive in the summer. Its an extra car so it not a problem if it is down for maintenance. Except when his is also down for repairs.

We do all the work on the cars and just finished a bunch of work on the 06- clutch (throw out bearing failed), passenger side engine mount and lower engine mount, cam position sensor o-ring, crank position sensor o-ring, oil pan gasket, rear main crank oil seal, valve cover gasket, inner ball joints, all 4 struts, inner CV boots. I'm sure I'm forgetting something else. All this would have probably cost about $4k or more at a dealer. Probably about $700 worth of parts when buying aftermarket parts (not MINI branded parts) and shopping around.

In the year of owning the '02 we've done bodywork to repair rust (tail light area, bottom of the doors, rear hatch handle, hood from stone chips are a problem areas on Gen1 MINIs in the north), front struts and strut mounts, radiator and fan, full exhaust including manifold, tie rods, upper and inner ball joints, brake pads and rotors, rebuild front caliper, valve cover gasket, crank o-ring, rear window wiper (he choose to delete), recovered the headliner, fixed a bum driver's window regulator. We still need to fix the AC but haven't taken the time to trouble shoot.

And both cars have had problems with the seams on the seats splitting above the airbag on the outside edge. The '06 both seats have been repaired. The '02 is still in need.

Hope this helps

 

What to look for? A second job would help.

Seriously tho, I love my Gen 1 but these things can be high maintenance. All of the items listed in the previous posts are valid items to put on your list. Be aware also that parts can vary. For example, I had to replace the upper engine mount (passenger side) at about 35000 miles because the original started to leak fluid. I replaced it with a genuine MINI part, because I couldn't afford a Vibratechnics mount at the time, and that OEM mount has lasted for over 110000 miles.

Good luck, and have fun with your MINI.

 

Other than the water pump, which looks like a major job I'd need to dedicate my amateur talent to for a whole weekend, most of these problems seem like negotiation points to reduce the asking price, and for me to do the maintenance myself later. Is there anything I could identify that would have any of you running screaming from the car holding onto your wallets?

Holy crap that's a good resource. Thanks for leading me here.

My Uncle has a garage, loads of tools, and is willing to lend a hand. I'm more than willing to crawl under the car and get scratched & greasy, and my girlfriend is willing to wax and polish as part of our commitment to buying a "cute" car as per her request

And a MASSIVE thanks to everyone's input.

Is it bad that I'm already looking forwards to a potentially bi-polar love-hate relationship with this car?

 

Hi all,

Got the car on a lift, and it was gorgeous underneath. Boots were pristine, all the bushings were polyurethane and brand new. Clutch slave cylinder wasn't leaking, and nothing down the back of the engine. Owner did the one-ball-mod, and he

PS pump was wet and gunky, and I'll probably look at replacing it fairly soon. Bodywork was pristine, and interior immaculate. At $600 under market price around here, and with the lowest mileage I could find, I think she was not too bad of a deal!

I'm going to go reset my ECU! Thanks so much for the advice guys!

 

A rust free West Coast 05 Mini S at just 62k miles is a good find.

 

Congrats on what appears to a great car.

The issue with the PS pump may "just" be the hoses. They have a tendency to leak.

 

Great info in this thread... the only thing i would add if not yet already stated is check the front strut towers for mushrooming. The mini strut towers tend to deform, especially if the car has 17" wheels and run flats. my used 06 MCS with 16"s and runflats had mushrooming as well (NYC roads). Easy fix though with some strut tower defenders from ECS tuning and some wood + hammer