I don't own one yet, but am looking to buy one for my wife. I've been researching them for about a month or two and decided on a 07 or 08 "S". I'm looking to spend no more than about 15-16K if I can help it. Red with Black interior. I came across this on ebay and cars.com and was wondering if anyone can tell me what they think of it. It looks like it is in great shape. Miles aren't too high. What would you pay for this car? Is offering 14K too low? Any insight you could give me on this car would be great. I'm not sure if there are certain things I should be looking for (potential problem) on this model/year car. Thanks guys. Hope to be a MINI owner before long.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini-...t_42806wt_1167

 

I think you could do better in year and mileage especially since the new models have come out this year, plus the resale value has gone down on the mini cooper. I bought a Mini Cooper S 09 with lounge leather, premium, convenience, sport package, and with 10,000 miles for 19000.00. In the end, just depends how long you can wait. Good hunting! <(' '<)

 

Depends on how far you would have to travel I guess because buying anything including a MINI sight unseen makes no sense to me.....I would have a competent MINI mechanic do a complete inspection before purchase.

Can you inspect this car before bidding ?

Do you have a MINI dealer in your area ?

What about one off of a MINI Next Plan ?

Here is a complaint about this particular seller............ http://scam.com/showthread.php?t=126898


I recently purchased a 2004 BMW 325ci from Ultimate Auto Corp of Stafford, TX. The vehicle was represented as being "clean" with only small cosmetic stone marks, and mechanically perfect. Omar Haseeb, an employee of the company represented to me in an email that the car was roadworthy and had no known mechanical defects. When I purchased the vehicle, I believed I was doing it through ebay, but the dealer concluded the transaction outside of ebay, thereby avoiding paying the fees.

When the car arrived at my home (in Wisconsin) and I inspected it, I found a number of disturbing problems. First, the bumper cover was damaged and loose--this had been cleverly avoided in the photographs posted on the web. Next, I discovered that the photochromatic rear view mirror was defective. After that, I discovered that the headlights, which had been advertised by the dealer as Xenon HID adaptive headlights (an $800 option prominently advertised in the listing), were in fact the standard halogen lights--I also discoverd that the lens had come off the low beam and become lodged in the high beam orifice.

Then I took the car for a drive. As soon as the cooling system pressurized, the low coolant light came on. I checked the fluids and found that the radiator fluid was low--I filled the radiator and shortly thereafter, the light came on again. In addition, after about 25 miles of driving, the Service Engine Soon light came on. I took the car to the shop and discovered that the car needed $1700 of engine work in addition to the $400 headlight repair.

When I contacted Omar Haseeb at Ultimate Auto Corp, I was told that the car was fine when shipped and they would not give any refund or pay for any of the repairs. Clearly, this dealership knew of the issues and deliberately concealed their knowledge of the defects. After numerous attempts to get them to make good and their refusal to do so, I am now taking action to prevent others from being victimized.

I have reported them to the BBB and will be reporting them to the Texas State Attorney General's office. If you look on their Facebook page, you will find that I'm not their first victim. These guys are liars and cheats that intentionally mislead buyers. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.

This is a straight factual account. I will be happy to document all that I have said.

 

A lesson learned. Its hard enough to get a "good" used car when buying it locally...test driving, etc. The risk taken when buying sight unseen is something I wouldn't recommend.

If you can't find a "private sale" locally, check your local dealers for pre-owned and remember, you may pay more but if its a certified car with an extneded warrenty, you at least know you have some piece of mind.

 

Going over the options 'A/C and Heat'. Wow, they really list everything there huh? I'm sorry but with all those different colors and everything capitalized, if they are trying to be professional their ebay add doesn't show it. I did read that whole thing on scam.com and there were 2 people that posted anything positive about that reseller and then those accounts got banned. Most likely the car company making fake posts so they don't sound like crap. I would look at carmax (do they sell mini's?) or something with more of a reputation. Good luck in your hunt though!

 

I'm very frugal,,,,,,,,,,,,,Aw who am I kidding, I'm CHEAP. One thing I wouldn't do is cheap out on a Mini, or any car for that matter. I especially wouldn't do it if I were going to put the wife in it.
Good comments here, and the one about the certified used, if that is how you want to go is probably the best.
Take your time and you will probably find a good one. Drive it, have it checked by a good tech, research it, and then if all sounds good drop your hard earned money.

Good Luck.

 

Just to give a point of reference:
Purchased a 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman S for $19,000
16,000 miles
winter/sport package
excellent condition

GOOG LUCK!

 

Guys, thanks so much for the feedback. Especially the post on the scam. That alone is enough to make me walk away. I really appreciate it. I am in Utah and the car in Texas so It would have been buying it sight unseen. I am in no hurry. I'm actually not really wanting to buy until May or June so I have lots of time to keep looking. Gray Raven said something about a "Mini next program". Can someone tell me what that is? There is a Mini dealer here in Salt Lake city. I really need to go talk to them and see what they can find for me. Any other suggestions on best place to find a car? Thanks again.