Hello, I like mini coopers and i am thinking about buying a 2003 Mini cooper S it appears to be fully loaded with options like sunroof etc. The price is about $19000 without a warranty. This will be my first mini and i would like feedback from you guys in regards to price and especially reliability. This mini would be used as a second car. Also, the mileage is 35,600 is this reasonable car for the price. Please let me know your opinions

 

save yr money and try to get an 04 or 05 if U can. 02 and 03 MCSs can be a coin flip regarding problems and reliability, while the 04 and especially the 05s are much more refined. This is just my opinion and Im sure others will disagree, but a tick over $19k for a 2003 with no warranty and 35K seems like a stretch--esp when an 04 or 05 wouldnt be that much more and you might get the balance of the transferrable OEM warranty. That way if there were any problems early on the warranty'd be a safety net, SOS.

Check the "Stock Problems and Issues" section of the 1st generation cars to get an idea.

I have no idea where you live or yr market so it's kind of hard to assess. Is this a dealer or a private sale? If U decide to do this, look at who the local MINI dealer uses for extended warranties and consider going with that. Personally, I wouldnt buy any older MINI w/o some kind of warranty protection. Labor and parts can be quite pricey, but then it is a BMW product.

Whatever U decide, good luck, and welcome to NAM!

 

Thanks for the reply it seems that everyone prefers the new models rather than the older ones. I live in Maryland and I am purchasing this car from a used car dealer. When I first saw this car I thought that the price was a bit too high for a 5 year old car with 35000 miles and no warranty, however looking on autotrader.com it appears that all of theses cars are expensive. There was another cooper S on a different lot it was a 2005 with 19000 miles for 20900 , with sport package but it had an automatic transmission which I did not want and it appears that the auto transmission is not very popular with mini cooper drivers.

 

Thanks for the reply it seems that everyone prefers the new models rather than the older ones. I live in Maryland and I am purchasing this car from a used car dealer. When I first saw this car I thought that the price was a bit too high for a 5 year old car with 35000 miles and no warranty, however looking on autotrader.com it appears that all of theses cars are expensive. There was another cooper S on a different lot it was a 2005 with 19000 miles for 20900 , with sport package but it had an automatic transmission which I did not want and it appears that the auto transmission is not very popular with mini cooper drivers.

 

After reading the NAM list and other places, I decided against anything pre-2004, in part because of what Sequence said above. My recent research for the Texas area.. says $19K for an '03 at 35K is on the high side. You mentioned "loaded" -- depending on what this is and the car's overall condition, maybe $17-18K is OK. But $19K, you likely can find a better deal (with lower miles). My 2004 MCS at 25K miles was $20K-ish, and is loaded with stuff I could not afford (fog lamps, ipod and satellite ready, interior doo-dads such as organizers, big fancy amplifier, and cold air intake), has reasonably new tires and is in 99.9% perfect condition. At that, I still think I paid too much? But in the end, I saw the car and it was love ...so I paid what I paid. You'll know your car when you see it.

 

This may help: MotoringFile R50/R53 Buyers Guide

 

One more thing, I made a spreadsheet of the various used cars I saw advertised and included all features important to me as well as model, color, mileage, price, etc. That helped me to compare among model year, mileage, and price. Newer model, more miles = same price as Older model, lower miles, which is best.. ... etc. Do a fast search of all used models in your area and compare to help you feel better about the decision. It also might help you when making an offer to the dealer. Oh, and find out how long the dealer has had the car on the lot. Longer time = more willing to negotiate. Someone told me there's always another Mini, and that's true -- until you find yours. Keep in mind, there are a lot of low mileage ones out there.

 

Yikes! $19K seems really high, IMHO... for that kind of money, I'd recommend going to a MINI dealer and looking at used cars there. You may have to travel a bit further... and pay a bit more, but the car should come with some sort of warranty for that price.

Plus, with the difference in loan rates, you may actually be able to get into a new MINI for not much more $ per month.

 

One thing to mull: there are increasing problems--including my 05 S--with the dual-mass flywheels glazing over, requiring a VERY expensive repair (see my "Chewie in My Clutch" post.) OK if under warranty, but all extended warranties exclude manual clutches and flywheels. At least with an automatic y'd be fully covered, drive train wise. In hindsight now, I prob wouldve sprung for an auto, if they'd been available in June 2004.

And yes ++1 on checking MINI dealers first for a pre-certified used model, those do come with balance of OEM or the extended warranty program the dealer works with---VERY important. Might as well have some protection, right??

MINIs do seem expensive to first time buyers because for 5 years now they have had, and still retain, the highest resale value in the American auto industry for any car under $60K. But Yr feeling that the car was too much is spot on, because that's how car dealers make their major profits: used car sales, and they know they can get the max $$ for the MINI and justify it. Id prob offer no more than 15-16K for that 03, and if they balked, I would walk becuase 1) they are not a MINI dealer and 2) there is no warranty. Caveat emptor here.

 

How about an 06 for 18,900? ( should still have some factory warranty left)

 

now that seems a good deal to consider.... CR rules! and 06s are the best builds by far, the last year of the 1st gen. One with a body colored roof is going to be more rare, I think it's only something like 7-8% of production for North American models. I think that car'd look tres sharp with a black Viper stripe straight doen the middle from end to end...

plus what 2-3 years and/or about 22K of OEM warranty left? There's yr safety net right there!

 

Don't know about that price. I've seen plenty of 03s for less and 04 models for a little less or about the same with less miles on the ticker. FWIW, I picked up an 02 with close to the same mileage for 14800. Premium and Sport packages with leather interior.....

 

Absolutely perfect. See, this backs up what I just said. Now, there is an 06 for you within your price range, and has the warranty to boot!

 

Well after reading all of these responses I am almost sure that I will not be buying the 2003 mini coopers unless the dealer can significantly lower the price and maybe add some type of good warranty then I may reconsider the mini. It appears that buying this car without a warranty would be a big mistake based upon my research and feeback obtained from this site. Its hard sometimes not to buy the first mini that you see because they are very nice cars but sometimes you just have to resist temptation to find a better deal! To bighaeb, I really like your car especially the color, I have been looking to buy a dark gray or triple black mini for myself. It seems that you got a good deal for your car, however you got the 2002 model which everyone seems to be so critical of in terms of quality and reliability, so what are your feelings about the car? It looks like it is in excellent condition.

 

Thanks for the positive comments! It is in really great condition. There are plenty of early model Coopers that are the exception to the rule. What folks are saying is, if you want to play it completely safe, find one newer and hopefully with a warranty. For the money (assuming 19K), you'll be able to ****** up plenty of 05 and 06 models with some warranty left. For me, it's not a car I'll be relying on, so I didn't mind if it has some problems. I have a GMC truck for my other stable mate. If the MINI was my only vehicle, I would have probably gone with a new one, being that they are so damn sweet! But work with what you can.

My personal opinion of the 02. If you get a sweet enough deal and the miles are low, maybe take it to a mechanic before you buy, and if it comes out to be a good car, buy it. Mine simply needs rear brakes, and maybe I'll figure out a way to fix the strut towers that have mushroomed. Otherwise, pretty clean car.....

 

Wow, I bought my '03 for $19k... in 2005!!! It had 7,500 miles, premium pkg, leather, etc. THAT was a good deal at the time. It came with the rest of the warranty and while I had no major problems it took care of several minor ones typical of the early builds (leaking coolant bottle, cracked strut mount, miscellaneous squeaks and rattles). I've had no other problems BTW other than maintenance items since I came out of warranty a year ago.

While I LOVE my car there's no way I would turn around and pay the same now for the same model year that I did 2 1/2 years ago!!!

IMHO, they should come down at least $2k to be anywhere near reasonable.

 

I purchased my 2002 MCS with 21k 1 1/2 yrs ago for 16k. So far it has been a very reliable car.

 

Again thanks for the responses, At the present time I am not considering the 2003 MCS because I feel that $19000 is too high for a 5 year old car with almost 36000 miles. So I recently saw a 2004 MCS at a volkswagen dealership with the premium package only 19,600 miles an approximately 6 months of factory warranty remaining on the car for $19,400 and the salesperson said that he may be able to get me an extended warranty for no extra charge. I think the car is okay, its dark gray which is the color I am looking for, however it does not have the sport wheels which I probably would have to buy for another $750-$1000. I was looking on autotrader.com and I saw alot of 2005 and 2006 MCS for the same price however they are at dealerships that are at least 200-300 miles away from were I live, the Washington DC metropolitian area. If you find a MCS in my area, they are overpriced and many of the cars for sale by private owners have high mileage. Anyway I will continue my search for a MCS, I guess it takes a little time and effort to find the perfect car.

 

I have a 2003 MCS with 39K. It has been completely reliable and a blast to own and drive. People on NAM will tell you they can get a better deal, but I wouldn't count on it. Have it checked over by a qualified MINI mechanic and if all is good, negotiate. Yes, later model MINIs have a few extra bells and whistles (LSD, footwell lights, less stiff suspension) but IMHO the 2003 is much more of a driver's car than the later models which were made softer for the American market. But, to each their own.

 

Hey Trico your 2003 MCS is loaded with options how much did you pay for yours,and did it have a warranty? When did you buy your MCS?

 

Bought it from the dealer new in 2003 with original warranty and paid MSRP which, if I remember correctly, was about $25K.

 

19k is a little high. If you could get an 03 for a better price I would go for it. Maybe around 14 or 15k. Heck I bought mine new off the lot in 02 for $22,500.

For the record its been the most reliable car I've owned yet! Currently just under 168,000 miles

Nik

 

Hey Trico, thanks for the info, nice car, those fog lights in the of your cooper are cooland sporty looking.

 

Thanks. Those lights are 2003 OEM!!!

 

high mileage is not a bad thing to a point . it indicates lots of highway miles ;which are long steady cruises which do nothing to harm a car . an average of 20000 to 25000 per year can be a good thing engine wise . it's been up to temp always(no sludge) and battery always charged . etc. if the extended is a bmw warranty then buy the 04 . luck .