Hey guys, im looking at this 2006 mini cooper s from a dealership and the intercooler looks like this.
It looks really dirty or possibly oily. can someone explain to me why this is. Also is this common? or is this a bad sign that the previous owner didnt take care of it?

 

judging by the rest of the bay... just dirty to me

 

Mine gets the same way. I live in a dusty climate. I'm not saying don't worry about the car but from what I can see, I agree with Saltysalt. The rest of the engine bay looks similar to the top of the inter cooler. The pattern of dirt matches where the air flow through the scoop is. Look at the rest of the vehicle and see how it is. Is it beat up, or is it taken care of? "Ask for the CarFax", see what it's gone through, how many owners has it had? If it's several over a short period of time it may have an issue. If you really like the car have a pre inspection done by a MINI shop in the area. Good luck

 

thanks for the reply.
the rest of the car seems alright. here are the links for more pics.
There is a pic of the trunk of the car and is seems to be missing the carpet. I have not yet contacted the dealership to ask about this. But to me it kinda looks like a poorly maintained car no? Whats do u guys think? keep looking?

http://www.royaloaknissan.ca/used/MI...c89db2cf9.htm#

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...ationFlag=true

 

well it has lots of options =)

xenon lights, nav package, a few extra bits, roof rack, aftermarket wheels

 

Just dirt....
The prior owner was not into detailing their engine bay...heck spraying pressurized water and cleaning chemicals in an engine bay usually causes more issues than it ever solved...
Looks like the car was driven....a dusty motor tells you nothing about how the car was treated.... Heck some of the BEST mataince car's I know of have the worst wax jobs and need to be cleaned, cause they are driven and fixed....not coddled and cleaned. Some folks will spend hours waxing a turd....I prefer to spend my time motoring!!

 

hahah thanks for the reply guys.

I guess u got a point, the car looks like its used lol. nothing jumps out as red flag based on the pics. I havent yet seen the car personally, i will try to book a test drive later today or tomorrow. If the car is well and the price is right, she might be the one!

Stay tuned!

 

Without physically touching it...looking at it...trying to get a feel for how it has been treated, hard to tell from a photo.....
The fact the dealer did not do a full detail on it is interesting....very uncommon...
Is it a "back lot" deal...aka no warrenty, as is sale? Those are the cars that are on their way to the auction, came in as a trade?...they will sell them...but when the truck arrives...it is loaded and sold wholesale.

 

Just got off the phone with the dealership. They said the car had 1 owner and it was a trade in. never been in an accident. He was also explaining to me that they wouldnt have accepted it for a trade-in if it had major issues as they want to be able to sell it. The asking price is $12000 which is reasonable imo. They did a full mechanical inspection on it and it is available to be gotten on warranty if i choose to do so. They just got the car a few days ago they said, probably why they havent detailed it yet. Other than that, i booked it for a test drive so we shall see.

 

Haha, dealerships will take anything in as a trade. They just wholesale out the ones that they don't want.

 

$12000 is TOP TOP $$$ for an 06 Cooper S. Unless this thing is utterly perfect and low low miles, I'd pass at this price.

 

Never believe the dealer, get an auto check. Of course they will tell you they wouldn't sell it if something was wrong they are trying to make money. Not saying don't buy it, just remember used car dealers can't be trusted.

 

It just looks dirty. As long as it drives good...I wouldn't worry about it.

 

it seems like the car has just not been detailed so it looks bad in the pics. It does have low milage 97,000km. The price is kinda fair at $12k. But i do agree that $12k is TOP $$ and ofcourse i would want the best i could get. But i guess we will have to see when i test drive it tomorrow.

 

I agree with you 100% definitely getting a private mechanic to have at look at her. I will be test driving tomorrow so we'll see how she runs.

 

Also, the dealer did not hesitate to say that they can offer extended warranty on the vehicle when i asked them. Although I did not really ask what specific things that warranty covers...
To me thats kind of plus points isnt it? because if the dealer knew that the car wasnt gonna last, they wouldve sold it "as is" with no options to add extended warranty. What do you guys think of this? Maybe its just wishful thinking on my part lol. Cuz i kinda want this car hahaha.
But this is the main reason why i wanted to get a second opinion from you guys, so i can pull my head out my *** and think straight, not to let my love for minis cloud my judgement.

 

The dealer does not back the warrenty....
They sell it as a retailer....they buy them wholesale, and resell, making about a 25-50% commission....
If the car fits within the age/miles range the warrenty company will accept, they can sell the policy as long as they can say everything was working when it was sold...
If the car had a 30 day/3000 mile warrenty as is common on some used cars over a xxx$ , typically $10,000 in my area, then it says they have some faith in it...they back that type of a warrenty directly.....