High miles Cooper S ?

[Spy]

Hi all,

I am looking for a cheap runabout car for the daily commute and considering something like an MCS.

I don't want to spend a lot, say around £3k-£4k max.

At this price range I seem to be looking at high mileage (80k+ miles) older cars (pre 2003).

If the car has been serviced regularly - is this a good buy and what faults should I be looking for ?

Also, does anyone know what the average life expectancy of these engines is ?

Thanks.

[Leicesterdave]

It won't be cheap to run.

[Spy]

Leicesterdave said:

It won't be cheap to run.

Why is that if it has been serviced regularly ?

I assume you are referring to parts wear - what would you expect to go at this mielega apart from suspension components ?

[JCWStevey]

Pre 2003 car will be getting less than 30mpg on a commute. I have a 2002 JCW and I can get 27mpg on day to day running if I'm careful...

[Eviltad]

I cant see you getting one for £4k Max.

There is only a post from 2 weeks ago with a guy being offended at the offer a dealer gave him for a Part Ex.

I've just autotrader'd it and there is barely anything less than £5k.

If a car has been well serviced (like mine) it will be good for miles. Mine is almost 106k now but I can afford to maintain and service it (new clutch, new supercharger). I also get 35+mpg motorway commute.

[Spy]

Eviltad said:

I cant see you getting one for £4k Max.

There is only a post from 2 weeks ago with a guy being offended at the offer a dealer gave him for a Part Ex.

I've just autotrader'd it and there is barely anything less than £5k.

If a car has been well serviced (like mine) it will be good for miles. Mine is almost 106k now but I can afford to maintain and service it (new clutch, new supercharger). I also get 35+mpg motorway commute.

Thanks. Out of interest
- What is the cost of replacing a supercharger
- What is the cost of replacing a clutch

Also, in order to gauge how far out I am, how much do you think your car would sell for in a private sale ?

[Leicesterdave]

Spy said:

I assume you are referring to parts wear

MPG mainly!

[DanGT]

There are not many minis under £4K ones coppers or S. There are a number of common faults like the power steering. The number one thing is full BMW service history. A well looked after car should be good for a lot of miles. The problem is at the money you have you start in to cars with a mixed past.

[Eviltad]

Clutch total bill was about £400. I had it done at same time as the wishbone bushes so the front end of the car was out anyway.

Supercharger part cost me £300ish for a JCW one. Another £200-ish for fitting.

I dunno what I'd get for mine. £5k approx with its reasonable BMW specialist provenance.

Saw a few nice looking ones for around that when I looked last night.

[Spy]

Eviltad said:

Clutch total bill was about £400. I had it done at same time as the wishbone bushes so the front end of the car was out anyway.

Supercharger part cost me £300ish for a JCW one. Another £200-ish for fitting.

I dunno what I'd get for mine. £5k approx with its reasonable BMW specialist provenance.

Saw a few nice looking ones for around that when I looked last night.

Thanks for the price guides, really useful when assessing the tiotal cost of a car i.e. purchase price and potential work

[turbolucy]

I got a 80k mile '52 plate in good condition for a fair bit more than £4k. You'd be very lucky to find a decent one for that money.

As someone said...if you can't afford to buy a decent one in the first place then it might be difficult to run it (I'm finding this).

A new clutch at the local Sytner BMW is £499 but obviously independently a fair bit cheaper. Clutch kit is about £110 itself.

I get about 25mpg out of mine on a good day, without ragging it.

Having said all that, it's a gorgeous car and I'm in love with it (mine's the red one)

[Spy]

Thanks guys, I got beaten to the purchase for the one I found.

Sold for £3,650 - serviced on the dot every time with 94k miles, HPI clear and 3 owners from new (last owner for 5 years). Needed some cosmetic work such as new front bumper and key marks to rear side panel and rear.

[turbolucy]

Spy said:

Thanks guys, I got beaten to the purchase for the one I found.

Sold for £3,650 - serviced on the dot every time with 94k miles, HPI clear and 3 owners from new (last owner for 5 years). Needed some cosmetic work such as new front bumper and key marks to rear side panel and rear.

Shame you got pipped to that- you'd make your money back on that all day long.