Discussion
Partially a request for information, and partially some opinions sought...
Have a leased Golf R Estate at the moment, and will have for another year. It's a great car, fast, practical and comfortable - BUT it's not too much fun, at least not at "sensible" speeds. Hence I've started looking at cars in and around the 5-7k mark which are fun, which leads me to the R53.
I've found the following which looks great (if you like yellow!) - low mileage, one owner, but I'm not sure if it's the last of the R53's or a early R56. Any certain way of telling visually from the autotrader pics?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009053...
The second thing is if I'll fit in it - at 6ft 6 things can get a little tight! I have driven one before but I was a lot younger and more flexible / more tolerant of "sub-optimal" ergonomics
Last thing - Would sensible mods (i.e. 15% pulley, R56 brake upgrade) damage any resale value - as these little R53's in good condition / low miles seem to be at the bottom of the depreciation curve right now, and I don't want to bork any chance of making a few quid a few years down the line!
Have a leased Golf R Estate at the moment, and will have for another year. It's a great car, fast, practical and comfortable - BUT it's not too much fun, at least not at "sensible" speeds. Hence I've started looking at cars in and around the 5-7k mark which are fun, which leads me to the R53.
I've found the following which looks great (if you like yellow!) - low mileage, one owner, but I'm not sure if it's the last of the R53's or a early R56. Any certain way of telling visually from the autotrader pics?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009053...
The second thing is if I'll fit in it - at 6ft 6 things can get a little tight! I have driven one before but I was a lot younger and more flexible / more tolerant of "sub-optimal" ergonomics
Last thing - Would sensible mods (i.e. 15% pulley, R56 brake upgrade) damage any resale value - as these little R53's in good condition / low miles seem to be at the bottom of the depreciation curve right now, and I don't want to bork any chance of making a few quid a few years down the line!
That's an R56, so turbo'd not supercharged, so a reduced pulley won't fit on that one...
Probably the easiest way to tell is the wing vents. The R53 is just a plastic oval type shape, the R56 has the 2 groves, 1 either side of the plastic bit.
Being that tall you need to drive one, as they don't have the most amount of space.
You won't see the money back modding it, and OEM ones will probably keep a good price as they become less common. I'd personally go R53 as I loved the supercharger noise! Try to get a post-54 plate, as when the facelift was done.
Maybe look for a already modded one, so someone else has spent the money
R53
R56
Probably the easiest way to tell is the wing vents. The R53 is just a plastic oval type shape, the R56 has the 2 groves, 1 either side of the plastic bit.
Being that tall you need to drive one, as they don't have the most amount of space.
You won't see the money back modding it, and OEM ones will probably keep a good price as they become less common. I'd personally go R53 as I loved the supercharger noise! Try to get a post-54 plate, as when the facelift was done.
Maybe look for a already modded one, so someone else has spent the money
R53
R56
Yes.
I went from a R Estate to a R56 (R61 technically but the N18 engine) and got it remapped and if the claims are anything to go by, I nerdily calculated that in relation to torque to weight ratio, it's actually a tiny bit more than the Golf Estate version. Fun
Handles like a dog though, but that's because it's a boat and it's on cheap runflats.
I likes that one. Tidy.
I went from a R Estate to a R56 (R61 technically but the N18 engine) and got it remapped and if the claims are anything to go by, I nerdily calculated that in relation to torque to weight ratio, it's actually a tiny bit more than the Golf Estate version. Fun
Handles like a dog though, but that's because it's a boat and it's on cheap runflats.
I likes that one. Tidy.
I'm 6ft4 and I own an R53 Cooper S and I find it surprisingly spacious, I also use it as a track car and I fit in with a helmet on no issues so height wise I think you should be ok.
If you choose to go for an R56 look for one of the later ones as the early ones have a poor reputation for reliability with engines failing completely.
Mine has been resigned to the garage currently only to come out for an occasional blast and track days but I do love driving it despite all its squeaks and rattles, build quality clearly wasn't a thing in the early BMW made Mini's.
If you choose to go for an R56 look for one of the later ones as the early ones have a poor reputation for reliability with engines failing completely.
Mine has been resigned to the garage currently only to come out for an occasional blast and track days but I do love driving it despite all its squeaks and rattles, build quality clearly wasn't a thing in the early BMW made Mini's.
Many thanks guys - especially for the visual identifier between the R53 and R56. I think I'd probably be going for the R53, it'll only be a fun car and maybe my 1st dabble onto the track. Will keep an eye out for the facelifted ones, maybe even ones with some light mods already done.
tallstevef said:
Many thanks guys - especially for the visual identifier between the R53 and R56. I think I'd probably be going for the R53, it'll only be a fun car and maybe my 1st dabble onto the track. Will keep an eye out for the facelifted ones, maybe even ones with some light mods already done.
If I was buying again I would try and find one with upgraded brake calipers as I have found out to my cost the standard R53 brakes are awful on track days, even with uprated pads and discs, they overheat on 4-5 fast laps at Cadwell Park and Croft where I have tracked it so far. The Cooper S calipers from the R56 are a reasonable improvement though at a not ridiculous cost. That advice on brakes seems sound and was the first thing somebody said to me when I started looking at R53s as a winter track car. Probably gonna get a Clio Trophy in the end, but the brakes come up again and again. That and a pulley reduction, possibly a better intercooler for track work to avoid heat soak robbing you of power.
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