2004 shape Mini Cooper S, reliable?
Discussion
I bought a couple minis to sell, one 07 plate Cooper and one 05 plate One nd I fell in love with the 05 model shape.
Forgive me as I don’t know the model names yet.
I don’t know how to explain it but there’s just something about it, I love driving it and it feels so much better than the newer 07 model, it’s only a ‘one’ with 90 bhp but it doesn’t feel like it until you sort of hit 50 mph.
Id love to keep it but I do some motorway driving and id like a bit more power. I’m looking at the Cooper S’s and I was wondering if they’re reliable and what I should watch out for.
On AT they hover around 3k but on eBay there’s a lovely one up for 2 grand, are they cheap because they’re unreliable or is that just their price?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Cooper-S-R53-/3341...
This one looks good and is quite a lot cheaper than the rest, it doesn’t have a full history but frankly I don’t expect that at this price point.
What’s the worst thing that could go wrong on the Mini and how much would it cost?
I’m not expecting a bullet proof car but I don’t want to have to constantly be fixing it or keeping my ear out for noises from the engine etc
Thanks in advance
Forgive me as I don’t know the model names yet.
I don’t know how to explain it but there’s just something about it, I love driving it and it feels so much better than the newer 07 model, it’s only a ‘one’ with 90 bhp but it doesn’t feel like it until you sort of hit 50 mph.
Id love to keep it but I do some motorway driving and id like a bit more power. I’m looking at the Cooper S’s and I was wondering if they’re reliable and what I should watch out for.
On AT they hover around 3k but on eBay there’s a lovely one up for 2 grand, are they cheap because they’re unreliable or is that just their price?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Cooper-S-R53-/3341...
This one looks good and is quite a lot cheaper than the rest, it doesn’t have a full history but frankly I don’t expect that at this price point.
What’s the worst thing that could go wrong on the Mini and how much would it cost?
I’m not expecting a bullet proof car but I don’t want to have to constantly be fixing it or keeping my ear out for noises from the engine etc
Thanks in advance
As E-BMW mentions they are not an unreliable car as such, but they can be a pain at times due to everything being packed in.
If your handy with spanners and don't mind getting stuck they are a good car to play with. Loads of modding options around, can easily be tweaked for little money to get good power. Also tons of these around in breakers so lots of used parts to keep the costs down.
The Supercharge does need servicing at about 100k, expansion tanks spilt and need replacing and suspension bushes can be a pain to replace as you need to remove the subframe which can be expensive at a garage. They all leak oil from the various gaskets around the engine block.
Make sure if you go for it that the clutch has been changed as its about £1k at a garage. Also check the service history and make sure its been looked after.
These are bottoming out in terms of value now so if you look to get one and look after it, it should hold its value.
If your handy with spanners and don't mind getting stuck they are a good car to play with. Loads of modding options around, can easily be tweaked for little money to get good power. Also tons of these around in breakers so lots of used parts to keep the costs down.
The Supercharge does need servicing at about 100k, expansion tanks spilt and need replacing and suspension bushes can be a pain to replace as you need to remove the subframe which can be expensive at a garage. They all leak oil from the various gaskets around the engine block.
Make sure if you go for it that the clutch has been changed as its about £1k at a garage. Also check the service history and make sure its been looked after.
These are bottoming out in terms of value now so if you look to get one and look after it, it should hold its value.
Thanks for the info, I bought this yesterday, I wasn’t even 100% convinced but it has a full Mini main dealer history from new and it’s very clean! 86k miles too
I test drove it during rush hour so barely opened it up but it felt solid and shifted through the gears nicely which won me over however after driving it on deserted roads last night, It’s actually really fast and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I haven’t driven an fast car old car in ages so it came as a bit of a shock to me, new cars these days drive themselves and they’re so easy with the fancy diff’s and brakes.
It’s 100% standard which is surprising as 163 bhp isn’t that much but accelerating in a bend is a bit sketchy with the torque steer. Some might say that’s normal but again, my FK8 Type R with 320 bhp was steady at any speed doing any thing. I’m sure it takes getting used to but I don’t think it’s for me. I initially wanted a FN2 Civic Type R but they’re all tired with no history at my price point.
I think I’m going to sell it, I got a good price for it which is handy as I should be able to sell it easily for that price and the guy only had it on eBay for a day before I snapped it up. Its immaculate bar a few stone chips but, excuse me for saying this, I think it’s too fast for what it is
I wanted something light and nippy, something I can properly thrash without hitting serious speeds which I thought would be the Cooper S but it’s actually very fast and I just sold my M4 Competition pack too so it’s not like I came from a 1.0 Lupo either!
I test drove it during rush hour so barely opened it up but it felt solid and shifted through the gears nicely which won me over however after driving it on deserted roads last night, It’s actually really fast and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I haven’t driven an fast car old car in ages so it came as a bit of a shock to me, new cars these days drive themselves and they’re so easy with the fancy diff’s and brakes.
It’s 100% standard which is surprising as 163 bhp isn’t that much but accelerating in a bend is a bit sketchy with the torque steer. Some might say that’s normal but again, my FK8 Type R with 320 bhp was steady at any speed doing any thing. I’m sure it takes getting used to but I don’t think it’s for me. I initially wanted a FN2 Civic Type R but they’re all tired with no history at my price point.
I think I’m going to sell it, I got a good price for it which is handy as I should be able to sell it easily for that price and the guy only had it on eBay for a day before I snapped it up. Its immaculate bar a few stone chips but, excuse me for saying this, I think it’s too fast for what it is
I wanted something light and nippy, something I can properly thrash without hitting serious speeds which I thought would be the Cooper S but it’s actually very fast and I just sold my M4 Competition pack too so it’s not like I came from a 1.0 Lupo either!
Seems a bit odd your coming from an M4 and saying this is too fast for you? I have the R56 Cooper S and that suffers from torque steer but I loved my R53. As it’s a supercharger you can wind it up and it’s more a liner acceleration. It probably feels fast because it’s a old car, heavier steering, heavier clutch and brakes but that makes it fun. New cars are easy to drive and a bit boring.
If you want a small nippy car why not look at a Swift Sport, Twingo 133 or Panda 100hp. Smaller bhp but still fun to drive.
If you want a small nippy car why not look at a Swift Sport, Twingo 133 or Panda 100hp. Smaller bhp but still fun to drive.
Challo said:
Seems a bit odd your coming from an M4 and saying this is too fast for you? I have the R56 Cooper S and that suffers from torque steer but I loved my R53. As it’s a supercharger you can wind it up and it’s more a liner acceleration. It probably feels fast because it’s a old car, heavier steering, heavier clutch and brakes but that makes it fun. New cars are easy to drive and a bit boring.
If you want a small nippy car why not look at a Swift Sport, Twingo 133 or Panda 100hp. Smaller bhp but still fun to drive.
I don’t know how to say it, its still new to me so I’m not used to it but the M4 was extremely fast but it had huge brakes, huge tyres, it had proper seats which hold you properly an LSD and good traction control, the Mini jumps around and pulls you into oblivion while you’re jumping around and wrestling the steering wheel which is fun, actually, thinking about it, it is actually very fun but I was after something more simple.If you want a small nippy car why not look at a Swift Sport, Twingo 133 or Panda 100hp. Smaller bhp but still fun to drive.
The swift sport came into mind however I like how solid Mini’s feel.
Seeing as you had an R53 Cooper S, how did you find the brakes? Did they fade easily, I’ve read up on it online that they are very poor and they are the same brakes off a Mini One
I’m just going to put it up for sale and see how it goes, maybe I won’t sell it
E-bmw said:
The most common mod to the r53 is to fit the front calipers/discs off the later r56 as they are a known weak point.
r53s don't really suffer from torque steer, so if you do keep it, it would be worth getting the suspension checked out by someone who knows them.
Another thing to check is the alloys and tyres. This has the upgraded 17" which are known for being really heavy, and normally came with run-flats. This makes the ride extremly hard, and will cause the skipping over rough rides. r53s don't really suffer from torque steer, so if you do keep it, it would be worth getting the suspension checked out by someone who knows them.
Best option is to drop down to a 16" wheel and run standard tyres. The difference is significant and makes it more enjoyable.
Torque steer, feeling unstable. Get it on a Hunter, proper laser alignment check. I've found it is a check that very few seem to think is necessary so it probably hasn't been aligned for years and it is all over the place!!
I have a face-lift 2005 R53 and it has the OE LSD. It hardly ever torque steers.
Yes, the standard brakes are the same across all Gen 1s - R50 One, Cooper, R52 and R53 S (276mm). As posted, we often fit the 294mm R56 S brakes. Big improvement.
None of which matters as you are selling it.
I have a face-lift 2005 R53 and it has the OE LSD. It hardly ever torque steers.
Yes, the standard brakes are the same across all Gen 1s - R50 One, Cooper, R52 and R53 S (276mm). As posted, we often fit the 294mm R56 S brakes. Big improvement.
None of which matters as you are selling it.
At a guess the OP is describing the car feeling out of control/difficult to control.
Mine feels rather similar, car is jumping around on the road, hard to keep the thing in a straight line under power.
Having driven these new I know that, except a little lightness from the rear end under hard braking, these cars should feel very planted. Properly Go kart like.
I suspect his, and mine have a lot of worn bushes to sort through and tighten up.
P.s. just bought one. Almost identical age/mileage but grey
Mine feels rather similar, car is jumping around on the road, hard to keep the thing in a straight line under power.
Having driven these new I know that, except a little lightness from the rear end under hard braking, these cars should feel very planted. Properly Go kart like.
I suspect his, and mine have a lot of worn bushes to sort through and tighten up.
P.s. just bought one. Almost identical age/mileage but grey
Gassing Station | New MINIs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff