3 grand budget
Discussion
Hi all,
I need to sell my bike and get a car as the bike doesn't suit my needs anymore. I have a 3 grand budget, my commute is mostly motorway (30 odd miles each way), but will hopefully soon be working further away - mostly motorway again but then a trip through a city.
I pretty much have my heart set on an early Cooper, as theres nothing else for the budget that suits what I need as well as being something to enjoy when not commuting.
Is 3 grand going to get something ok, or will it be a bit of a dog? Theres one with 29,000 miles on it, does that sound like a good car or will there be things that just haven't gone wrong and been fixed yet? Are there any particular things I should be worried about?
Thanks for reading
I need to sell my bike and get a car as the bike doesn't suit my needs anymore. I have a 3 grand budget, my commute is mostly motorway (30 odd miles each way), but will hopefully soon be working further away - mostly motorway again but then a trip through a city.
I pretty much have my heart set on an early Cooper, as theres nothing else for the budget that suits what I need as well as being something to enjoy when not commuting.
Is 3 grand going to get something ok, or will it be a bit of a dog? Theres one with 29,000 miles on it, does that sound like a good car or will there be things that just haven't gone wrong and been fixed yet? Are there any particular things I should be worried about?
Thanks for reading
hucumber said:
Is 3 grand going to get something ok, or will it be a bit of a dog? Theres one with 29,000 miles on it, does that sound like a good car
Way to go, that has to be the least information given with the expectation of a reasonable answer I have ever seen. 
£3k can buy a dog/a lemon/a keeper and anything in between.
Get the number plate & go on DVLA website to find out MOT history as a minimum, study it in detail, do the fail/advisory details sound like they come from a well cared for car?
Has it got service history?
Has it had lots of owners?
Do all 4 tyres match?
These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself before you even consider it.
Haha yes I see what you mean! I suppose I was wondering if theres any known faults that may pop up on something with less miles that have been sorted by a higher mileage one.
This is the one I referred to, seems like not a lot of money for such low miles
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021070948...
This is the one I referred to, seems like not a lot of money for such low miles
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021070948...
It’s still a pretty light car by modern standards - likely under 1.200kg.
Regarding the ONE power - it is the same hardware as the Cooper just a different ECU map to lower the power to make it an entry model and more insurable. For £200-£300 you can have it remapped to 120-130hp which is more than a Cooper.
Regarding the ONE power - it is the same hardware as the Cooper just a different ECU map to lower the power to make it an entry model and more insurable. For £200-£300 you can have it remapped to 120-130hp which is more than a Cooper.
Does that mean that the Cooper will only remap to around 130 too?
Thinking about going to look at this one
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12101052
No leather and a sunroof is a bonus for me!
Also, does anyone know if there is an aux input on the ones that have the built in cd player? Some seem to mention it and others don't, I can't work out if its something that has been added or if its factory fitted
Thinking about going to look at this one
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12101052
No leather and a sunroof is a bonus for me!
Also, does anyone know if there is an aux input on the ones that have the built in cd player? Some seem to mention it and others don't, I can't work out if its something that has been added or if its factory fitted
Touring442 said:
£3000 buys a really nice late R50 or the usual pig of an R56 with all of its engine dramas.
Buy an R50. A good R53 Cooper S (original supercharged version) is another good bet but there can't be many nice ones left...?
Done! If it goes tits up I'll blame you Buy an R50. A good R53 Cooper S (original supercharged version) is another good bet but there can't be many nice ones left...?
Spent more than I wanted, and there seems to be little in the way of service history, and some lacquer peel on the bonnet that will need sorting which is annoying.
On the plus side its British Racing Green which is my favourite colour, has tan (beige!) interior which looks much better in real life than the pictures, has 70k on the clock and the cleanest MOT history I think I've ever seen.
Picking it up on Tuesday and I'm genuinely really excited, will post some pics when I have it if anyones interested!
Didn't want a supercharged one (ok thats a complete lie, but money is a bit tight at the moment and couldn't justify the fuel bill!)
How is your new mini? Is it ok so far?
I bought a Mini S (r56) in the <£3k budget yesterday. Was looking for something fun and cheap.
All was fine until I fuelled it up. I ignored the strong smell of petrol (I at a petrol station, of course there will be a smell of petrol). The car pretty much left a trail of the much sought after liquid from the station to my drive. Will get it dragged to a services tomorrow and hope it is not a fortune to fix.
I bought a Mini S (r56) in the <£3k budget yesterday. Was looking for something fun and cheap.
All was fine until I fuelled it up. I ignored the strong smell of petrol (I at a petrol station, of course there will be a smell of petrol). The car pretty much left a trail of the much sought after liquid from the station to my drive. Will get it dragged to a services tomorrow and hope it is not a fortune to fix.
Oh no what a nightmare! I hope you can get it sorted easily.
Mines been great, really enjoy driving it! It's a very unexceptional engine but the way it handles definitely makes up for it, an S is definitely looking likely at some point
Only trouble I had was after picking it up and getting some petrol it locked me in! Had to drive back to the dealership where they could open the passenger door from the outside and let me out, neither door would open from the inside and the drivers door wouldn't open with a hand out the window either. I think it has had a new battery and somehow the keys were no longer coded, they had it sorted in half an hour and its been fine since then
Mines been great, really enjoy driving it! It's a very unexceptional engine but the way it handles definitely makes up for it, an S is definitely looking likely at some point
Only trouble I had was after picking it up and getting some petrol it locked me in! Had to drive back to the dealership where they could open the passenger door from the outside and let me out, neither door would open from the inside and the drivers door wouldn't open with a hand out the window either. I think it has had a new battery and somehow the keys were no longer coded, they had it sorted in half an hour and its been fine since then
Glad you are enjoying the new car. Think it looks great in racing green. Being locked on the inside of it must be a new experience though haha.
I swerved a couple of cars, one had engine oil leaks and the other was gushing coolant liquid after test drive. Thought this one was ok though, will relax once it is fixed
I swerved a couple of cars, one had engine oil leaks and the other was gushing coolant liquid after test drive. Thought this one was ok though, will relax once it is fixed
Edited by Moonshot on Sunday 3rd October 14:20
Moonshot said:
How is your new mini? Is it ok so far?
I bought a Mini S (r56) in the <£3k budget yesterday. Was looking for something fun and cheap.
All was fine until I fuelled it up. I ignored the strong smell of petrol (I at a petrol station, of course there will be a smell of petrol). The car pretty much left a trail of the much sought after liquid from the station to my drive. Will get it dragged to a services tomorrow and hope it is not a fortune to fix.
That is unlucky - hopefully not a fortune to fix.... Private sale??I bought a Mini S (r56) in the <£3k budget yesterday. Was looking for something fun and cheap.
All was fine until I fuelled it up. I ignored the strong smell of petrol (I at a petrol station, of course there will be a smell of petrol). The car pretty much left a trail of the much sought after liquid from the station to my drive. Will get it dragged to a services tomorrow and hope it is not a fortune to fix.
Bought from a sole trader, was not expecting much in terms of warranty in this price bracket. Luckily an easy fix. There is a screw cap on the fuel tank under the rear seats. Seems the seal has gone on that. Ordered the part and patiently waiting for delivery.
Not sure why the picture is upside down!
Not sure why the picture is upside down!
Edited by Moonshot on Tuesday 5th October 18:22
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