LOOKING TO BUY
Discussion
Hi looking to buy my wife a Cooper or possibly S for her birthday in April so plenty of time. It will be a 3rd car so reduce usage of the big family bus looking to spend circa £6500. My questions are;
1) Where is the best garage to buy them- I would not mind trying both versions although most likely will be standard Cooper for economy etc- ideally in Surrey
2) Usual what to look out for and tips would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
1) Where is the best garage to buy them- I would not mind trying both versions although most likely will be standard Cooper for economy etc- ideally in Surrey
2) Usual what to look out for and tips would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
First things first, we are looking for the same sort of car and you will struggle to find a decent Cooper S for that amount, I would look more around the 7-7.5k minimum - we got sick of looking at nails.
As for faults, i cant speak for the Cooper S, but we had a ONE of that era and the common issues are around the steering column, top engine mounts tend to leak and our biggest issue was the thermostat (it went through 2 in 29k miles)
Overall they are fabulous cars, hence we are selling our R56 Cooper S and moving to an R53 when we can sell the current one!
As for faults, i cant speak for the Cooper S, but we had a ONE of that era and the common issues are around the steering column, top engine mounts tend to leak and our biggest issue was the thermostat (it went through 2 in 29k miles)
Overall they are fabulous cars, hence we are selling our R56 Cooper S and moving to an R53 when we can sell the current one!
If an S is over budget, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a decent unmolested Cooper for that sort of money. There was a facelift in July 2004 across the range, so genrally anything 54-reg and onwards will be the later model. Aside from the steering columns mentioned above, look out for power steering pumps - many will have been replaced by now.
Kingswood said:
What is the score with model numbers?
These are the model codes assigned during development. In short, first generation MINI One, One D and Cooper were R50. The convertible, regardless of model, was R52, and Cooper S was R53. The second generation MINI (late 2006 onwards) was given the R56 designation.
Dragging this topic back up, i am looking for one of these for the girlfriend.
Budget £6-6.5k obviously want the best/latest car poss. She wants a white/cream one which seem to be demanding more money.
So, has to be 54 plate onwards cooper, white, chilli pack? max 60k miles...realistic u think?
Budget £6-6.5k obviously want the best/latest car poss. She wants a white/cream one which seem to be demanding more money.
So, has to be 54 plate onwards cooper, white, chilli pack? max 60k miles...realistic u think?
I think your budgets are a little low, you need to spend 7K upwards for a very good S. There are quite a few things which go wrong on all of them, The pre facelift cooper S box is solid it was just the cooper box which wasn't.
Buying a 60k mile car there is a chance you will need to put circa £1000 aside for a flywheel and clutch change unless its been done, also look for one which has had the mounts changed and at least the lower bushes as they will be shot. Normally the steering column has failed by 60K too. If your spending £6k put at least £1000 - £2000 aside to get stuff sorted over the year of ownership.
There is a huge world between a good mini and an excellent mini, try and drive both a normally £6k one and maybe a 8k mini to see the difference.
Saying all that there is 60k cars which will drive and handle fine, have a good look around.
I have my JCW for sale but have spent 1000's keeping it mint and know them inside out
Buying a 60k mile car there is a chance you will need to put circa £1000 aside for a flywheel and clutch change unless its been done, also look for one which has had the mounts changed and at least the lower bushes as they will be shot. Normally the steering column has failed by 60K too. If your spending £6k put at least £1000 - £2000 aside to get stuff sorted over the year of ownership.
There is a huge world between a good mini and an excellent mini, try and drive both a normally £6k one and maybe a 8k mini to see the difference.
Saying all that there is 60k cars which will drive and handle fine, have a good look around.
I have my JCW for sale but have spent 1000's keeping it mint and know them inside out
I am sure its just perfect, I didn't say they all fail, just a lot of them do. I even said that many cars will be fine.
A quick search on the mini section will show many users with clutch problems, you have been lucky with yours. There are common faults but some minis seam to duck out of it.
Just saying it from my point of view
no harm meant to anyone who has higher mileage car thats perfect. Best to know what to look for when buying a new car, and us and those who live with the car know what goes wrong.
There steering problem is either a knock when turning slow or as loose play in the column, only a few have actually snapped at the joint.
A quick search on the mini section will show many users with clutch problems, you have been lucky with yours. There are common faults but some minis seam to duck out of it.
Just saying it from my point of view
no harm meant to anyone who has higher mileage car thats perfect. Best to know what to look for when buying a new car, and us and those who live with the car know what goes wrong.There steering problem is either a knock when turning slow or as loose play in the column, only a few have actually snapped at the joint.
Edited by RKDE on Thursday 11th March 20:44
Eviltad said:
Seats in the back are massive. However, getting into the back can be tricky (esp with my broken runners).
Also boot space is attrocious. Would a buggy need to fit in there with a one year old?
Boot space not a problem, she'll still have a Volvo & roofbox! She'd only use the Mini around town.Also boot space is attrocious. Would a buggy need to fit in there with a one year old?
I get both kids in the back of my car (M6), just curious to know whether there's enough space for them in the back. I had a 1 series courtesy car the other day & that was big enough, is that comparible to a Mini?
I haven't set a budget yet, but would want black, black leather, satnav, so would think budget would need to be around 10k??
Looking at an 05 cooper with only 16k miles at a local dealer, he took it from Fords who took it as part-ex from its first owner. The car has never been serviced as the on board computer has never instructed it...but 5 years is my worry!
What do u think? obviously when i go look at it i will be able to tell a car that has genuinly covered only 16k miles...but are there any other ways of telling on these cars? My BMW stores the mileage in a number of places and they all have to match...cheers
What do u think? obviously when i go look at it i will be able to tell a car that has genuinly covered only 16k miles...but are there any other ways of telling on these cars? My BMW stores the mileage in a number of places and they all have to match...cheers
I got talking to an rac inspector yesterday and when I said we wanted An r53 cooper s, he said he wouldn't touch one with a barge pole:-s don't know what to think. He went on to say the r56 is an infinitley better car in terms of build, engine and common faults. Now we don't know what to do!
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