RE: Shed of the Week: Mini Cooper S
Discussion
Currently have a 53 plate one in bits on my drive, engine out. Timing chain went within thirty miles of buying it. After stripping the engine down found there was a chunk missing from part of a piston. It was cheap (£800) with minimal history so more my fault than anything, Will cost around £2k to get it all working properly again, but is a fun project and is all relatively straight forward to work on.
Friendly owners group (R53 Owners Group on FB) and plenty of parts available means they're easy enough to keep going.
Friendly owners group (R53 Owners Group on FB) and plenty of parts available means they're easy enough to keep going.
These have aged pretty well, although they do look tiny compared to the current line up.
This was my first supercharged car and it felt pretty quick. It felt rapid once the almost obligatory pulley mod was completed although the ride on the run flat tyres was awful.
Most of my mates at the time did take the piss due to the ‘girly’ looks but I always found that girls liked it and it got a decent level of attention from girls who didn’t usually like cars and it was still pretty quick against most other hot hatches at the time.
This was my first supercharged car and it felt pretty quick. It felt rapid once the almost obligatory pulley mod was completed although the ride on the run flat tyres was awful.
Most of my mates at the time did take the piss due to the ‘girly’ looks but I always found that girls liked it and it got a decent level of attention from girls who didn’t usually like cars and it was still pretty quick against most other hot hatches at the time.
I anticipated driving them when they first came out .
Boy was I disappointed!
I drove half a dozen of various specifications and for me they didn't appeal in any way .
Against my advice my sister bought one pretty much exactly the same as this weeks shed . She only kept it for 7 months , not the best thing for doing multiple daily visits around West London ( child welfare officer ) even with a generous milage allowance it was an expensive car to run .
Boy was I disappointed!
I drove half a dozen of various specifications and for me they didn't appeal in any way .
Against my advice my sister bought one pretty much exactly the same as this weeks shed . She only kept it for 7 months , not the best thing for doing multiple daily visits around West London ( child welfare officer ) even with a generous milage allowance it was an expensive car to run .
Love mine an 05 130k miles it had the bigger pulley coil overs sports exhaust factory sat nav rear park sensors auto ac when I got it. . I paid £1500 a year ago I've tarted it up with a fair bit of red which a lot won't like but its just flown through its mot and in 12 months nothing has gone wrong! Best £1500 fun car I've ever had!
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|https://thumbsnap.com/5nYBtWUk[/url]
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/5nYBtWUk[/url] dunnoreally said:
Would be a risky daily, but a fantastic starter track car for someone.
I thought similar.
The only problem I see is; if you’re a good enough mechanic to take this on, surely you’d have been better off buying unrepaired from the insurance companies salvage agent yourself.
I've been driving my Cooper S around for over 3 years now, great little thing. I preferred my previous Clio 182 out the box but with the right mods it's a blast. It's also been so, so reliable... I had a sticky throttle body to sort out (£40) and a battery replacement, other than that it's been spot on! Seems I'm in the minority though.
My mate has a 2012 JCW and it's a POS! He's spent more on repairs than my R53 cost in the first place :|
My mate has a 2012 JCW and it's a POS! He's spent more on repairs than my R53 cost in the first place :|
Had one - great noise, good handling, nice engine. Not as well built as you might think but certainly ahead of the alternatives. Easy to mod too, 1320 for example can get these running good power for not much money.
HOWEVER - These are now at the age where things are going wrong - and aren't cheap. Oil leaks are common, Standard Exhausts rusting and Superchargers in need of service (they have their own oil reservoir which is a pig to get to and can cost a fair bit). Brakes are dreadful (standard Cooper brakes) Runflats are awful and expensive, and the MPG is bloody awful. The underneaths are beginning to rust on a lot as well. as well as common bubbling on the boot and around the rear lights
A great fun car, but I replaced mine with a 182 which is more fun, quicker in stock form and better on fuel. Not as well screwed together, but cheaper to fix. I also put the EP3 above this as more fun. Mini is "cool" though - also it's amazing how much the average person still thinks these are premium expensive cars - a private plate fools a lot! Enjoyed it while it all worked, but became expensive too quick.
HOWEVER - These are now at the age where things are going wrong - and aren't cheap. Oil leaks are common, Standard Exhausts rusting and Superchargers in need of service (they have their own oil reservoir which is a pig to get to and can cost a fair bit). Brakes are dreadful (standard Cooper brakes) Runflats are awful and expensive, and the MPG is bloody awful. The underneaths are beginning to rust on a lot as well. as well as common bubbling on the boot and around the rear lights
A great fun car, but I replaced mine with a 182 which is more fun, quicker in stock form and better on fuel. Not as well screwed together, but cheaper to fix. I also put the EP3 above this as more fun. Mini is "cool" though - also it's amazing how much the average person still thinks these are premium expensive cars - a private plate fools a lot! Enjoyed it while it all worked, but became expensive too quick.
[quote=Kevin-sz0nv]Love mine an 05 130k miles it had the bigger pulley coil overs sports exhaust factory sat nav rear park sensors auto ac when I got it. . I paid £1500 a year ago I've tarted it up with a fair bit of red which a lot won't like but its just flown through its mot and in 12 months nothing has gone wrong! Best £1500 fun car I've ever had!
I take it the front windows didn't have the tints on when it flew!
I take it the front windows didn't have the tints on when it flew!
I have an 04 Cooper S JCW myself. Love these little cars. They’re just a giggle. I was given mine after rescuing it from under a tree with HGF. Learnt to fix it (they’re not as hard to work on as you might think) and it’s been an absolute belter. Touching on 150k Miles now and with some love - it looks smart and goes like stink.
In the interests of fairness - I will concede that the boot’s rubbish, you can’t get humans in the back seats and the ride isn’t great - better without runflats.
I must say - you can do better than this for shed’s budget. That one looks a bit ropey to my eye - particularly the front bumper off a Cooper. Still a lot of fun to be had
In the interests of fairness - I will concede that the boot’s rubbish, you can’t get humans in the back seats and the ride isn’t great - better without runflats.
I must say - you can do better than this for shed’s budget. That one looks a bit ropey to my eye - particularly the front bumper off a Cooper. Still a lot of fun to be had
Owned a 2005 Mini Cooper s for 5 years and put 90k on it. Most expensive repair bill was an exhaust manifold for 300 quid. Solid built cars.
However, I’m six foot so there’s no space for a passenger behind me when I drove it. The boot could handle a single persons shopping. More than that and it’s on the back seats.
It’s not the most comfortable car to drive for long periods, the run flats should be ditched ASAP to improve the comfort. My average mpg was 34 and that wasn’t hooning it. Will do a lot less if you drive it like you mean it.
After 5 years the boot trim had a spot of rust, that was pretty much it, this model was to me the prettiest. The 2014 model is just not attractive and very big, even compared to the 2005 which was massive next to an original mini.
These are close to 20 years old so approaching modern classic status.
However, I’m six foot so there’s no space for a passenger behind me when I drove it. The boot could handle a single persons shopping. More than that and it’s on the back seats.
It’s not the most comfortable car to drive for long periods, the run flats should be ditched ASAP to improve the comfort. My average mpg was 34 and that wasn’t hooning it. Will do a lot less if you drive it like you mean it.
After 5 years the boot trim had a spot of rust, that was pretty much it, this model was to me the prettiest. The 2014 model is just not attractive and very big, even compared to the 2005 which was massive next to an original mini.
These are close to 20 years old so approaching modern classic status.
Had mine for a little while now, used as a daily, albeit on a short run too and from work. Good fun B Road blasting at the weekends.
Had to replace the superchager as it ran dry and the waterpump gears were knackered.
Lots of leaking O rings and seals on the engine all replaced
Underneath is looking a bit worse for wear but going to replace both subframes soon.
It's got smaller supercharger pulley, bigger intercooler, Newman Cam, bigger injectors, Coolerworx shifter, coilovers, Milltek exhaust, R56 brakes amongst other things.
Puts a smile on my face most of the time
Edited by andyr30 on Friday 15th February 15:32
Warpspeed1 said:
I take it the front windows didn't have the tints on when it flew!
Believe it or not, front window tints aren't an MOT fail - only because MOT test stations don't have the equipment to test them. Some Police cars have the test kit, so they can definitively say they're too dark or not - an MOT tester can't do that.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff