Used mini/mot history advice

[5sea5]

Hi,
Sorry this might be long and I'm fairly clueless about cars but any help would be appreciated!

I'm looking for a second car after old one failed its mot and have decided ideally I'd like a Mini. Old car was a peugeot 206, 51 reg and had done about 86000 miles - was still driving well but failed mot on lots of small things and wasn't worth repairing. I don't really want to spend more than £3000 on the new car (ideally closer to £2000) but obviously this means it'll be harder to find a mini in a decent condition for this price.

Basically what I'm wondering is how to try and make sure my new car isn't in a worse condition than my old one!! I've been using the online mot history check to try and get a rough idea of the condition they're in, but not sure which things are red flags to look out for and which are more minor problems. Also I've been restricting searches online to look for cars with a maximum of 80000 miles (so they have less mileage than my old car) but would it be worth looking at any with higher miles? Also don't want one too close in age to my old car, but would this matter as much if the car was in good condition?

Thanks in advance

[quinny100]

I had a colleague who had an early Mini from brand new and it was an absolute piece of junk. Failed it's first MOT due to suspension problems at 20k and was forever in the BMW dealer for electrical items and it ate 2 PAS pumps.

She chopped it for a 206CC which was actually considerably more reliable.

Another colleague bought a 12 plate Cooper S Convertible a few weeks ago. It's broken down already - a spring broke and went through the brake pipe and ABS wiring.

For your budget I'd avoid a Mini. They are relatively desirable which keeps prices up so they're not good value, they look good but the early ones were not well engineered. Whist most parts are available aftermarket anything from the dealer will be expensive. For 2 grand, look at a Fiesta, Focus, or something Japanese like a Yaris.

[davek_964]

I also know somebody who had a mini for a couple of years. Don't think it actually broke all that often - but it burned more oil than petrol.

[GiveItSomeWellie]

MOT bits to look out for on a MINI are;

• Airbag warning light (a simple fix with the right tools, but annoying none-the-less)
• Front subframe bushes. Not a cheap fix.
• Headlight alignment problems are common, but an easy fix. Nothing to worry about

An MOT won't pick up on other problems though, and MINIs do have their share of issues. Mileage isn't a huge factor, in fact some of the higher milers will have had a few of the problem areas already sorted. A few common points

• Gearboxes on pre-facelift One and Coopers are weak. Later ones also fail, but the failure rate is much lower. Not cheap, budget £650 for a reconditioned unit with a 12 month warranty and a fresh clutch
• Power steering pumps fail, not sure on the cost as it's never happened to me.
• Engine mounts fail, especially later fluid filled items.
• Thermostat housings fail, symptoms are losing coolant and getting hot. Cheap & easy fix, but don't leave it any longer as you'll do lasting damage.
• Timing chain rattle, it will sound really rattly on startup. An easy fix on the first gen cars, £150 including a genuine part.

Another thing to bear in mind with MINI is that in the early days EVERYTHING was an option. If you're expecting them all to have Air Con for example, then you will be dissapointed. I don't know what you're expecting as a minimum though.

I've just sold my 1st gen Cooper S, so I'm without a 1st gen MINI for the first time in 8 years. I've travelled some 80k miles in them and had very few problems, certainly no more than I'd expect on a car of their respective age/mileage.

[Zippee]

I agree with the above. If you want something reliable then what about a small Japanese or Korean car or even a Skoda Fabia?

[mike9009]

GiveItSomeWellie said:

MOT bits to look out for on a MINI are;

• Airbag warning light (a simple fix with the right tools, but annoying none-the-less)
• Front subframe bushes. Not a cheap fix.
• Headlight alignment problems are common, but an easy fix. Nothing to worry about

An MOT won't pick up on other problems though, and MINIs do have their share of issues. Mileage isn't a huge factor, in fact some of the higher milers will have had a few of the problem areas already sorted. A few common points

• Gearboxes on pre-facelift One and Coopers are weak. Later ones also fail, but the failure rate is much lower. Not cheap, budget £650 for a reconditioned unit with a 12 month warranty and a fresh clutch
• Power steering pumps fail, not sure on the cost as it's never happened to me.
• Engine mounts fail, especially later fluid filled items.
• Thermostat housings fail, symptoms are losing coolant and getting hot. Cheap & easy fix, but don't leave it any longer as you'll do lasting damage.
• Timing chain rattle, it will sound really rattly on startup. An easy fix on the first gen cars, £150 including a genuine part.

Another thing to bear in mind with MINI is that in the early days EVERYTHING was an option. If you're expecting them all to have Air Con for example, then you will be dissapointed. I don't know what you're expecting as a minimum though.

I've just sold my 1st gen Cooper S, so I'm without a 1st gen MINI for the first time in 8 years. I've travelled some 80k miles in them and had very few problems, certainly no more than I'd expect on a car of their respective age/mileage.

Agree with the above - although some issues are specific to some later models (timing chain rattle is particularly prevalent on Gen 2 Cooper S and thermostat housing was also a little later, I think....) . The sweet spot for you is a facelift Gen 1 MINI built between late 2004 and 2006 (prior to the 2nd generation MINI being released.) If checking photos and not quite sure whether it is facelift or not, check for the position of the reversing light......

We owned a 2001 MINI One for six years, a 2004 MINI Cooper S for two years and a 2007 Clubman S for six years.

2001 model issues we had were just a faulty airbag light. (repaired under warranty but I believe about £100 to fix)
2004 model had the power steering pump fail (repaired under warranty, but about £450 to fix)
2007 model had thermostat housing fail (£180 to fix) and club door failure (£90 to fix) plus an unusual thirst for oil (one litre per 900 miles or so).

Don't be scared by the issues - if you search the internet you will find horror stories about every model you will look at ..... and will never buy another car


Mike

[5sea5]

Thanks for all the replies, really helpful

GiveItSomeWellie said:

MOT bits to look out for on a MINI are;

• Airbag warning light (a simple fix with the right tools, but annoying none-the-less)
• Front subframe bushes. Not a cheap fix.
• Headlight alignment problems are common, but an easy fix. Nothing to worry about

An MOT won't pick up on other problems though, and MINIs do have their share of issues. Mileage isn't a huge factor, in fact some of the higher milers will have had a few of the problem areas already sorted. A few common points

• Gearboxes on pre-facelift One and Coopers are weak. Later ones also fail, but the failure rate is much lower. Not cheap, budget £650 for a reconditioned unit with a 12 month warranty and a fresh clutch
• Power steering pumps fail, not sure on the cost as it's never happened to me.
• Engine mounts fail, especially later fluid filled items.
• Thermostat housings fail, symptoms are losing coolant and getting hot. Cheap & easy fix, but don't leave it any longer as you'll do lasting damage.
• Timing chain rattle, it will sound really rattly on startup. An easy fix on the first gen cars, £150 including a genuine part.

Another thing to bear in mind with MINI is that in the early days EVERYTHING was an option. If you're expecting them all to have Air Con for example, then you will be dissapointed. I don't know what you're expecting as a minimum though.

I've just sold my 1st gen Cooper S, so I'm without a 1st gen MINI for the first time in 8 years. I've travelled some 80k miles in them and had very few problems, certainly no more than I'd expect on a car of their respective age/mileage.

Thanks a lot, some general points I keep coming across when looking at mot histories are brakes pitted/binding/corroded, tyre tread depth below requirements, excessive play in a ball joint, suspension bush deteriorated, exhaust emissions over limits - are these things to worry about if they've been failed on in the past and would they be likely to cause problems again? (this might be obvious sorry!)

Old car didn't have air con or anything so I'd be happy with quite a basic spec

Zippee said:

I agree with the above. If you want something reliable then what about a small Japanese or Korean car or even a Skoda Fabia?

Another car I was thinking about was a Suzuki swift as apparently they're also fun to drive and better value than a mini, not sure how reliable they're meant to be though? Or an older ford ka/renault clio

mike9009 said:

GiveItSomeWellie said:
MOT bits to look out for on a MINI are;

Airbag warning light (a simple fix with the right tools, but annoying none-the-less)
Front subframe bushes. Not a cheap fix.
Headlight alignment problems are common, but an easy fix. Nothing to worry about
An MOT won't pick up on other problems though, and MINIs do have their share of issues. Mileage isn't a huge factor, in fact some of the higher milers will have had a few of the problem areas already sorted. A few common points

Gearboxes on pre-facelift One and Coopers are weak. Later ones also fail, but the failure rate is much lower. Not cheap, budget £650 for a reconditioned unit with a 12 month warranty and a fresh clutch
Power steering pumps fail, not sure on the cost as it's never happened to me.
Engine mounts fail, especially later fluid filled items.
Thermostat housings fail, symptoms are losing coolant and getting hot. Cheap & easy fix, but don't leave it any longer as you'll do lasting damage.
Timing chain rattle, it will sound really rattly on startup. An easy fix on the first gen cars, £150 including a genuine part.
Another thing to bear in mind with MINI is that in the early days EVERYTHING was an option. If you're expecting them all to have Air Con for example, then you will be dissapointed. I don't know what you're expecting as a minimum though.

I've just sold my 1st gen Cooper S, so I'm without a 1st gen MINI for the first time in 8 years. I've travelled some 80k miles in them and had very few problems, certainly no more than I'd expect on a car of their respective age/mileage.


Agree with the above - although some issues are specific to some later models (timing chain rattle is particularly prevalent on Gen 2 Cooper S and thermostat housing was also a little later, I think....) . The sweet spot for you is a facelift Gen 1 MINI built between late 2004 and 2006 (prior to the 2nd generation MINI being released.) If checking photos and not quite sure whether it is facelift or not, check for the position of the reversing light......

We owned a 2001 MINI One for six years, a 2004 MINI Cooper S for two years and a 2007 Clubman S for six years.

2001 model issues we had were just a faulty airbag light. (repaired under warranty but I believe about £100 to fix)
2004 model had the power steering pump fail (repaired under warranty, but about £450 to fix)
2007 model had thermostat housing fail (£180 to fix) and club door failure (£90 to fix) plus an unusual thirst for oil (one litre per 900 miles or so).

Don't be scared by the issues - if you search the internet you will find horror stories about every model you will look at ..... and will never buy another car smile


Mike

Thanks I was thinking a late first generation one would be the best one to get but didn't know they had a facelift, what differences were there after the facelift?

---

I think what I'm starting to wonder is whether to definitely get a new car or whether to repair the old one. It did fail the mot on about 12 different things(!) but they were all minor, the guy said it would cost about £480 to fix and advised me it might be a good idea to get a new one seeing as the car would only be worth about £200 anyway. It has had quite a lot of problems in the past as well but then most of them are completely repaired now eg. a new clutch, and I still enjoy driving it (and am slightly attached to it!)

Originally I was thinking of getting a peugeot 107 as that would be much cheaper to run and save me money but took one for a test drive and didn't like it that much - felt much smaller than I'm used to and a higher driving position. Sat in a mini and liked it, and apparently as they're fun to drive made me think of getting one of those but now worried it might make less sense from a money point of view as I wouldn't be saving any money from car tax and paying more for insurance.

Basically I'm worried that I might give up a car I like for something that might have just as many problems? Would there be any point in keeping my old car given its age anyway?

[AlwynMike]

Better the devil you know.....

If you still get on with the car, I'd look to keep it. You don't know what's facing you with a fresh car, you could easily spend a lot of money for just one issue. It sounds like you have sorted your current car, so it will carry on with maybe a couple of minor problems.

[Sofa]

5sea5 said:

Thanks I was thinking a late first generation one would be the best one to get but didn't know they had a facelift, what differences were there after the facelift?

For the standard One and Cooper, a redesigned front bumper, redesigned head and taillights, general build quality improvements (eg the facelift dash is 3 piece, as opposed to the pre-facelift 5-piece to reduce rattles) and the most important one being a new Getrag 5-Speed, replacing the pretty notorious midlands 'box. The Getrags do still fail but it seems considerably rarer, the Midlands gearbox failing is more when than if. Think facelift cars got slightly more standard equipment too, such as a trip computer and rev counter (optional on the One although I've never seen one without). The easiest way to tell the two apart is the front bumper- facelifts will have a thin chrome bar across the lower grille, pre-facelifts have a thick chrome bar either side.

I've owned a pre-facelift R50 for 2 and a half years and 6,000 miles now and they are fun cars, but mine has needed a fair bit of upkeep, mainly suspension bits, and the gearbox is starting to grumble so I need to figure out whether to spend £600 on a new one or sell it spares and repairs... Runflats are expensive too, expect £80 a tyre, although you can ditch them which supposedly makes a big improvement to ride comfort, quite a popular thing to do on Cooper S's.

[5sea5]

AlwynMike said:

Better the devil you know.....

If you still get on with the car, I'd look to keep it. You don't know what's facing you with a fresh car, you could easily spend a lot of money for just one issue. It sounds like you have sorted your current car, so it will carry on with maybe a couple of minor problems.

Thanks, yeah not sure whether it's worth the hassle of unknown problems

[5sea5]

Sofa said:

For the standard One and Cooper, a redesigned front bumper, redesigned head and taillights, general build quality improvements (eg the facelift dash is 3 piece, as opposed to the pre-facelift 5-piece to reduce rattles) and the most important one being a new Getrag 5-Speed, replacing the pretty notorious midlands 'box. The Getrags do still fail but it seems considerably rarer, the Midlands gearbox failing is more when than if. Think facelift cars got slightly more standard equipment too, such as a trip computer and rev counter (optional on the One although I've never seen one without). The easiest way to tell the two apart is the front bumper- facelifts will have a thin chrome bar across the lower grille, pre-facelifts have a thick chrome bar either side.

I've owned a pre-facelift R50 for 2 and a half years and 6,000 miles now and they are fun cars, but mine has needed a fair bit of upkeep, mainly suspension bits, and the gearbox is starting to grumble so I need to figure out whether to spend £600 on a new one or sell it spares and repairs... Runflats are expensive too, expect £80 a tyre, although you can ditch them which supposedly makes a big improvement to ride comfort, quite a popular thing to do on Cooper S's.

Thank you! Really useful to know