The £400 Mini Cooper
Discussion
The car came with a short MOT, this was probably putting some people off the car. It expires on 25/08/19.
The interior isn't too bad considering its done 145k, the passenger seat is in good conidtion, theres a bit of a mark on the left of it but the shape of the seat is good. The drivers seat has quite a bit of wear, the right bolster has half failed. I've been looking at good condition seats on ebay locally, I haven't made my choice between second hand seats or trying to source the foam for the bottom. The car also didn't come with any mats so I need to order some of those to stop me marking up the carpet of the car.
I've also got the dreaded airbag light illuminated. Hoping this is just a lose wire somewhere under the seat.
The drivers side window button is also broken. It still works if you press in the broken switch but I'll replace it with a spare when I've gotten to the other things
I've also got to paint the silver on the rear bumper to suit the rest of the car, I understand this part might subjective. Just got to wait for some dry weather to give it a go.
The interior isn't too bad considering its done 145k, the passenger seat is in good conidtion, theres a bit of a mark on the left of it but the shape of the seat is good. The drivers seat has quite a bit of wear, the right bolster has half failed. I've been looking at good condition seats on ebay locally, I haven't made my choice between second hand seats or trying to source the foam for the bottom. The car also didn't come with any mats so I need to order some of those to stop me marking up the carpet of the car.
I've also got the dreaded airbag light illuminated. Hoping this is just a lose wire somewhere under the seat.
The drivers side window button is also broken. It still works if you press in the broken switch but I'll replace it with a spare when I've gotten to the other things
I've also got to paint the silver on the rear bumper to suit the rest of the car, I understand this part might subjective. Just got to wait for some dry weather to give it a go.
Looks like a bargain and it looks pretty tidy for the price / age / mileage.
I had a 2004 Cooper and it was a great little car (well spec’d too - chill pack, 17’s, privacy glass, xenons , cruise etc). I swapped it fir a Cooper S and kind of ended up wishing that I hadn’t. E abuse the Cooper seemed like the sweet spot cost wise.
I don’t think time has been too kind to the pre-LCI cars though. The big chunky bits of chrome seem to really age it now.
I had a 2004 Cooper and it was a great little car (well spec’d too - chill pack, 17’s, privacy glass, xenons , cruise etc). I swapped it fir a Cooper S and kind of ended up wishing that I hadn’t. E abuse the Cooper seemed like the sweet spot cost wise.
I don’t think time has been too kind to the pre-LCI cars though. The big chunky bits of chrome seem to really age it now.
mattyowen5 said:
I'm on the Powys / Shropshire boarder so don't know if that is of any use.
Ah OK.We're on the Notts/Derby border, so a bit far. If you find someone to sort the leather it should be around £60-80, but ask what their durability guarantee is - many just tart it up for dealers, without the work lasting. mattyowen5 said:
The car came with a short MOT, this was probably putting some people off the car. It expires on 25/08/19.
The interior isn't too bad considering its done 145k, the passenger seat is in good conidtion, theres a bit of a mark on the left of it but the shape of the seat is good. The drivers seat has quite a bit of wear, the right bolster has half failed. I've been looking at good condition seats on ebay locally, I haven't made my choice between second hand seats or trying to source the foam for the bottom. The car also didn't come with any mats so I need to order some of those to stop me marking up the carpet of the car.
I've also got the dreaded airbag light illuminated. Hoping this is just a lose wire somewhere under the seat.
The drivers side window button is also broken. It still works if you press in the broken switch but I'll replace it with a spare when I've gotten to the other things
I've also got to paint the silver on the rear bumper to suit the rest of the car, I understand this part might subjective. Just got to wait for some dry weather to give it a go.
Interested to hear how you get on with the airbag light OP. I have the same issue but can't find fault with the wiring under the seats as so many people suggest.The interior isn't too bad considering its done 145k, the passenger seat is in good conidtion, theres a bit of a mark on the left of it but the shape of the seat is good. The drivers seat has quite a bit of wear, the right bolster has half failed. I've been looking at good condition seats on ebay locally, I haven't made my choice between second hand seats or trying to source the foam for the bottom. The car also didn't come with any mats so I need to order some of those to stop me marking up the carpet of the car.
I've also got the dreaded airbag light illuminated. Hoping this is just a lose wire somewhere under the seat.
The drivers side window button is also broken. It still works if you press in the broken switch but I'll replace it with a spare when I've gotten to the other things
I've also got to paint the silver on the rear bumper to suit the rest of the car, I understand this part might subjective. Just got to wait for some dry weather to give it a go.
We did a couple of small jobs on the mini today.
Started with putting on the covers for the windscreen wipers that were missing when I purchased the car
Next up was the gear linkage, we sprayed some grease on them after removing the battery to get at them. Doing this seemed to help quite a bit with the shift. It feels a lot better now.
We unplugged the airbag under the seat and disconnected the battery (when we were getting access to the gear linkage) in the hope that it would clear the code, it hasn't so we'll need to look into it a bit more.
I also need to deal with a few stone chips and marks around the car, need to order some touch up paint.
Started with putting on the covers for the windscreen wipers that were missing when I purchased the car
Next up was the gear linkage, we sprayed some grease on them after removing the battery to get at them. Doing this seemed to help quite a bit with the shift. It feels a lot better now.
We unplugged the airbag under the seat and disconnected the battery (when we were getting access to the gear linkage) in the hope that it would clear the code, it hasn't so we'll need to look into it a bit more.
I also need to deal with a few stone chips and marks around the car, need to order some touch up paint.
Edited by mattyowen5 on Sunday 18th August 18:14
RazerSauber said:
Being a 2001 car, is the gearbox and pas pump ok? Might be worth dropping £30 on the PAS fan from ebay to keep it going longer. Black bonnet stripes would go well on this too.
The PSPs don't fail because they get too hot - in England they won't. The fan, when fitted (on R53 Ss) is triggered with the low speed fan. The PSPs fail because graphite dust from the brushes gets onto the circuit board inside the pump and shorts various pathways out.Being an early car it may well have a Midland gearbox. Which rightly have a reputation for being frail and failing - they do. MINI changed fairly quickly to a 5 speed version of the 6 speed Getrag boxes in the Cooper Ss. Which are rock solid boxes.
RazerSauber said:
I have 2 R50's both on original chains over 120k. Neither of them have any murmur from the chains? These did comes with gearbox issues up until some time in 2002/3 and endless PAS pump issues but never heard of chain problems?
Nor have I, sounds like a bit of 'received wisdom' - the poster has probably heard about all the chain issues on the Gen 2 N14 engines and assumed it is all MINIs. The R50s ad R53s do need new chain tensioners from time to time but they are only about £30 and easy to fit.familyguy1 said:
i hate to be the boring one, how many miles has it done ? I would replace the timing chain on this, as it seems a very common problem, could be a DIY or a relatively pricey job. with that done it could well last you a good few years.
But a great purchase at that price.
Think you may be confusing this engine, the Tritec, with the Prince engines, the dreaded N14 installed in Generation 2, R56, cars. They eat the chain, often called the chocolate engine. The chain on the R50 is very robust. Might benefit from a new tensioner which is £30 and very easy to fit. But a great purchase at that price.
mattyowen5 said:
The car has done 145k. Not a fan of the gear change at the moment, as 1st and 3rd are quite hard to tell apart and the same for 2nd and 4th. I'm guessing that would gear linkage?
I'll make a note of the PAS fan. My sister had her PAS unit fail on her mini when it was about 10 years old, so know they can be expensive.
Don't bother about retro-fitting the PSP fan. Not necessary in the UK and overheating isn't the reason the pumps fail. Graphite from the brushes gets onto the internal circuit board and shorts it.I'll make a note of the PAS fan. My sister had her PAS unit fail on her mini when it was about 10 years old, so know they can be expensive.
If your car, being an early one, has the Midland gearbox, the baulky, difficult change is likely to be the gearbox itself, not the linkages. You could try lubricating the linkage gearbox end. The Midland was replaced in later cars with the 5 speed Getrag which is rock solid. The Midland boxes have a shocking reputation and are renowned for failing. When it does, this is your man!! Shaun. http://minigearbox.co.uk/
R53rider said:
Being an early car it may well have a Midland gearbox. Which rightly have a reputation for being frail and failing - they do. MINI changed fairly quickly to a 5 speed version of the 6 speed Getrag boxes in the Cooper Ss. Which are rock solid boxes.
It does have that, and they are terrible.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff