mini countryman ...good buy??

mini countryman ...good buy??

Author
Discussion

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Tuesday 11th May 2021
quotequote all
ok so looking at getting the wife a mini countryman 2010-2014, not sure on engine/spec I suppose budget will dictate this.Are they a good reliable car ,any issues or know problems??

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Wednesday 12th May 2021
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Jesus, the model sounds a load of rubbish , you have now got me wondering

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Wednesday 12th May 2021
quotequote all
unfortunately the budget wont go to 2017 ones,plus we like the look of the mk1

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
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so what is the difference and which is the better unit
1.6 cooper D
1.6 cooper SD
or 2.0 S
2.0 SD

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
quotequote all
cheers Steve,
are the petrol S supercharged ? any issues with that engine?

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
quotequote all
budget is around £4k to 7.5k,i know not great but kids,life etc,its mainly the countryman for the space .wife has a 2007 freelander 2 , is a great car, but shes finding it a bit big now ,so hopefully the countryman will be an ok size and highish up for her.

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Saturday 15th May 2021
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Wow,bit down in dumps over this model ,was hoping there maybe some good news on buying one.The timing chain for the diesel looks to be a £1300 pounds job to change,or does anyone do it cheaper !! do these go regularly , or not as often as the net makes out? Cant believe they sell them if its as bad as this

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Saturday 15th May 2021
quotequote all
seen a 2013 cooper D with 78K on it at £6.5K ,3 owners and fsh apparently? or a cooper S 2012 70K 1 owner fsh £6.4K from a used dealer

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th May 2021
quotequote all
steve, if I go petrol, what year did the more reliable N18 come in,and any issues with that engine to check for when buying.Sorry for the questions mate ,but finding this mini thing quite stressful

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Friday 28th May 2021
quotequote all
ok need some advice please,looking at a 2011 countryman cooper S with 80k tomorrow,anything that i need to check to prevent serious bills in the future
or that are particular to the S version ? should be a N18 if I am correct ,oil consumption concerns me ,how do I check that on a test drive,apart from exhaust smoke? obviously timing chain rattle,oil level and filler cap gunk,header tank for signs of oil ,clutch feel /bitting point/gbox.all the electrics work....anything else

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Saturday 29th May 2021
quotequote all
so the car was ok, drove fine ,although may be the clutch bit just above half travel ,but no slip.car started with no rattles that i could hear although injectors sounded noisy.some signs of oil seepage on the top rhs of the rocker cover.pipe to aie filter was out and the turbo in take was adrift ,not sure why .Some external scratches along the sides of the car and only one key.dealer wouldnt shift on price so i left him my number .the car felt tight and was 2wd ,which I liked and the wife definitely wants the sunroof on her next car now...the search continues.I did like the sat nav in the speedo centre and other info in there,can this be retro fitted,if so at what price?

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Sunday 30th May 2021
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found another to hopefully view,engine bay look ok?

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Sunday 30th May 2021
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cheers Steve really appreciate your input,oil feed pipe? is this for the turbo?

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Wednesday 2nd June 2021
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ok so looked at the car,it was ok had potential with a bit of tlc ,some paint lacquer lifting on the roof? and boot had water in it ffs ?? we couldnt agree on price ,also had a oil leak that dropped onto the down pipe near the flexy joint

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Wednesday 2nd June 2021
quotequote all
Key marks over the paint wouldn’t budge on price and I think the chain is stretched , paperwork showed Canó max limit reset ??? .. oh and it’s black

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Friday 4th June 2021
quotequote all
hi steve,so i took the plunge and placed a deposit down on a 2011 cooper S 82K,seemed to run fine but one thing i noticed which didnt seem right was at the right hand side of the engine just to the back of the turbo there is a coolant pipe,now in that pipe i seem to remember a 2 pin sensor ,but the sensor had no plug in it ,it seems strange a sensor with no plug ? its now got me worried that its something like the a coolant sensor or something and has been removed to mask a possible issue.advice welcome will try to get a picture from the garage tomorrow

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Friday 4th June 2021
quotequote all
will try get some pics sent tomorrow by the garage, and post them here
Been doing some searching and it might be a coolant temp mod they did to the mini,either fitting a new elbow with sensor connected ,or mod 2 was to fit the new sensor into the thermostat bleed valve ,and leave the original coolant sensor in unused? can check if the sticker on the door post has a 53 punched out,God i hope its one of these and not a cunning trick to hide something

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Saturday 5th June 2021
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hi steve pics would be good ,service history wise all i have is stamps in the book (reg is DE11BVA) so if you can more info that would be great ,I do like to collect info for my cars
this link is maybe what could have been done,i hope
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2012/SB-10046779...

Edited by peter2704 on Saturday 5th June 09:44

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Sunday 6th June 2021
quotequote all
Garge open tomorrow so will call them.If the plug was removed surely it would do something to flag up an issue?

peter2704

Original Poster:

237 posts

208 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Pics you can just see the 2 pin socket