A MINI (R53 Cooper S) Adventure
Discussion
TLDR; I bought an old(ish) car blind and will be making an 8 hour round trip to bring it home on Wednesday
The long version:
Back when the new MINI was still new, I had one of the first generation Cooper S. I loved that car and nigh on 20 years later I still look back fondly:
In recent years I’ve tried various hot/sporty/fast cars, none of which have stuck and have been moved on in fairly short order. Currently we own nothing of interest and I daily a Skoda!
In the last few months I’ve really started to look at the R53 as a bit of a classic in the making. They’re definitely past the bottom of the depreciation curve and prices for really good ones are strong. I’m not daft enough to believe these are an investment opportunity but for a few bags I reckon there’s fun to be had and some youthful memories to be relived!
I’ve been scouring Facebook and eBay for a few weeks with a wish list;
- either Chilli Red or Hyper Blue,
- contrasting roof (no sunroof),
- facelift with LSD
- no rust
An interesting one did turn up but was nearly 200 miles away! Having initially messaged the seller I decided buying a car notorious for paint and bodywork issues and almost certainly in need of mechanical sympathy without inspection was madness, so I left it. I subsequently viewed a couple of dogs and missed out on some nice cars which sold before I could view them - the search criteria meant pickings were slim within an easy drive of home so I went back to the far away car. It was still for sale and open to offers so a deal was struck for a 2006 Chilli red Cooper S with contrasting white roof, no (visible) rust and the LSD ‘box:
Now there were a couple of known issues baked in to the haggle and I’ve got a bit aside for the inevitable unknown. I figured any R53 in the price bracket will need a few bits doing near-term and more if it stays longer term. Luckily it’s not needed as a daily and can live in pieces in the garage, if required. Oh, and 1320mini aren’t far where it’ll be going for a once over as soon as it can.
Everything is in place to collect on Wednesday, just the 3 trains/4 hours to get there and a 4 hour drive home (I have already arranged breakdown cover!).
The long version:
Back when the new MINI was still new, I had one of the first generation Cooper S. I loved that car and nigh on 20 years later I still look back fondly:
In recent years I’ve tried various hot/sporty/fast cars, none of which have stuck and have been moved on in fairly short order. Currently we own nothing of interest and I daily a Skoda!
In the last few months I’ve really started to look at the R53 as a bit of a classic in the making. They’re definitely past the bottom of the depreciation curve and prices for really good ones are strong. I’m not daft enough to believe these are an investment opportunity but for a few bags I reckon there’s fun to be had and some youthful memories to be relived!
I’ve been scouring Facebook and eBay for a few weeks with a wish list;
- either Chilli Red or Hyper Blue,
- contrasting roof (no sunroof),
- facelift with LSD
- no rust
An interesting one did turn up but was nearly 200 miles away! Having initially messaged the seller I decided buying a car notorious for paint and bodywork issues and almost certainly in need of mechanical sympathy without inspection was madness, so I left it. I subsequently viewed a couple of dogs and missed out on some nice cars which sold before I could view them - the search criteria meant pickings were slim within an easy drive of home so I went back to the far away car. It was still for sale and open to offers so a deal was struck for a 2006 Chilli red Cooper S with contrasting white roof, no (visible) rust and the LSD ‘box:
Now there were a couple of known issues baked in to the haggle and I’ve got a bit aside for the inevitable unknown. I figured any R53 in the price bracket will need a few bits doing near-term and more if it stays longer term. Luckily it’s not needed as a daily and can live in pieces in the garage, if required. Oh, and 1320mini aren’t far where it’ll be going for a once over as soon as it can.
Everything is in place to collect on Wednesday, just the 3 trains/4 hours to get there and a 4 hour drive home (I have already arranged breakdown cover!).
ballans said:
Welcome back to the club!
There’s quite a few R53s on here and we seem to have built up a nice little community. Been really interesting to see which direction people take with their cars from track monsters to standard.
Obviously lots of other Mini specific forums but they seem to be mostly obsessed with lowering and de-chroming (especially Facebook) at the minute.
Yours looks a nice find so looking forward to reading your experiences. 20 year old cars now so plenty to keep you busy.
Cheers, finding one that hadn't been modified was also a must. Having not actually seen this one there could be some hidden tweeks but anything non-OEM will be getting binned. I actually managed to find the for-sale advert for this from 2 owners back. It was listed as original then and the current seller hasn't tinkered so fingers crossed!There’s quite a few R53s on here and we seem to have built up a nice little community. Been really interesting to see which direction people take with their cars from track monsters to standard.
Obviously lots of other Mini specific forums but they seem to be mostly obsessed with lowering and de-chroming (especially Facebook) at the minute.
Yours looks a nice find so looking forward to reading your experiences. 20 year old cars now so plenty to keep you busy.
I like the chrome, it's staying. Cosmetically I'm looking to add white bonnet stripes (deeply uncool with the Facebook groups) and possibly driving lamps (chrome, natch). I don't particularly like the style R91 'bullet' alloys but assuming they're true and the tyres hold air they'll be way down the list of jobs.
Court_S said:
I love these.
I had an Indi Blue metallic S with a white roof, black leather, heated seats and screen, six disc changer. I loved that car but I was glad of them AUC warranty. Despite being a low mileage car, it had a few issues resolved under warranty; new clutch, steering rack, track rod ends and immobiliser. It was an absolute hoot on a good B road. It liked a drink too.
I’d love another as a toy if I had the space.
My original one made good use of its warranty. Twice MINI had to recover it from my home to fix electrical faults which killed the battery. If (when) this one breaks it just has to sit on the naughty step until it can be fixed. Just hoping it doesn't strand me anywhere! I had an Indi Blue metallic S with a white roof, black leather, heated seats and screen, six disc changer. I loved that car but I was glad of them AUC warranty. Despite being a low mileage car, it had a few issues resolved under warranty; new clutch, steering rack, track rod ends and immobiliser. It was an absolute hoot on a good B road. It liked a drink too.
I’d love another as a toy if I had the space.
Well, that’s probably the best MPG I’ll ever see!
Despite a leaking expansion tank (replacement already ordered), it got me home. Already got a snag list but nothing mechanical I’m in any way surprised about. PAS pump is goosed, but I think it’s due to the wrong fluid rather than the typical electrical fault with the pump.
The only thing I’m slightly disappointed with is a couple of bodywork items. However, I’m a bit of an amateur detailer and these are things 99% of people probable wouldn’t ever notice.
Overall, for a 17 year old car at not that much more than shed money, I’m pleased. Lots to tinker with but that was half the point.
Despite a leaking expansion tank (replacement already ordered), it got me home. Already got a snag list but nothing mechanical I’m in any way surprised about. PAS pump is goosed, but I think it’s due to the wrong fluid rather than the typical electrical fault with the pump.
The only thing I’m slightly disappointed with is a couple of bodywork items. However, I’m a bit of an amateur detailer and these are things 99% of people probable wouldn’t ever notice.
Overall, for a 17 year old car at not that much more than shed money, I’m pleased. Lots to tinker with but that was half the point.
C70R said:
Sweet spot for me would be to find one at £2-3k, spend a little bit of time/money doing preventative on the common niggles
That's where I landed with this one. Pretty much anything <£2K is not much better than scrap but over £4K is madness for what these are. Loads of dreamers who think theirs are minters but in reality will need just as much spent as a car half the price. All that excludes the heavily modified cohort who think £2K of mods add the same to the value!Anyways, here's this one's new habitat for a couple of weeks:
As mentioned previously, there's a bit of a snag-list falling in to 3 categories of: urgent, preventative and nice to have. So far this is:
Urgent:
- Change expansion tank, flush coolant system and refill with G48
- Replace low-speed fan resistor
- Replace PAS pump. Also going to do the reservoir as apparently it has a built in filter and the CHF is murky (my initial fear that the wrong fluid was in there proved wrong once I got a proper look in better light; it's just dirty not red!)
- Replace rear wiper motor and wiper arm. It's pissing fluid in to the boot and the arm disintegrated when I tried to remove it!
- New wiper blades. 4 hours of squealing wipers was a bit tiresome yesterday
Preventative:
- Dipstick. Metal one ordered
- Rear window trim. Rubber has perished and don't want water to sit in an area prone to rot
- check behind rear lights and tidy/rust proof as required
- Fuel filter
- Supercharger service (this will get relatively expensive as there's a bunch of other stuff you 'might as well' do whilst it's off). Will be going to 1320mini for this and to get suspected idler pulley investigated plus whatever other horrors unfold
Nice to have:
- 4 better tyres
- nicer wheels
- suspension refresh and the crusty underside sorting
- aero side skirts
- driving lamps
- bonnet stripes
- new side repeaters
Overall, I do think this car has spent the majority of its life being loved. It's a very straight car and the interior is in fantastic condition. There's just a few things that come naturally with age that recent owners have avoided but I'm hoping to have gone in with eyes wide open and not to get stung with anything too nasty. Fingers crossed!
Edited by tallpaul26 on Thursday 23 February 16:09
Andy_5 said:
That drivers door does a look a different shade of red to the rest of the car though......
I think that's a bit of an artificial thing due the angles of the panels. I don't see it by eye and I'm pretty critical of these things. One of the sellers photos made the passenger door look a different colour too but I don't see it by eye. Chilli red is a notoriously unstable colour, so different panels may have faded at different rates too.I'm going to push it out of the garage tomorrow to scrub off the salt from yesterday's drive so will make a better assessment then.
PS4 are quite pricey, looking at Kumho Ecsta PS71 as a compromise. The tyres on it now are non-rft and have plenty of tread, sadly they’re not much better than ditch finders!
Alloys are a subjective thing. They need to have been an OEM option for the R53 in 2006. R98 web spokes would probably be first choice a la my original MINI. R90 cross-spokes also in the mix. Neither are cheap options and could be tricky to find someone to do a good job refurbing.
Alloys are a subjective thing. They need to have been an OEM option for the R53 in 2006. R98 web spokes would probably be first choice a la my original MINI. R90 cross-spokes also in the mix. Neither are cheap options and could be tricky to find someone to do a good job refurbing.
C70R said:
ATS Euromaster have/had an excellent deal on Goodyear Assy 6s if you buy a set of 4. If it's still going, you should get a set for ~£300 fitted. They are every bit as good as the PS4.
Coming in at £440 with their current offer. £75 per corner sounds crazy cheap but I'll keep my eye out for other deals, thank youBath time!
Pleased to see no sign of rust whatsoever around the rear lights or elsewhere on the tailgate:
Did hoover a load of insects out of the light clusters whilst I was there. New (used) wiper motor arrived whilst I was outside so popped that on too.
Jobs for this weekend are to drain the coolant and flush the system and remove the dead PAS pump to send off for exchange.
Pleased to see no sign of rust whatsoever around the rear lights or elsewhere on the tailgate:
Did hoover a load of insects out of the light clusters whilst I was there. New (used) wiper motor arrived whilst I was outside so popped that on too.
Jobs for this weekend are to drain the coolant and flush the system and remove the dead PAS pump to send off for exchange.
The PAS pump was a complete t
t to remove but at least it’s out.
Radiator is also out. It looks ok and no sign of leaks but I’m minded to change it anyway. The AC condenser is dead, got a mobile guy coming to remove any residual coolant before I remove it.
Also have an oil leak from the front of the block. The very helpful Facebook feedback is crank sensor o-ring so I’ll add that to the list. Need to spend a couple of hours on realOEM getting the part numbers for a bunch of fasteners that are either missing, wrong or toast.
Took longer than I’d hoped but the weekends objectives have been met and I’ve not discovered anything ruinously expensive or terminal (yet).
t to remove but at least it’s out. Radiator is also out. It looks ok and no sign of leaks but I’m minded to change it anyway. The AC condenser is dead, got a mobile guy coming to remove any residual coolant before I remove it.
Also have an oil leak from the front of the block. The very helpful Facebook feedback is crank sensor o-ring so I’ll add that to the list. Need to spend a couple of hours on realOEM getting the part numbers for a bunch of fasteners that are either missing, wrong or toast.
Took longer than I’d hoped but the weekends objectives have been met and I’ve not discovered anything ruinously expensive or terminal (yet).
The list grows:
Urgent:
- Change expansion tank, flush coolant system and refill with G48
- Replace low-speed fan resistor
- Replace PAS pump. Also going to do the reservoir as apparently it has a built in filter and the CHF is murky (my initial fear that the wrong fluid was in there proved wrong once I got a proper look in better light; it's just dirty not red!)
- Replace rear wiper motor and wiper arm. It's pissing fluid in to the boot and the arm disintegrated when I tried to remove it!
- New wiper blades. 4 hours of squealing wipers was a bit tiresome yesterday
- crank sensor o-ring
- dipstick tube o-ring
- AC condenser
- PAS pump fan
- PAS hose
Preventative:
- Dipstick. Metal one ordered
- Rear window trim. Rubber has perished and don't want water to sit in an area prone to rot
- check behind rear lights and tidy/rust proof as required
- Fuel filter
- Supercharger service (this will get relatively expensive as there's a bunch of other stuff you 'might as well' do whilst it's off). Will be going to 1320mini for this and to get suspected idler pulley investigated plus whatever other horrors unfold
- radiator
Nice to have:
- 4 better tyres
- nicer wheels
- suspension refresh and the crusty underside sorting
- aero side skirts
- driving lamps
- bonnet stripes
- new side repeaters
- new rear fog lamp
- polish headlights
Urgent:
- Change expansion tank, flush coolant system and refill with G48
- Replace low-speed fan resistor
- Replace PAS pump. Also going to do the reservoir as apparently it has a built in filter and the CHF is murky (my initial fear that the wrong fluid was in there proved wrong once I got a proper look in better light; it's just dirty not red!)
- Replace rear wiper motor and wiper arm. It's pissing fluid in to the boot and the arm disintegrated when I tried to remove it!
- New wiper blades. 4 hours of squealing wipers was a bit tiresome yesterday
- crank sensor o-ring
- dipstick tube o-ring
- AC condenser
- PAS pump fan
- PAS hose
Preventative:
- Dipstick. Metal one ordered
- Rear window trim. Rubber has perished and don't want water to sit in an area prone to rot
- check behind rear lights and tidy/rust proof as required
- Fuel filter
- Supercharger service (this will get relatively expensive as there's a bunch of other stuff you 'might as well' do whilst it's off). Will be going to 1320mini for this and to get suspected idler pulley investigated plus whatever other horrors unfold
- radiator
Nice to have:
- 4 better tyres
- nicer wheels
- suspension refresh and the crusty underside sorting
- aero side skirts
- driving lamps
- bonnet stripes
- new side repeaters
- new rear fog lamp
- polish headlights
Waking up to a 41%discount on AUTODOC made up my mind about ordering the rad. £75 for a Nissens one, same again for their AC condenser. Order in at LLLParts for loads of fasteners too.
I think I’m at the point where I’m just waiting for parts to put it back together and it be driveable again. Then I can book the supercharger service.
While it’s sat I’m showing the battery some love:
I think I’m at the point where I’m just waiting for parts to put it back together and it be driveable again. Then I can book the supercharger service.
While it’s sat I’m showing the battery some love:
President Merkin said:
TBH if you've gone as far as taking off the radiator assembly, you may as well do the supercharger service yourself. It's only a few bolts further in, isn't particularly challenging to do & it has to come off anyway to get to the crank sensor o -ring. Go on, you know you want to!
SC can stay in place for the crank sensor o-ring; it's about half way up the front of the block so unrestricted access with the rads out.Honestly, I am tempted to do the SC service myself but part of the logic of getting a specialist to do it is their once-over of other bits whilst it's apart. They can see what I've missed or may be worth getting done preventatively.
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