I am looking at a 2006 Cooper S at the local dealer. About 30K miles. It is NEXT certified, has sport package, leather, some kind of alloy wheels that were an option, convenience package, premium package, harmon-kardon stereo. Looks good, drives great - but, of course, I'm a newbie.

Couple questions:

Does it make any sense to drive one of these on business trips and possibly pile up some miles? I see me putting on maybe 35K per year.

Is the cost of routine maintenance high for those kinds of miles?

Do these kinds of miles really hurt the value of a MINI?

What should I give for this car? The dealer claims that the out-the-door difference between this one and a new 2009 is about $7800. That seems a little close to me.

Is the NEXT program a good one to get? Any experiences with NEXT warranty out there?

Thanks much. Only driven a MINI once on this test drive. Very addictive.

JG

 

With 15K maintenance /oil changes running those higher miles will really not hurt you too bad ...
Unfortunately low mileage Mini's REALLY hold their values wellLast Year I looked at turning in my 05s with 18K and the trade in was within 2K of what I paid ...

I've got no experience on the NEXT program for warranty ect so can't make a comment on it ...

 

As "bad venge" already stated Mini's hold their value pretty well. I bought my 03 MCS back in june 08, for $17,750 with 22k on the odometer. I got a steal, it had numerous modifications, i.e. air-to-water intercooler, K&N, 15% sc pulley, larger injectors, demon coil, nology plug wires, borla cat-back exhaust, etc..etc. The big question is, what is the asking price for the Mini? And does that cost justify not getting a new car with a full warranty? Mini's can be very tempormental at times. What does the NEXT warranty cover? And for how long? Most Mini's come with a factory 3 yr maintenance warranty, meaning the Mini will do any maintenace or repair work needed on the car for 3 years or 36,000 miles.After the warranty expires, you can look at paying for oil changes, maintenance etc. If you are mechanically inclined like me, maintenance isn't a problem. But these cars can be quite expensive to repair if you indeed have an issue. So think about that. As for racking up the miles, Mini's can be a great commuter car. I commute everyday, and they are good on gas, as long as you keep that big fat foot off the excellarator, and that's pretty hard to do trust me. What you need to do is a cost benefit analysis, or the pros and cons, of buying used versus new. Think long and hard about this, don't just rush into it.
Can you live with this car for the next 4 years, some people complain about the bumpy ride, the squeaks and rattles. Mini are made by BMW, but these cars aren't 7 series. Their not the high quality of a car, but they are great fun, man do these little cars have spirit, and they handle like a go cart. I call my car the Hamster, and it has Hamster Power under the bonnet. Mini's Rule......

 

They want $19,988 for the car. The NEXT warranty is basically a power train warranty that also covers A/C components and some other things out to 6 years from new and 100K miles.Cosmetically, the car looks good, has a clean CarFax and runs & shifts fine. Tires appear to be new. For about another $8000 I can have a new one, but I have a self imposed budget that precludes that much dough.

So, is it a really, really good deal? Or so-so, or what?

 

It sounds like an average deal to me .... If it's in the price range and you like it the warranty is a nice perk ...

 

If the warranty does in fact cover what you say, then I think that it's a great deal. Most Mini's for sale with around 30k miles, sell around 20-23K, on average. But buying any used car is a crap shoot, you never know what your getting even with a carfax. But with a warranty, go for it.