I want to get one in the 8-10 thousand dollar range. There seem to be plenty available.
I want to know a few things.
1. Any years to avoid?
2. Is it worth getting the S model? Any reliability issues with supercharger?
3. I'll need to put a trailer hitch for my small utility trailers. Are there any years better suited for installing a hitch.
4. When inspecting a possible purchase, is there anything I should ask or any area where a little more scrutiny is desired.


I couldn't think of a better place to get this info than this forum.


Thanks for any input.

 

What year are you thinking about mostly? There is a great buyers guide for the R53 MINI here that you can read up on with the common issues/failures.

 

Thanks for the info. However, after a little searching I came upon this video on replacing the alternator


I see a lot of potential for some costly repairs. I do most of the work on my cars and this one looks like a pain in the butt to work on.


Need to rethink things.

 

If you're looking for a MINI, I'd recommend a newer gen with a warranty. Here is a thread about the R56 and some issues people have faced so far. MINI's do tend to require maintenance. If you're looking for something in terms of reliability and minimum costly repairs, I would probably look into something else. However, if you are DIY inclined and don't mind fixing the common failures on these cars, they are a lot of fun to own. If not, it would be good to rethink things.

 

I would go for a cooper s,great fun car,would not put a tow hitch on as not a car for towing anything. So long as the car you are looking to purchase has documented history of oil and filter changes no real issues,but a used car will always have a few ongoing costs.please don't fit a tow hitch it will be a real stress on the car.

 

I am looking at purchasing a mini cooper s from 2005. The dealer listed the car as having full service history, however on closer inspection there was a discrepancy. It had its first service at 16,000 miles. However after that it did not have another service until 68,000 when it had a full service 2. From that point on it was having regular yearly services. In the last 1000 miles it has had a GTT 220 horsepower tuning work done on it and a full service at the same time.

My question is, should I be concerned about that first gap in its service history? Is there any real chance I would be looking at any problems in the future? I am only likely to be doing 4000 miles a year, so it would really be light usage from my ownership on. I just want to get a feel for how concerned I should be by that first gap in service history.