Canadian wanting a Cooper S 2005~2006
 

I'm looking to get a used 2005~2006 Cooper or Cooper S w manual transmission. It's to drive year round, I have a 124 Spider Abarth for the summer but I store that away in the winter. What should I look for when inspecting one? I watched the YouTube videos and read the reviews, I'm fairly handy with tools without being a mechanic I'm able to perform some basic/simple troubleshooting and I'm actually quite good with electricity.
My budget for this car is ~3500$ or so.
I know they're not the most reliable cars out there but I just refuse to drive a Japanese econobox or a Korean tin can and I don't want another big car (I also have a CTS for longer trips.)
Any insight is appreciated.
Thank you.