I have the final sale locked in... a 2003 Mini Cooper (non S) with only 125K miles on it. It does have the service engine light on with the pre-cat O2 sensor as the culprit and it is hesitating pretty bad in first and second gear. The dealership says that this will all clear right up as soon as that O2 sensor is changed out. Is this true? If it is, then I would throw money down on it tomorrow.

I also hears something about these models having gearbox issues.... What is the story on that? Thank all!

 

I don't know much about the O2 sensor problem you're having but I do know about the gearboxes. Yes it's true. The gearboxes do go out on the Gen 1 non S Minis. It's just they made them. Hope this helps a little.

 

Make sure the dealership absolutely fixes all issues above before you purchase. MINI's do require a bit of maintenance, but if you get one that is well maintained and has little to no issues, you should be fine. You can read through our tech articles here, which provide a lot of detail about some of the common issues with your year MINI. Let us know if you pick it up! You will love driving a MINI!

 

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