I have a 2010 Mini Cooper S, purchased new about a year and a half ago. Over the first year and 2 or 3 months I had to bring my vehicle into the dealership because it was dying after hot starts. Every time they either couldn't reproduce the event, or they would attempt a fix that did nothing. I ended up suing through a lemon law lawyer, but during the process of negotiating I brought they vehicle in again after I couldn't get it started on a hot start. At this time Mini had put out a computer fix that effected my model, which specifically fixed an issue with vehicles dying on hot starts. This completely fixed the issue, quick and easy, but the lawsuit went through for the hassle I went through for a year of bringing my vehicle in over and over again. It was a small 3.5k settlement.


Besides that, I have 25k miles on it. No damage, no dents, only scratches on the bumper from city parking as expected. Inside is perfect still.

Work recently slowed down for me and I am looking to sell my vehicle and buy something cheaper, hopefully something cheap enough to be covered by the selling of my Mini. I want to know if I can get an honest appraisal of my vehicle at a Mini dealership, or if the numerous times I brought it in and then the lawsuit will effect that.

what is my best option for getting a trade in appraisal, and if I sell the vehicle myself can I expect the old issues to effect the cost? Sorry I have never sold a vehicle before or bought a used one, so I am not sure how it all works. The several times I brought my vehicle in looks bad if any person looking up my car history can see that information, even though it was all just a small computer error that was fixed. It worries me and I have divulged everything here in hopes of finding the best process for selling my Mini.