Hey all,

I can't afford a brand new MIni but as I am looking through the local car trader mags I am seeing coopers and MCS crop up in the most random of spots ( Chevy, Honda dealers etc.) and they all have no more than 5K on the Odo is there something I should know here because the price is right in my range. What do I risk in going with a used cooper with such low miles?

Cheers,

Stan

im in the same boat as you, but i found a dealer here in so cali that is looking pretty affordable for normal coopers

is therey anything we should look for if we decide to buy used?

Originally posted by Goodspeed
Hey all,

I can't afford a brand new MIni but as I am looking through the local car trader mags I am seeing coopers and MCS crop up in the most random of spots ( Chevy, Honda dealers etc.) and they all have no more than 5K on the Odo is there something I should know here because the price is right in my range. What do I risk in going with a used cooper with such low miles?


The only thing I think you might risk is if the cars for sale are former dealer demo models. If so, they probably were driven very hard and abused by eager test drivers (and salespeople) trying to wring out every ounce of performance from the start. Then again, some new MINI owners did the same thing to their new cars! :D

Still, a low mileage car like that will be under full factory warranty just like if you were the original owner. Are the Chevy or Honda dealers selling the used MINIs at good prices? (soon after the launch of the MINI in the US last March, non-MINI dealers were marking up 'used/ex-demo' MINIs higher than new MINIs from the MINI dealers).

Well the prices are competitive. I had also thought about the possibility of them being demo cars which makes me want to run and hide because we all know how we drive demo cars. My dilemma is that I want to keep the price as close to 20k as possible and if I buy a brand new cooper with all the stuff I want it's below 21K which is nice. However a S with the stuff I want is too much money and I'm not really sure what the insurance difference or fuel economy differences are. I'm trying to keep my mini experience as cheap as possible. I've driven the Cooper and it's not _that_ slow. Even edmunds.com and other magazines are saying it needs more HP. I dunno I suppose this is the etnernal debate around here. Is there any way to tell if a car has been a demo car?

I don't think there is any way to tell for sure if a car was a demo. But, I think a MINI would take the abuse of being a demo pretty well. The BMW computer can tell if the engine has ever been over-revved. So as long as it's under warranty, I wouldn't worry about its having been a demo.

Actually, I think it would be worse if it was owned by an individual. If the former owner lost his job, or was moving up to an S or an M3, that would be a legitimate reason to sell. Otherwise, what would cause a person to sell a perfect, nearly-new MINI? Hmmm...

as i've been pricing out a Cooper I found it to be quite affordable and well within my range. A cooper S is definately cooler but not enough to warrant the added cost, fuel consumption, insurance and most of all the temptation. What dealers do you all suggest in the greater new england area.

Originally posted by Goodspeed
...A cooper S is definately cooler but not enough to warrant the added cost, fuel consumption, insurance ...

A minor point. It may not make sense considering the difference in engine output, but I don't think most insurance companies in the US charge more for a Cooper S over a standard Cooper.

If that was the primary reason not to consider a S, you may want to check with your insurance company to see if there is a difference in premiums.