advice needed on buying my first mini

[15LSP]

Hi Guys!

Im looking to buy a second hand Mini is there anything that I need to look for ie faults etc. My mum has a mini one which is brilliant so now I want one! Im not in a rush to buy so would I be better of waiting until september in the hope that the price will drop slightly when the new regs come out?

I know all minis are different but is there any extras that you think are a must? I have to have bonnet strips

Thanks Laura

[Jordan210]

bonnet stripes can be added on after for a small cost AIRCON is a must sport seats are nice all depens on your budget

[zyo]

The prices may slip a little on the current model when the next generation model hits the streets later this year, i've heard people say that that won't be the case but if you think of all the people part exing their old MINI for the new model then the dealers will probably end up with an over supply of used stock which they will want to shift. Thats presuming everyone wants the new model, because so far reactions have been a little mixed, somebody pointed out the other day that if nobody likes the new one then the prices of the older used models will be very healthy.
Have you thought about buying new, obviously it depends on your budget but things like PCP (personal contract plan) can make MINI ownership a little cheaper, the only problem as any MINI owner will tell you is that when you start speccing your own new MINI you can get a little carried away with all the 'ohh i've got to have that' options catalogue. One last thing..get your bonnet stripes done by a vehicle vinyl graphic specialist( the sort you can find in the yellow pages) its a damn site cheaper than the dealer.

[15LSP]

thanks for the helpful advice. I would love a new mini but with all the extras I want it comes to over £19 k, I got slighty carried away :-0 My budget is set at 10k.

Where as buying second hand I can get more extras for my money. Maybe a couple of years down the line I can part ex it for a new one.

[Jordan210]

19 thats quite good i speced my first ONE up to 21k got it down to 14k in the end brand new

Have you looked on minis site at the 2nd had ones

colours you want ?


for 10k you will be looking at a pre face lift car

[ALD0]

Hi Laura, as prev said stripes are pretty easy to get fitted.
Half leather sports seats are nice to have as with the Harmon Kardon uprated stereo.
prefer Sunroof over air con but one of thsoe will keep the value of the car for when you came to sell, you should be able to pick up a 04/64 reg for 10k mark, the values are already dropping with the new model coming out later this year.

[KillerByte]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jordan210

for 10k you will be looking at a pre face lift car

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I bought my 52 plate MINI Cooper in April for roughly £8,700. It only had 37,000 miles on the clock too and only one previous owner.

[15LSP]

my mum's mini has full leather & a panoramic roof so i would like that! As for colours Im not too fussed. I had a old cream mini with black bonnet stripes when I was learning to drive so it would be great to get an updated version of that :-)

Well thanks for the great info, as I said im in no rush to buy so I can take my time looking for my perfect mini. Ive been to my local bmw dealers & seen one I like but its best to shop around first. I also saw one for £7,000 which was in good condition - 51 plate - but it was sold this morning.

Thanks, Laura

[Jordan210]

Quote: Originally Posted by KillerByte

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I bought my 52 plate MINI Cooper in April for roughly £8,700. It only had 37,000 miles on the clock too and only one previous owner.

nope there is nothing rong wiht that i dint mean it in a bad way my brothers car had it befor he got the aero kit


Laura where are u in the uk ?

[15LSP]

Quote:

Laura where are u in the uk

I live near Blackpool, Lancashire

[minicore]

Quote: Originally Posted by 15LSP

Where as buying second hand I can get more extras for my money. Maybe a couple of years down the line I can part ex it for a new one.

That's exactly what I did - bought a MINI One, then a couple of months ago decided to buy myself a brand new MCS... but ended up buying a nearly new Cooper S Works instead. Not sure where I can go from here though - maybe a new MCSWC in a year or two?

By the way, you have a PM.

[zyo]

Surely if you live in Blackpool you will need neon undercar illuminations

[minicore]

Quote: Originally Posted by zyo

Surely if you live in Blackpool you will need neon undercar illuminations

That's a:

And a:

...all at the same time.