[jdmini]

hey all

dunno if anyone remembers but i come on here a couple of months asking about a mini one as couldnt insure a cooper, but bizarrely mr insurance will let me have one now and its a nice price too

well since i found that out, i went straight on the autotrader looking for coopers - only looked at the trade ones as i want it now n dont want the hassle of selling mine etc etc

i may be loosing a bit on my current car but none the less i have wanted a mini for 12 months now and finally have the chance to get one

i found one which aint too far from mine at a very reputable garage, went for a quick look this afternoon

2001 51 Reg MINI Cooper 1.6 - priced at £8695
3 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 40,000 miles, Blue. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Head restraints, Folding rear seats, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Remote locking, Radio/Cassette, Side airbags, Rear headrests.Insurance Group:8, 17" S-Type alloy Wheels, Chilli Pack, Half Leather Interior, Immaculate

needless to say i wanted it, and yes it was the first one i had been to look at but still as it says on the advert it was imaculate inside and out !!! they salesman took me out in it as i didnt know the roads too well and it drove very well (am gonna take a test drive tomorrow)

i no you should shop around but briefly talkin over figures of tradeing mine against it, seemed to be a good deal

when i do go back to look at it tommorrow is there anythin i should look for in particular for that age and model maybe ?

any help apprieciated

J

[:: Jon ::]

try and knock them down... offer around £7800 - £8200



THIS IS STANDARD EQUIPMENT
ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Head restraints, Folding rear seats, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Remote locking, Radio/Cassette, Side airbags, Rear headrests

[jdmini]

what pack is it on the car

chilli pepper ?

[:: Jon ::]

youve quoted it has a chilli pk

[jdmini]

o yeah didnt see that bit whoopsie

anything to look out for when looking at it ?

[:: Jon ::]

full service history,

check if its had any work done to the drive shafts as in older models these have worn.. and can cost a fair bit to replace,

gearbox - ask if its had any replacements as if you search on here you'll find a few people have had some issues with engaging 1st & reverse

check for the usual interior marks, you want it in as good of a condition as possible for its age.

you want 12months tax
and 12 months mot too

[Lawrothegreat]

Hi there,

I can't help thinking this price is really steep considering a new model is out. I know trading into the dealer makes it easy but still - shop around! Put it this way I have a Dec 2004 registered (so nearly 2005) Cooper with Chili pack with nearly 40k miles which I will be selling soon and I think I would take £9k if there were not better offers.

[jdmini]

he mentioned about it having TLC - that is full bmw sh aint it ?

will double check that when i go tho - will any problems show up on the service book?

interior was spotless when i had a look today , there was a set of fitted mats in the boot too

i asked today about any movement on the price and he replied with we could give me little more for my car - which is just as good as lowering the price on the mini really. if i get what they offer i will be more than happy

one thing i did notice is that it dont have air con, do a lot of mini's have air con ?

[:: Jon ::]

have a look here and see what you can find


MINI Cherished.co.uk

[jdmini]

i have been looking round on and off for a couple of weeks now and without travelling long distances there aint many around me, on autotrader and in the paper with local garages.

one of the things that attracted me to this is , 1 the colour and 2 the wheels - i know the wheels can be added on on as extra, but the bodywork was very clean, didnt notice any scuffs anywhere and wheels were all unkerbed

i have a week off from work, and want to get it all sorted as if i keep mine any longer i will have to pay out for some things when i have spent quite a bit getting it all major serviced

hopefully there will be some budge on the price, i can only 'haggle' it wont hurt lol

[jdmini]

nothin on there

thanks for all your help, much apprieciated

[Lawrothegreat]

Quote: Originally Posted by jdmini (original)

nothin on there

thanks for all your help, much apprieciated

Don't rush into it!!! I get the feeling you've got very excited about this and just want to buy the car because it was in good condition. There are plenty of MINIs around, and generally they are in good condition. Just makesure you are happy with the price by comparing it with what else is on mini cherished (obviously you pay more via dealers) but check some private ads and ebay too quickly so you are happy with paying the premium. Good luck.

[Scrogg]

The most important factor in buying a car is that you are totally happy with it.

As long as there is nothing cosmetically (bearing in mind its age and that it will never be a new car again) or mechanically wrong with the MINI, and you are happy with the deal you are being offered, then go for it.

There isn't a reputable garage in the country that will object to you having the car independently inspected (both the RAC and AA offer this service) before signing an order, and any MINI dealer worth knowing will check the spec and history of the car for you.

Make sure you get 12 months MOT and a warranty and you've got the whole package!

[:: Jon ::]

it took me 5 months to find the right one

[jdmini]

you've been great help guys

hopefully you will hear a lot more of me on the forums

[humph]

Some good stuff written above. From experience it's gearbox & clutch, oh and rattles. You say the dealer is talking about TLC but my guess is that there is no TLC left on this car. TLC covers 5 yrs (this car is 2001) or 50K, but the car tells you when it needs a service and most seem to have their last TLC service at 40K ish (my last one ended at 30K ). TLC covers a set number of services and not a set time or mileage.

Best of luck in your quest but remeber there are plenty of MINI's out there don't rush in to buying the first you see. Virtually every independant garage round here has at least one and 90% are overpriced, as none of them have got a clue how to price one.

[Ralph'sPop]

yeah, why don't you go visit a MINI dealer? they generally have more than just one--if you get my drift...

and relax, if the salesguy perceives that you're under time pressure, he's not gonna let go on the price. the best negotiating tool is to get up and walk, and really mean it.

best of luck. i know how hard it is when you get infatuated...

[Tracie]

Make sure it doesn't pull to the left..and take it over some bumpy roads to see if there are any dashboard rattles and squeaks
I'd try and find a couple more to look and if you can, if you in no hurry there will probably be more to look at in the weeks to come as ppls trade there old one in for the new R56..you may find a newer one for the same sort of money

[Tracie]

They don't look like RunFlats (?I could be wrong)) either from the picture, would you be happy/unhappy with that?

[jdmini]

i will check all the points that you have mentioned when i go

the road he took me down y.day was a country lane over speed bumps etc and couldnt hear any rattles, but i will listen out for them

i iwll check the tyres they did look like they had good tred but will check if they are runflats, are they like a mini must kinda thing?

when i go today will go past the mini garage and just check what is there

like someboday said about the priceings on mini's, to me they are all over the place when i look on autotrader and in the paper. in my area for this price bracket, they all have very similar miles and similar age.

i wont get this one if i aint happy and certainly wont get it if me dad doesnt like it (as he has the final say)

thanks again for all your advice