Yet Another "what to look for when buying a mini" thread! lol

[WilsonJPS]

First of all, hello people! Nice to be here, and hopefully looking forward to staying a while

Right...

I know this has been asked 1000 times but when I did a quick search alot of the questions were asked a while ago and I know the market changes all the time.

Looking at getting myself a Cooper S! Older model with the supercharger as I just LOVEEEEE the sound! ahaa!

So I have a few questions....

1) Are there any easy to spot signs of a poorly looked after car? I heard the radiator can "bow" if it's been driven too hard for too long?

2) Any certain "knocks" to listen for? Driveshaft? Steering rack?

3) Whats the deal with the supercharger? Should the belt or fans or anything be changed at certain intervals? (60k miles or something?)

4) Is it really worth having the upgraded sound system? If so how much would it increase the value of the car?

5) Is the sat-nav decent? And would it be a deal breaker between two cars?

Reason I'm asking is I've found two cars I like the look of.. body work on both is clean and engines sound really nice!

First Car:
2003 Gun Metal Grey
75,000 miles
Half leather, cruise control, normal sound system
£5,200

Second Car:
2003 Black
64,000 miles
Full leather, sat nav, cruise control, upgraded sound system
£5,700


I know it's probably a stupid comparison as on paper the second car is a much better deal but obviously I'm dubious about the price as it seems a little low... making me think something might be wrong with it?

Anyways thanks for reading the essay I have wrote but hopefully it provides all the info for you knowledgeable people to answer my questions and give me feedback!

Cheers Guys n Girls!

[3bars]

£5700 low for a ten year old car

Seriously though, less milage always wins!!!

[WilsonJPS]

It was registered late 03 so it's about 8 n a half...

Like I said I don't know what a good price is for a Mini, let alone one with all the extra's

[mab01uk]

These Buyers Guides may also help:
USA
MotoringFile MINI R50/R53 Buyers Guide
UK
Buying guide : MINI 2001-2007 | AROnline

Parkers will give you a rough guide to prices:
Free Car Valuation | Used Car Price Guide and Valuations | Parkers

[Taylor3]

Steering pump went on my 53 plate .... £800 later

No warning just got in it one day in a multi storey car park and no power steering, managed to get it out with difficulty and limp it home then off to the garage, was later told it a common problem and reading up on forums now am annoyed that I didn't know more about it sooner.

Also the clutch was getting a bit sticky, hopefully not my driving style! Not sure if this is common or not, it had done about 54,000, I owned it from new.

Run flats are a pain in the *rse if you have a lot of pot holes where you are, mine seemed to lose pressure and I was for ever in the garage putting in air, not sure if the bad holes had dented the alloys rims hence the loss of pressure as it always seemed to be the near side wheels, nearest the curb and hence the pot holes.

Other than that it was a fab car and I would still have it today if some *&stard hadn't written it off!!!