[tagsonline]

Hi Guys,
I am looking to purchase a cooper from a main dealer (Cherished)
and have up to 11500k to spend, i reckon this should get me a tidy 2002 + chilli pack
I have never owned a mini before, but i think they're as cool as F***! and now i must have 1!
any tips on what to look out for, potential problems etc etc.
any help/advice is appreciated.
Cheers Tags.

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Personally, I wouldn't go to a MINI dealer and buy a cherished used car. You will wind up paying top dollar for a used car, paying not much less than you might for a new one.

The cost of a basic new Cooper is about £12700 which will give you a full 3 year's manufacturer's warranty, TLC for the 3 years / 50,000 miles and all of the detail improvements in build quality that have happened since production started.

OK, so we are £1,200 adrift here. If this is impossible, or you really would like all of the extra gadgets that people wind up ordering with them, then I would go the private used route. Mini2 for sale is a good start and other than that I would look for a private sale through the Autotrader website. Get a car that is 12-18 months old and you will still have the balance of the manufacturer's 3 year warranty and TLC, so what extra are you getting by going to a dealer? Just pay the extra for an RAC inspection and / or HPI check when you are spending this sort of money privately. At least by buying privately you get to meet the previous owner and guage what they are like and how they would have looked after the car.

I know where there's a really nice, well kitted, Cooper S going for £14,000 on this site. Bet you wind up spending more than the budget you originally set yourself, everyone does!

Tigger.

PS It's well worth going privately to allow that budget to get you a later car as, from feedback on this forum, their build quality does seem to have improved markedly during '03/'04.

[Facer]

Quote: Originally Posted by tagsonline

Hi Guys,
I am looking to purchase a cooper from a main dealer (Cherished)
and have up to 11500k to spend, i reckon this should get me a tidy 2002 + chilli pack
I have never owned a mini before, but i think they're as cool as F***! and now i must have 1!
any tips on what to look out for, potential problems etc etc.
any help/advice is appreciated.
Cheers Tags.

Mate, if your local cherished is charging 11.5 grand for a kitted cooper 2002, don't take it. Check out some other cherished dealers, I have seen coopers with about 2 grands worth of kit (including chilli), 2002, for £10k. And don't forget you can bring them down another £500 by haggling....