[ricky911]

Hello

I have only just started looking for a Cooper S and was wondering what if anything goes wrong and what should i be looking for when viewing potential cars

I am willing to spend around the £9k mark

Many thanks

Richard

[Fu Manchu]

A good starting point is to buy the best, newest car you can afford. Post July 04 cars, (post facelift), have more bhp, and better gearing to pre July of models. The facelift also sorted a few minor built niggles, and this developepent was continued quietly until the 1st Gen cars topped in Oct 06. Look for any signs of neglect or abuse, i wouldn't advise buying an MCS that hasn't been cared for. MINI's tend to be their owners pride and joy, and there are plenty of these for sale, so stay clear of neglected examples. Be aware that TLC covers a set number of services and is not 5yrs/50k miles that some independant dealers will tell you. Do a search for TLC and check how much if any the car you are looking at still has. Do all the checks you normally would for any car you were planning on buying. Good luck. Check out the site classifieds.

[ricky911]

Thanks Humph for the quick response

Much appreciated

[3rdpillar]

Dont be put off by high millage, motorway miles wont kill a R53.

[Fu Manchu]

No problem, sorry it's not more technical. Just to clarify the TLC issue you get the following services only included in the package. The mileages vary so TLC can in fact run out far sooner than the 50k/5yr that MINI advertise, my last MINI ran out at 32K ish.

As part of TLC you get:

10k 1st oil service
25k Inspection 1
35k 2nd oil service
Brake fluid change at 2 years old.
(bear in mind the above mileages will vary car-to-car)

Bear in mind that the big 50k inspection 2 service is not included in the original TLC. If you're nearing 50k miles, it's likely that the TLC vouchers will have all been used up, and you'll need to plump for TLC XL. If you wish to extend you can buy TLC XL for about £300, and that includes:

circa 50k Inspection 2 service
circa 65k Oil Service
Brake Fluid Change at 4 years old

A couple of tips on knowing when any MINI you are looking at needs it's next service. When you8 turn the ignition key a figure will be displayed in the central speedo for about ten seconds. this is the distance to the cars next service. If you press the trip reset button whilst this mileage is displayed you will get the number of days until the brake fluid change.

Check for abused clutch, and listen for rattles in the cabin. Watch out for loss of power at about 2-3k revs under hard acceleration, this may mean the car needs a new supercharger bypass valve.

MINIs can be camber sensitive, but watch out for excessive pulling to the left. There was an early recall for this, but it was sorted.
Just a bit more for you

[Razorlite]

Rattles in the cabin? I've never yet come across a R53 that didnt rattle in some way or form?

[tickler]

If the sunroof seems slow it may need to be changed. I got this covered on an extended warranty, but could cost quite a bit."Clicking" on acceleration\deacc. in lower speeds from front wheels. This may be a worn axel linkage or something. (Read about it in the forum). I got this problem, but dont got the cash to sort it.Squeeking\clicking from steering wheel when doing small radius turns. This is the bearing wich keeps the wires in order when turning. I dont got the cash for this eitherAnd last, back breaks get worn fast..

[Mull3t]

Quote: Originally Posted by Humph (original)

MINIs can be camber sensitive, but watch out for excessive pulling to the left. There was an early recall for this, but it was sorted.
Just a bit more for you

Can this happen with the 04 Cooper? since I have had it, I have insisted the steering is off, it pulls to the left, steering wheel also sites slightly to the left ( the stiching in the middle) When it was in for warranty work, both times they said it goes to the left because of the level of UK roads (to stop floods) which I think is a load of poo poo.

[Fen]

Quote: Originally Posted by Razorlite (original)

Rattles in the cabin? I've never yet come across a R53 that didnt rattle in some way or form?

Mine doesn't, at all. I suspect that may be down to the chassis braces as it has all 4 of the ones GTT sell and it feels like it's a solid block. It does have a squeak when it's cold but I've traced that to the seat belt clip rubbing on the side of the seat base, presumably brought on by something it has been cleaned with as it didn't do it before it was valeted.

I'd say the advice above is generally good. Mine is a Sep 04 which means it didn't get the phone buttons on its MFSW (a royal pain as I'd happily have added Bluetooth if it did) and it doesn't have an LSD. I'd say get one that was built in '05 or later so you get all the spec improvements, personally. Otherwise get all the toys you want as it doesn't seem to push the used price up much. Mine has pretty much everything apart from the sunroof and full leather yet I paid less than some lower spec cars for sale at the same time and it was very low miles as well.

It will never seem quick if the 911 bit of your username is more than a dream. Even with the GTT230+ kit and being one Roland has said twice is a quick example mine still only feels barely adeqate in a straight line to me, even after a couple of months driving 4wds while I was waiting for it to get to NZ. It's one of the most fun cars on twisty bits I've had though.