[Wonda Bred]

Hello all- I'm brand new to this forum, so far its looks like the best of all the mini forums i have come across. Anyway, I had a few questions before I take the plunge into the mini world. I finally found a dealer that has a few used 02 and 03 minis on the lot, but of course they wont tell me over the phone how much they are going for; i have to go through the whole sales pitch in order to get an answer. Anybody know what I should expect to spend on a pre-owned '03 cooper? Also, how is the aftermarket scene with the cooper- will I be able to get it going as fast as the cooper s? Any feedback is much appreciated.

Peace and much love

[ALD0]

Hello and Welcome to MINI 2

With regards to Spending on Pre-owned it all depends on how much Spec they have on them-also your in the US so Prices differ I guess than over here

[Morty]

Hi and welcome to MINI2

[Farley]

If you can find out the specs ahead of time that would be very beneficial. Go onto miniusa.com and 'build' each car to find out what it cost new. Then it will be easier to compare and contract their prices with the car specs. If you bring those with you to the dealership they will know that you did your research and are serious about buying a mini. Let the know that waiting for a new MC isn't a problem for you so they need to make buying a used one worth it.

Make sure they take things like mileage and warranty into consideration. I believe '02 minis had a shorter warranty then they do now. Maybe you can get them to throw in an extended warranty--which would be a good idea since '02s and '03s supposedly had more problems then they do now.

[minisoopercooper]

welcome to MINI2.

As the others have said MINI demand is still out stripping supply so residule values are still high.
Good luck with your search but I would suggest oredering a new one to your own spec.

Paul

[Herbie]

Welcome aboard.
I agree with minisoopercooper - the "value" of a used one is really hard to calculate without a full cost of the spec's it has to hand. I started out looking for a used cooper, then decided it was better to spec what I wanted new. A couple of months wait, but well worth it. Good luck and let us know what you get (and how much it cost in the US of A).
Herbie.

[AidenL]

Hi and welcome.........

[Red Dwarf]

Hello, Good Evening and welcome Wonda Bred

I would have to agree with Minisoopercooper and Herbie, go new. If this was any other main stream car then I'd say yes to an 02 or 03 but the price difference between them is so small that you will be able to spec a car up exactly as you would want it to be and it will be yours from the start.

[Let's Motor]

I see you're in the US of A [like myself] and I recently went to a MINI dealer in SC just last week. What that dealer said was that he'd get rid of a MINI Cooper for around $17,000 and a MINI S for like $20,000. The thing that disappointed me is that MINIs don't seem to go down in value once they are pre-owned...oh will I ever have my dream car? I only looked at this dealer though, because it's the closest I could find. [I'm in NC]. Good luck, and have fun.

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Welcome to MINI2

[S Warren]

Greetings...

S

[Xanthia]

I nearly bought a used MC, but decided for £1000 more I can get the EXACT spec that I want. I had to wait 4 months to get it, but it was so worth the wait.

Spend the bit extra and get what you want. You won't regret it. AND there will be very few (if any) "I wish this car had" moments.

[Paul]

Bit late here, I've been away for a while, but just to say "welcome to MINI2!".

[Paul!]

I was pretty much in the same situation a few weeks ago. Going to used car dealers and MINI dealerships, there really was only a thousand dollars difference in price, unless I got one of the used ones that had entirely too many miles (as in 03's with 30,000 and 02's with 40,000 - 50,000). When you factor in the peace of mind of having a full length warranty, it really isn't worth going used.

If you're not too picky on the paint, you could do what I did and just buy 'off the rack' (I'm not patient *at all*!). You should have two dealerships close by, and 2 - 4 within a few hours driving distance depending on where in SoCal you are. Assuming that you want a manual, they should have a good bunch available. Or at least they do on the east coast, I'm guessing it's more or less the same in the west. I ended up finding a demo car that had everything I wanted (and more!). And since it was a demo, I even got a couple hundred off of MSRP.

Good luck, and welcome!

-Paul!