mini cooper s -buying advice

[euroblue]

had enough of my golf and arrived at the decision that the mini cooper s is the car for me.... would be grateful for some advice on what to look for with a budget of up to 7k

has to be bought from a dealer and with full service history

thoughts on what plate and mileage would be the best, 30k before much has gone wrong or 80k when anything that usually goes wrong has been replaced

what should i look out for on a test drive?

noticed a thread on ride quality with run flat tyres that is putting me off a bit tbh

really taken with this;
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

[AndyT77]

For £7K you should be able to pick up an early R56 which is the version with the turbo instead of the supercharger. The turbo is more economical and more powerful, but early R56's are prone to a few known issues such as the timing chain tensioner (death rattle) etc.

I don't know much about the R53 (supercharged model), but i love driving my R56.

For peace of mind i'd definitley be looking for one with a Chersihed MINI warranty, which is 12months and includes roadside assistance also. I bought mine for £8k in June through the Cherished scheme.

The ride is of course on the hard side, but it's a hot hatch, not a 5 Series. Mine is on OEM run flats at the moment, but when it's time to change i'll be going to standard tyres and a tin of repair gel!

[euroblue]

liking the idea of the cherised mini scheme

http://www.minicherished.co.uk/miniuk/minicherishe...

how much do you think you can usually knock off the screen price?

if i bought this then the dealership is 60 odd miles away so could the warranty be transferred to a local dealership?

[eatcustard]

Ror £7000
You should get a late(ish) R53 Works or standard S (Chilli Pack)

Avoid the early R56 as their are plenty of problems with them

Ditch run flats if you like your teeth, as they give a very firm ride and never get one with 18" wheels, it kills the handling.

R35 drinks fuel, £270 car tax, but is more fun to drive around bends, its the nearest min you will get to the original Cooper S of the 60s.

R56 better on fuel, much lower car tax, not so fun to drive around bends, but better on the Motorway.

Edited by eatcustard on Monday 16th September 15:21

[euroblue]

so up to 2006 for a R53

early r56's are not as thirsty but prone to more problems

even more unsure now of what model to gor for

would rather go for an early r56 if the fuel economy is better and i've got it covered by a mini warranty

[AndyT77]

euroblue said:

so up to 2006 for a R53

early r56's are not as thirsty but prone to more problems

even more unsure now of what model to gor for

would rather go for an early r56 if the fuel economy is better and i've got it covered by a mini warranty

That was my thinking, bought an early low mileage R56 after looking at late R53's. The warranty is peace of mind, and you can take your cr to any MINI dealership, not just the one you bought it from. And as for how the two compare round the bends, there isn't really much in it.

[DavidLScott]

You can still buy a warranty from Mini, either as an annual one or a monthly rolling.
I didn't in the end as I wasn't sure about genuine or equivalent parts being used as mine was serviced by a non-specialist indie but if you have full BMW service history then it would be worth it.

From what I have read, I would go for an R53 Works as mine is superb and quite a jump up from the S - just need non RFT's so have to wear my RFT's out asap.

[nickfrog]

The MINI insured warranty has gone up 40% this year reflecting the R56S poor reliability (early or late). Much cheaper to warrant a 125i M Sport from the same source/manufacturer...The engines are not fit for purpose in my opinion.

[RiccardoG]

nickfrog said:

The MINI insured warranty has gone up 40% this year reflecting the R56S poor reliability (early or late). Much cheaper to warrant a 125i M Sport from the same source/manufacturer...The engines are not fit for purpose in my opinion.

I've seen you post the "engines are not fit for purpose" line in a number of threads, seems almost like you have a real issue with your ex-Mini. Whats the story?

[New POD]

RiccardoG said:

I've seen you post the "engines are not fit for purpose" line in a number of threads, seems almost like you have a real issue with your ex-Mini. Whats the story?

Go on any mini forum and you'll read horror stories.

[nickfrog]

RiccardoG said:

nickfrog said:

The MINI insured warranty has gone up 40% this year reflecting the R56S poor reliability (early or late). Much cheaper to warrant a 125i M Sport from the same source/manufacturer...The engines are not fit for purpose in my opinion.

I've seen you post the "engines are not fit for purpose" line in a number of threads, seems almost like you have a real issue with your ex-Mini. Whats the story?

No I was lucky as I had the MINI Warranty (which covered an entire chain tensionner assembly (£1,200), an oil feed pipe (£500, lol)) after which engine showing signs of early coking, but the warranty going up by 40% was the last straw. I am just spreading the word. It's factual, internet or not, that this particular N14 is simply not fit for purpose. Great cars though, if you can justify the £600/year warranty that also stopped covering de-coking last year, conveniently enough...

[RiccardoG]

New POD said:

Go on any mini forum and you'll read horror stories.

Same story with many other car brands, usually people don't go on forums to say how we'll their car is running but rather to find advice on something gone wrong.

Is the early R56 S really just a time bomb?

[nickfrog]

RiccardoG said:

nickfrog said:

The MINI insured warranty has gone up 40% this year reflecting the R56S poor reliability (early or late). Much cheaper to warrant a 125i M Sport from the same source/manufacturer...The engines are not fit for purpose in my opinion.

I've seen you post the "engines are not fit for purpose" line in a number of threads, seems almost like you have a real issue with your ex-Mini. Whats the story?

No I was lucky as I had the MINI Warranty (which covered an entire chain tensionner assembly (£1,200), an oil feed pipe (£500, lol)) after which engine showing signs of early coking, but the warranty going up by 40% was the last straw. I am just spreading the word. It's factual, internet or not, that this particular N14 is simply not fit for purpose. Great cars though, if you can justify the £600/year warranty that also stopped covering de-coking last year, conveniently enough...

[Maracus]

Is this the case with the JCW as well?

Is the 184bhp engine pretty much the same?

[nickfrog]

Sorry Maracus. I am not sure how much of an improvement the N18 / 184 engine has made. Check Minitorque. The JCW only switched to N18 1 year ago or so.

[Ranger 6]

RiccardoG said:

...Is the early R56 S really just a time bomb?

Ours was, p/ex'd following a whole host of problems.

We loved it though and now our new (184) version is almost a different car. Better made, better engine and generally an improved ownership experience.

[Zippee]

I've a 55 plate JCW, paid £6500 for it with 35k on the clock and its a cracking little car. I deliberatley wanted to avoid the R56 for 2 reasons, the death rattle issue and the fact I love the whine of the supercharger. I'd also heard a whole host of other issues with the turbo engine.
I ditched the run flats pretty quicky and opted for a set of OEM spec Conti sport contact 3s in the correct 84v load rating and it's made the ride a lot better - though as with any hot hatch its still a little crashy.
I looked at a number of very dog eared cars before buying mine so be careful when buying, I opted in the end for condition over gadgets so pretty much the only upgrade to mine is the Chilli pack and the 17" wheels.

[DavidLScott]

Zippee said:

I ditched the run flats pretty quicky and opted for a set of OEM spec Conti sport contact 3s in the correct 84v load rating and it's made the ride a lot better - though as with any hot hatch its still a little crashy.

That's useful - I was about to ask the question about tyres.
Still got some life in the old ones so unless anyone wants some RFT's, I'll have to wait a while but handy to know what's been fitted.
I've already got a set of RFT's for my old 130 in the shed so don't need another 4 tyres in there.
I can't be bothered to ebay them so will probably let a local used tyre place have them for a tenner or so each.

[New POD]

RiccardoG said:

Same story with many other car brands, usually people don't go on forums to say how we'll their car is running but rather to find advice on something gone wrong.

Is the early R56 S really just a time bomb?

Back in May I bought the wife a 51 reg cooper (not an S), with very little research.

I've since priced up a gearbox and a power-steering system (Reman, not new) and am happy that the cost and risks are balanced enough.

Assuming that the mini survives 2 years, we'll probably give it to the oldest child when he graduates, and buy her an R53 S. I prefer the bodywork and detailing of the earlier shell, and like the idea of a supercharger.

[Defcon5]

My gf used to have an R53, and I was considering getting her an early R56, anyone got a link to a decent buying guide?

The sub 25mpg and expensive tax were too much for her, considering she never used the power