R56 Cooper S buying advice

[SoupAnxiety]

Hi all,

My wife is looking for a 2010 or newer Mini, given the price difference in the R56 range it seems the Cooper S is the one to go for (and would be something warm for when I drive it too!). My rule of thumb with cars is buy at 5+ years old, 1-2 owners, full service history, bks to mileage. I'm doing research online but my mechanic is less than impressed with Minis, suggesting we steer clear.

Budget is around £5,000 which very roughly gets a 2010 car with 60-80,000 miles. The alternative approach is to get an F56 lower spec and / or higher mileage model, and to increase the budget to around £7,000, but this drifts into higher mileage still. My own views are biased as I'm driving a daily with 174k and think everything is rosy, but perhaps I've been lucky.

Appreciate that asking this question invites a disproportionately negative response but perspectives are welcome. Thanks.

[steve-5snwi]

Your not going to get an F56 for 7k, you might get a nice N18 engine mini for 7k though.

Buy on condition, nice ones with lots of toys fetch more money though. The N14 engines do suffer from timing chains and coking though. With Minis you either get a good one or one thats an absolute bstard.

[SoupAnxiety]

Thanks for the reply. After looking at a few ads it looks like a 100k+ Mini with the timing chain done is a better buy than a 60k Mini without the issue.

[twokcc]

SoupAnxiety said:

Thanks for the reply. After looking at a few ads it looks like a 100k+ Mini with the timing chain done is a better buy than a 60k Mini without the issue.

Look at buyers guide on here- N18 engine doesn't have timing chain problems so would be a better buy. Think change to N18 also include change from silver centre consul to black so an easy way to identify
Cooper s has harder ride - not brilliant even on non runflats unless you go down to 16" wheels so would make sure your wife can live with it before buying

This looks a good spec and within your budget-44k miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Leather nav etc although cream leather may not be to everyone's taste but it does lighten up the dark interior IMO

[MrC986]

I currently have an 07 R56 MCS as a 2nd car & have owned it for 2.5 years. The timing chain issue is I understand one of those things caused in part by poor maintenance (mine timing chain had been replaced previously) I.e. Apparently caused by not keeping the car with an adequate level of oil. The other key items I'm aware of are the high pressure fuel pump failure and the need to get the earlier engine derivative decoked at some point. I think you're right to not be put off by a higher mileage car though I'd recommend one with a good service history and a pike of invoices to show how/what has been done and try and buy a car that's been properly looked after by an enthusiast (& a main dealer or Mini specialist). If you find a car running non run flat tyres, don't be worried as it'll be an indication someone has done their homework on how to improve the ride. The R56s are a fun car to drive.