Help with buying first Mini - Mini cooper S

[Coopertrooper_]

Hi all,

Sorry for any stupid questions but I don’t know a hell of a lot about cars unfortunately so I’m hoping you all can help...I currently drive a 2007 fiat punto which is my first car that I bought and had it for 3 years but it only causes trouble and needs major repairs at least once a year...it’s just st and I need an upgrade asap....warning signs where there but I quickly needed a cheap car back then.

So I’ve been looking at getting a Mini Cooper S (Hatch 3 door) - preferably a model between 2012-2016 & budget something between £6000-£10000 (probably finance.) I always hear people say how reliable and fun these are to drive, they seem like the perfect fit for me plus I don't fancy driving a big car tbh. So yeah I hope you guys can help me with some of the questions below:

Are there any models that I shouldn’t touch at all? What are things to look out for when buying a mini?

Is it still good to go for a car that came out in 2012/2013 or should I get something newer?

What mileage is good - I’m looking at under 40.000 miles because I think that there should be less problems as it hasn’t been running as long as a mini at 60.000 or is that not relevant at all and worth looking at up to 60k miles as well?

Are automatics good or are manual models better? Like would automatic transmissions cause more or less problems compared to manual ones in the future? Because my current car needed the whole gearbox and clutch fixed a year ago which cost a lot and I want to avoid that from happening again....obviously I don’t know what the 6 previous owners did to my current car.

As I never owned a “sporty” car is there anything that I should be aware of running cost wise? As there are probably a few things that will be more pricey & different compared to owning a 90bhp punto^^

For reference these are three cars I got on my list currently - they will probably not be available anymore by time I can get one but it would still be good to get your opinions on them in terms of year, mileage, features and so on
.
Green Mini - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Blue Mini - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Grey Mini - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

I hope you all can help me with this!

[mike9009]

If I had my time again with an R56 Mini, I would go for an upgraded stereo.

Cars at that age/ mileage (in my experience) will probably start needing brakes and tyres replacing, so check these closely to avoid some costs. Check the gov MOT history for any cars you might be looking at, to check how well previous owners looked after the cars.

Running cost wise, I did not find it too expensive, however that is all relative. I got my R55 Mini Clubman S serviced at main dealers. The only issues I had in six years ownership were a thermostat housing (~£200) and door mechanism failure (~£90). Mid range tyres were about £100 per corner. Got about 38mpg. Insurance reasonable, but I am older.

Hope this all helps.

Mike

[stevemcs]

Out of the 3 i like the green colour combination and its quite a good spec, the eclipse grey is a good spec too and looks like it has the heated screen option too.

Common Cooper S problems are -

HPFP or High pressure fuel pump. Budget around £600 for a new one fitted - thats if buying the part from somewhere like neo brothers. Most will have had replacements - mine was replaced 2 years ago.

Clutches again they can be weak, usually the flywheel requires replacing at the same time too. Anywhere between 60 and 100k for a lifespan budget £1000 if the DMF is needed.

Battery - The Mini has an AGM battery they usually last 4-5 years, at first stop start will stop. Budget £200 supplied and fitted.

If the battery does die or the lights do weird things then its likely to be the FRM or Footwell module. They can be repaired. Budget £250 fitted.

The auxillary waterpump is a recall on some cooper s models

On models with sunroofs check they open

If AC is fitted check it works. Either the low speed fan fails - £200 ish fitted for aftemarket or the condenser fails budget £400 supplied fitted and regased (common failure due to location)

Tyres go for mid range such as Uniroyals, avoid runflats and you will be closer to £80 per corner

Servicing is Oil and Cabin then 2 years/20k later Oil, Cabin, Air and plugs .. then back to minor, then major etc.

Thermostats fail - approx £120 for parts from Mini - only fit genuine, budget £200-£250 fitted


Buy the best you can, Minis are about spec, they can be little buggers but get a good one and you will love it.

The R56 (as per your links) drive like a Mini, the newer cars F56 drive like BMW's but are more comfortable and grown up. Decide what you want, if you want to spend the full 10k then i would be looking at a 1.5 F56 car with sports seats, media XL and LED lights. A Cooper would be all you need.

[chrisch77]

If you are prepared to spend up to 10k then you should be able to get the new F56 model quite easily (1.5 Cooper or 2.0 S) which in my opinion is a much better car overall than the R56 platform.

We have an early R55 clubman (Diesel) and an early F56 Cooper S Hatch and the F56 feels like a much higher quality product. Interestingly in spite of the comment in the previous post our Clubbie is still on its original 2007 AGM battery...

[Coopertrooper_]

Thanks all for taking your time to answer my couple of questions!

I did some more research myself and heard a lot of people saying that repairs definitely can cost a lot - it obviously comes down to how lucky you are, either you get a good one that barely needs any repairs or you get unlucky and the repairs dont stop which is something I'm very worried about but that applies to any car really, I just dont want another car thats gonna cost and cost and cost...

Are there big differences in performance, reliability and repair costs between a Mini Cooper and a Cooper S?
Because I'm even thinking that a normal Mini Cooper with 134bhp could be enough...I at least want to make sure to get a car with a bit more power than my current one so anything from around 150-200bhp would be ideal which is why a Cooper S would be perfect really but if they cost more in the long run than a normal Mini then I probably wont go for a S.

I also found a few newer Mini Cooper models from 2014, 15 & 16 for around 9k-10k which aren't bad either

I'm just really unsure what kind of car to go for...Mini Cooper (S) and Seat Leon FR are currently on my top as there some good deals out there and both cars look good, seem good and seem to fit best to me

[stevemcs]

At your budget you will get a nicer F56 cooper than F56 Cooper S, personally I would go for the Cooper.

[E-bmw]

^^^^ Wot 'e said.

Especially as the increased complexity of the S will make for bigger bills.

One step at a time, an additional c.50% power over your current steed will be a nice step without going mad.