Buying a Mini - Looking for some advice

[taiheung]

Hey guys, I've found myself a beautiful little Mini Cooper S and was hoping to get some tips from the pros - or at least be directed in the right direction.

To give you an idea, it's a 2002 model Mini Cooper S with xenons, the double sunroof thingy, 17"s with run flats, leather interior, and 6spd manual.

I was wondering, how does the 2002 rate compared to other Mini models and years? And what are the biggest cons you have all found in owning the car? What kind of person do you have to be to drive one of these things??

Below is a photo of the car in question.

[MandaBoo]

Well, the '02 was the first model year and as such has a few more quirks than the later model years. If the previous owner was diligent about getting the little things taken care of it is likely a good car. I own an '05 so I am not very well versed in what all the issues were and I really can't think of any real cons in owning a MINI. You may want to go to www.northamericanmotoring.com/forumsand look around and ask about issues with buying an '02.

As for the kind of person you have to be to drive one? That's easy, you just have to be someone that loves MINI's. It's the kind of car that you generally wave to fellow owners. From time to time some guys get annoyed by someone calling it a girly car, but they do that with the Z3 & stuff too, so you get over it b/c its such a fun little car

[Koopah]

Well, the '02 was the first model year and as such has a few more quirks than the later model years. If the previous owner was diligent about getting the little things taken care of it is likely a good car...{snip}

Indeed.

There were a number of issues with the '02 models and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) were issued to correct these problems. Chief among then was the power steering and radiator fans being on the same fused circuit. The PS is located underneath the engine and is exposed to the road below. It is possible that things like twigs, plastic bags and the like can get lodged in the fan; this (rightly) causes the fuse to blow. Unfortunately, that takes the radiator fan out of commission too, and the engine soon overheats when not at speed.

Again, TSBs for this and other problems found in the '02 and '03 years will cover the correction of these issues. And, fortunately, MINI followed the BMW practice of linking the coded chip in the ignition key to the maintenance and repair record of the car. Thus, to find out all the data about what maintenance and TSBs have been done to the car, you need only have the ignition key plugged into the dealers key-reader and get a printout. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU CHECK THIS DATA.

As MandaBoo said, you should check the North American Motoring website for more information about the potential major problem areas of the '02s (plenty of existing posts to be searched) and possible TSBs for their correction.

All this being said, many of us have found the '04s and the '05s to have the least amount of problems. But whatever you choose, you should have a blast driving your MINI and attending regional motoring events. And if you want to know if you're a MINI person, make sure you take the car for an extended test drive(s) through a variety of roads, traffic and weather conditions. Remember, there is no limit to the number of test drives you are allowed to take before buying!

Cheers,

Theo

[taiheung]

Remember, there is no limit to the number of test drives you are allowed to take before buying!

But they make you feel like there is!
Anyway, going to BMW tomorrow to take another for a spin, thanks guys.
You've all been more than helpful.

[Preppy]

http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=377911

This might be helpful for ya

[tim126]

Buy A Chevy

[UKnut]

Take it from a guy who has owned over 40 different cars that the MINI is THE most fun car I've ever driven. I've had Muscle Cars, VW's and various sport cars. Sure it doesn't have massive torque but it will take corners like there is no tommorrow. I am a "manly-man" and I have no problem with what people think. :D