Calling the Mini guys, pre-purchase analysis

[varg]

Minis can be fun, I drove a buddy's tweaked JCW Mini once and it was a blast, it was a later turbocharged model, not the early supercharged one. Didn't look like it would be fun to work on when I peeked under the hood. I was really surprised by how damn heavy they are.

[Zreberlcoe]

eww not avids...

sorry we all cant't afford futuras... #RichGuy :p

[e30onBBSs]

We own a mini and it's great fun but make sure there are some shops near by who can work on them. Where I live the nearest dealer is about 2 hours away and there is only one shop who is good at working with them within an hour. I'm not sure if this is the case for your area but I would call around to see whether or not it's convenient.

[lambo]

eww not avids...

[glnr13]

good to know they finally owned up to that premature supercharger failure. i know lots of people that had to pay for theirs earlier on.

even more surprising is that they honored it with the reduction pulley on it.

[Zreberlcoe]

Thread from the dead! Thought I'd let everyone know who gave input thank you again, you guys did help in the buying process of the car. My brother has been taking care of it, I think... I'm 5 hours away so I can't keep an eye on him, but several weekends ago him and our dad installed an Alta 19% percent reduction supercharger pulley and he is loving it! Though not my choice, he decided to do these wheels (http://www.nlmotoring.com/Avid-1-AV-...15804c15gd.htm not the site purchased from, just a visual and description of wheels) and he should be relieving them later this week. I have convinced him that unless he falls in love with the wheels on the car, don't buy tires haha. Also he is looking into going lower, but also wants to use track abilities, therefor he is looking into Coilovers for the future (maybe several months from now). Right now his plan is to do a one ball swap (I'm trying to convince him to go straight pipe;D ), cold air intake, and keeping on the maintenance track. Something interesting though, after only speaking with him briefly yesterday he told to my surprise that the car is in the dealership until Friday. He is all for the DIY route so I was curious as to why the hell it is in for service, and it turns out that there is a recall on the R53 superchargers...? I haven't read into it or researched the issue but if any of you have an R53 you might want to check it out! He went to his local Mini dealer and with proof of ownership they are going ahead and doing the service for free, despite his pulley modification as well, so for those of you concerned and with an aftermarket pulley don't fret too much! I wish I had pictures to share but I haven't spent much time around the car and he's a shit photographer so until next update!

[Zreberlcoe]

Ah!! I forgot to get back to you guys! So my brother ended up getting the car without doing the ppi! But he was told by an over qualified mini mechanic what exactly to look for and it turned out to be a gem! The day after purchase he brought the car to said mechanic and they went over it on the life and for even more conformation he said it was a solid find! So apparently the car came out to not be the POS we thought it was!

[Zreberlcoe]

So come Friday my brother will give the dealership a call when he has the time to ask for a ppi. I've let him know that if they refuse then he will keep looking. And if the car checks out ten take it! The guy doing the ppi is a friend of our dads who builds mini race cars and what not so it won't be some random shop.

[glnr13]

"musts" maintenance:
power steering pump/line/fan
control arm bushings
pulley tensioner
thermostat and thermostat gasket
superchargers go bad on earlier models but 05-06 are better
also the gearing on the 05-06 are better
window motors get sticky but with a fonzy bump they start back up
mushroomed strut towers
auxiliary fan relay
radiator
coil packs corrode quickly

good mods:
15-17% supercharger pulley reduction
coilovers: kw, bilstein pss9's, h&r. megan's are ok
camber plates are a must if canyon carver
rear control arms for more adjustability over the limited eccentric based OEM
JCW intake (stay away from cold air intakes, there are a few write ups with tests and they provide no advantages or changes)
GP intercooler if you can get a hold of one
rear sway bar

bads:
they have rattley interiors
windshields crack easily
seats get stuck
aftermarket exhausts tend to drone

fun to drive and very forgiving when you're too aggressive, easy to save.
sounds like a lot of bs but kind of like an e46 in regards to maintenance and costs

[dvck]

i fucking hate getting out of minis, their doors are a mile long

[mbonder]

Unless the dealer has all of the maintenance records I would pass on it. From what I've seen (My parents have an 06 S model) these things are hit or miss. Theirs has only had minor issues like a bad rear hatch wiper motor, worn brakes around 60k miles, new tires at 50k, pretty average stuff. However, I've spoken to people that have had miserable experiences with suspension pieces and the cooling system on these.

Without maintenance records you can't really judge and you'd be going in blind, which could cost you a whole bunch, simply a gamble. Plus 4 owners in 7 years is a bit much, seems to lean toward a car that has some issues.

[Zreberlcoe]

Ajhostetter, thank you for the insight! I have noticed that you can click on the carfax link on the side of the page.

Here's the link: http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...RE33566TL19828

It's not too descriptive but I'm going to have a list of things he needs to ask and for him to check out.

Anyone know what this means on the carfax "Drivability/performance checked"? It's on the 4th owner at 10/01/2013

[ajhostetter]

I'm judging by simple appearances, but that looks pretty rough for a 64K mile car. Anyway, as funfgan said, unless it has all the service history and everything is documented, it's a car to pass one. I know enough from an old job at a dealership in PA that when they toss a dirty car on the lot for a low-ish price, it's an attempt to punt a piece of shit.

[Zreberlcoe]

They're not altogether bad cars, but they do need a lot of love...and money. I'd stay the hell away from that beater at the dealer though.

Why is it a beater?

[ajhostetter]

They're not altogether bad cars, but they do need a lot of love...and money. I'd stay the hell away from that beater at the dealer though.