Is anyone on here knowledgeable about Mini Coopers?

[JonW]

Hi all,

This is nothing to do with a Maserati, apart from the fact I'm finally getting round to buying a little runaround, so I don't have to use my Granturismo as a daily driver.

I've decided I want a Mini, and I think I want on a 55 or 06 plate, R53, Cooper S. This is the last of the Supercharged engine, as after November 06 they introduced the slightly bigger R56 which has a Citroen based turbocharged engine inside it.

Does anyone on here know much about Mini's, and have a view on whether this is the best choice? Budget is £5k max...

 

[Evo Cymru]

Morning!

I have a R53 JCW Mini. I (and the wife!) like it - nice supercharger whine and good handling. Has its issues - power steering pump failure, specific corrosion issues, suspension too hard (debatable), thirsty and clutch bearing spring to mind - but I have found it a fun daily driver on our local b and a roads.

R56 has issues too from what I hear - coking up of engine, PAS pump again - but seems better built. Of course the engine also gives a different character but similar handling.

You could certainly get a good R53 for £5k - not sure what the R56 go for? For more money you could go for GP1 or GP2 - always liked the look of those!

Hope this helps,

Olly

 

[Contigo]

Bought the wife one a few years ago, she loved it and I must admit they handle well. Economy for performance was pretty woeful, think mid 20's round town and about 30 on a longer run.

I paid about £2k for it, kept it for a year and then sold if for the same. A few months later the car was at my mates garage with a head gasket failure Dodged a bullet there......

Anyway, I'd say go for it, get as good a low miler as you can and as late as car as possible and you won't go far wrong if you negotiate well as they must have hit a low now and good ones will start the appreciate. You can do the "reduced pulley" mod and the one ball exhaust mod to add a bit of sound and power.

 

[Contigo]

And yes if you can stretch to a GP then that would be a great buy. Start around 8-10k I think.

 

[JonW]

Morning!

I have a R53 JCW Mini. I (and the wife!) like it - nice supercharger whine and good handling. Has its issues - power steering pump failure, specific corrosion issues, suspension too hard (debatable), thirsty and clutch bearing spring to mind - but I have found it a fun daily driver on our local b and a roads.

R56 has issues too from what I hear - coking up of engine, PAS pump again - but seems better built. Of course the engine also gives a different character but similar handling.

You could certainly get a good R53 for £5k - not sure what the R56 go for? For more money you could go for GP1 or GP2 - always liked the look of those!

Hope this helps,

Olly

Thanks Olly - the supercharger whine was great in the one I test drove last weekend, and I can see that could become addictive.

I've done some reasearch on whether to get the last of the R53s or an R56, and the view seems to be get a later version of either, once they've fixed some of the gremlins. Unfortunately, given that I'm looking for something that will have fairly low depreciation going forward this means a decent 2010+ R56 is out of budget..

I'd obviously like a GP2, or even a JCW, but this car will be mainly driven to the station and back, and maybe the occasional longer drive. It will also probably be the car my son learns to drive in when he gets old enough in a couple of years, so I'm trying to balance sensible with something I will at least enjoy being in.

Thanks for the tips on what to look out for, and where are the corrosion spots to look out for?

 

[JonW]

Bought the wife one a few years ago, she loved it and I must admit they handle well. Economy for performance was pretty woeful, think mid 20's round town and about 30 on a longer run.

I paid about £2k for it, kept it for a year and then sold if for the same. A few months later the car was at my mates garage with a head gasket failure Dodged a bullet there......

Anyway, I'd say go for it, get as good a low miler as you can and as late as car as possible and you won't go far wrong if you negotiate well as they must have hit a low now and good ones will start the appreciate. You can do the "reduced pulley" mod and the one ball exhaust mod to add a bit of sound and power.

Thanks Phil....

 

[jack.pe]

Hey, I had an R53 Mini GP as part of my 12 cars project. Have a couple of videos on my youtube channel reviewing it. Early vids so a bit rough but might still be useful for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZrgL8TQxw&index=17&list=PL-JmG4958QS_XYfOLDl9dC_lwm0AvxiGK

My impressions are that as a small hot hatch the GP was amazing, the supercharged engine is great fun and pretty rapid though the Gp I think has 15-20 hp more than a normal S. It also had a mechanical LSD up front which really tamed the torque steer. The downside is that it had no rear seats!

They make great buys and are good value for what they offer, Mpg in town is dreadful for such a small engine as the supercharger is always spinning unlike a turbo but mortway MPG is good and the throttle response is great. They tend to have lots of little gremlins, check aircon works if it has it as that can be a £500 fix unless it's just a regas. Join one of the specific forums or Facebook groups is my advice!

 

[JonW]

Hey, I had an R53 Mini GP as part of my 12 cars project. Have a couple of videos on my youtube channel reviewing it. Early vids so a bit rough but might still be useful for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZrgL8TQxw&index=17&list=PL-JmG4958QS_XYfOLDl9dC_lwm0AvxiGK

My impressions are that as a small hot hatch the GP was amazing, the supercharged engine is great fun and pretty rapid though the Gp I think has 15-20 hp more than a normal S. It also had a mechanical LSD up front which really tamed the torque steer. The downside is that it had no rear seats!

They make great buys and are good value for what they offer, Mpg in town is dreadful for such a small engine as the supercharger is always spinning unlike a turbo but mortway MPG is good and the throttle response is great. They tend to have lots of little gremlins, check aircon works if it has it as that can be a £500 fix unless it's just a regas. Join one of the specific forums or Facebook groups is my advice!

Thanks - have been lurking on several of the Mini forums...

 

[jack.pe]

Thanks - have been lurking on several of the Mini forums...

Good luck, they feel very much like go karts!

 

[safrane]

The GF has had her Mini for 14 years and it is a good little car.

They are however not that cheap to look after if you stick with the dealers. Thankfully ahe now listens to me and gets all work done at an Indi.

As others have said fragile parts are power steering and wishbones but thankfully not at Maser prices.

She was quoted £1400 for a clutch via DL but I got them to price match the indi and did it for £600...and its only a One.

 

[JonW]

The GF has had her Mini for 14 years and it is a good little car.

They are however not that cheap to look after if you stick with the dealers. Thankfully ahe now listens to me and gets all work done at an Indi.

As others have said fragile parts are power steering and wishbones but thankfully not at Maser prices.

She was quoted £1400 for a clutch via DL but I got them to price match the indi and did it for £600...and its only a One.

Thanks Peter - Mine will definitely be going to the local independent Mini/Bmw specialist

 

[Evo Cymru]

"Thanks for the tips on what to look out for, and where are the corrosion spots to look out for?"

Rear boot hatch for one that needs a new boot to sort properly in my experience (done free by mini dealer as car was in warranty). Rear brake lines prone as well as front subframe on some. Generally not bad though - especially compared to some makes!

If going for a later R53 check to see if it has the LSD - not sure if this was an option or not but mine has one - makes a pleasant difference...

Superchargers can run low/out of oil too due to a dodgy seal - generally these are recommended to be serviced at 100k to avoid problems. Oh yes and the timing belt tensioner can cause problems as well. Most of the buying guides will document these problems. Happy hunting!

Look out for ones with the aero kit too -these will demand a bit of a premium but may hold their value better. You may think they look cooler too...

 

[JonW]

"Thanks for the tips on what to look out for, and where are the corrosion spots to look out for?"

Rear boot hatch for one that needs a new boot to sort properly in my experience (done free by mini dealer as car was in warranty). Rear brake lines prone as well as front subframe on some. Generally not bad though - especially compared to some makes!

If going for a later R53 check to see if it has the LSD - not sure if this was an option or not but mine has one - makes a pleasant difference...

Superchargers can run low/out of oil too due to a dodgy seal - generally these are recommended to be serviced at 100k to avoid problems. Oh yes and the timing belt tensioner can cause problems as well. Most of the buying guides will document these problems. Happy hunting!

Look out for ones with the aero kit too -these will demand a bit of a premium but may hold their value better. You may think they look cooler too...

This is really helpful - appreciated.

One of the reasons I'm being quite fixed on my dates is I know I want the LSD, and I think this was an option from 05 onwards.

Am going to look at this on Thursday...

2006 MINI Hatch 1.6 Cooper S Checkmate 3dr (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172820176111)

 

[JonW]

The deed is done - will be picking up my little pocket rocket on Saturday...

Thanks for the inputs