Advice on buying a MINI Cooper

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

The daily driver is getting old. I spotted a 2002 MINI Cooper S recently. I am a little leary of the `02 since its the first year they came out and that means final debugging of stuff. Any suggestions on what to look for/look out for? Is the `02 a good year? What problems would be a deal breaker? What is really expensive to repair?

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I have an 05 cooper s. I would not recommend the 02. Suggest you read some of the more popular mini forums, such as www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/ and www.mini2.com/forum/

M725ROB · 07-28-2007, 08:32 PM

I have an 03 cooper s. I've had no real problems with it since new. I wouldn't pass just because it's an 02. They were sold in europe before coming here so it's not really the first year. Besides, major flaws would have been updated under warranty before now. If you take all the forum complaints about any car to heart, you'd have to walk.

Rob

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

My wife has an '04 Cooper S. Some of them had a hesitation problem- ours does- if you do a quick shift and romp on the gas there's a hesitation. Drives me nuts. Mini USA gave us a line of $hite about gas quality, then tried to re-program something, but it still does it. If you buy one, make sure it doesn't have any hesitation. As previously mentioned, there are a couple of great forums to check out- you'll see references also to what is known as yo-yoing, which is another problem.

That said, it's a great little car- after 3 years, she still loves it and wants to keep it. Prices of the first model may go down now the new model is out (it's turbo-charged instead of super charged). I hope it works out!

Cheers,

Paul.

alf · 07-29-2007, 12:53 AM

964? 993? E36 M3?

Rot 911 · 07-29-2007, 05:32 AM

Joe, the '02 didn't have a lot of problems but the two biggest niggles were the hesitation problem (fixed by a flash to the ecm) and a squeaking noise in the top dash area (fixed by a piece of rubber). You should be able to get a pretty good deal on an '02. Keep in mind all the Mini's have/had a 50,000 mile warranty that included everything including oil changes. Plenty of chances for the original owner to get things fixed. Even the little things.

Hetmann · 07-29-2007, 07:40 AM

I have an 02 and it does have it's share of little niggling issues. Overall, they don't spoil my enjoyment of the car. It us a fun little car to drive. That being said, if you can find a newer one that doesn't have the rattles etc it could only be better.

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

Thank you for the good info. Don: the links were very helpful.
I do have reservations about a first year car but sometimes a well documented car that has been sorted out by the PO can be a good deal. I just needed to know what to look for. Seems to me that good documentation is a must with the early cars just like a PPI would be for a Porsche.

M725ROB · 07-29-2007, 02:26 PM

All the (dealer) service info is available by plugging the ignition key into the dealer's computer. This should verify any updates done and that the free services through 3/36k were completed, and when. You should get an idea how it's been treated from new. And like I said before, 2002 was not the first year for the MINI. There were 2001s well tested in Europe before coming here.

Rob

1QukMINI · 07-29-2007, 03:25 PM

I have an 03, and love it. I would just have it checked out by someone in your community, and you could find someone who could check it out where you live by posting on http://www.northamericanmotoring.com
jason

BlueSideUp · 07-29-2007, 10:01 PM

We have an '06 MCS and it's a great car. Running around town you definitely notice when it's 95F out and the AC is on, pretty much the same as any other car. It never feels slow and you'll smile every time you walk up to it.

The handling is great and it's a fun car. My wife can't drive a stick shift so it's a 6 speed automatic. We get around 23mpg city, 26mpg mixed, and 32mpg highway. It would be better with the manual transmission.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

My fiance has an '06 non-S, steptronic trans. The hesitation issue was not fixed when we took it in to complain. My BMW 330i had a similar issue when going from R to D, but a reflash did fix it. With the Mini the dealer folks drove it around and said that's how they are. I find the non-S to be severely underpowered and the tranny lag bothers me. I also would not buy any car that had only been maintained according to the dealer's maint. schedule. Would you really let a car go 10-15k miles between oil changes? I do ours every 5k miles and keep a log book of everything I touch on the car, date, mileage, etc. I do, however, think the Mini handles very well and is a very good bang for the buck. But when you're used to fast cars and motorcycles, our non-S Mini is a bit of a buzzkill.

Rot 911 · 07-30-2007, 08:43 AM

Rick, I wonder how much hp that tranny uses up? My wife has a '06 non-S with the 5-speed and it is pretty peppy.

BlueSideUp · 07-30-2007, 10:18 AM

I have driven a Cooper with the CVT transmission and I found it completely underwhelming. It feels like the polar opposite of the S with a 6 speed auto.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

My friend in CA has a 2005 Mini Cooper with the John Cooperworks pkg and it's a great car. He autocrosses it on the weekends and commutes with it during the week, he sure loves his MINI!

jorian · 07-30-2007, 01:29 PM

What are the changes throughout the 02-06 model run?

I'm thinking of buying one as well. I'd like to know what the different 'packages' include as well. Sport, Premium, Rally are some of the ones I've heard about.

Also have heard that the run-flats are v heavy. I guess its a DOT thing because the car doesn't come with a spare.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Lots of small changes. 05 changed gear ratios on the 6 speed, litronic lights off the top of my head.

Yes, the run-flats are pretty miserable on 17" rims - and really expensive. I just switched to "normal" tyres.

M725ROB · 07-30-2007, 05:37 PM

What's a litronic light? Is that different than the HID option on the older models? The option I really wish I'd had offered on my 03 was the limited slip you can get now. It's hard to get it to hook up out of corners on the track.

I agree on the runflats, they suck. I used them up in 10-15K miles and went with GS-D3's and a fix a flat goo/ compressor kit stuffed in the tool kit compartment.

Rob

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

If you need parts, here's an outlet... http://www.mossmini.com/ We have two sets of rims- the 16" set it came with and a set of 15" with studded snow tires on, as shown below. I suggest driving all three- Cooper, Cooper S and JCW. The Cooper is underpowered and the price difference when new between the Cooper and the S isn't much.

j8tg · 08-13-2007, 04:44 PM

Joe,

Find one yet? I followed this thread while shopping. Found an 05 MCS that fit the bill. 6 speed auto with paddle shift, 34k with one older owner. Car is a knockout and will go further than I'm willing on the street into corners. Porsche is an 86 930 so I'm not used to cornering with either grace or confidence. Read a lot on line about dash rattles and glitchy problems. This one is as tight as the 930 and holding up well cosmetically. Using it as a daily driver which allows the Suburban to be parked and used only when needed.

Good luck--I think you will be impressed.

Tom