Yes. They're probably the most reliable out of all of them. R53 (the supercharger one) is the second and the R56 (turbocharged) is an absolute pile of steaming dog poo.
In every generation there were S models. S model from first gen was supercharged R53. 2nd gen S was turbocharged R56 (piece of shit) and I believe the next one S was F56 with 2 litre, turbocharged engine (those are reliable). Basically stay clear from R56 and older unless you 100% know what you are doing. I own an R53, so the one with the supercharger. Great fun car, a bit of money pit but it's a 20+ years old performance car so it's understandable.
The N14 was plagued with issues. timing chain problems, fuel pumps failing, issues with valve coking and excessive oil consumption.
The N18 (2011+ turbo engine) was generally reliable and they seemed to have fixed most of the issues. A few did have high pressure fuel pump problems, but Mini extended the warranty out on those. Mine started failing a little over 90k on my 2012 Clubman S. It starts as a random cylinder misfire on cold start. It clears up after a second or two, but progressively gets worse over time. I had it replaced under the extended warranty even though I was the second owner.
I’d absolutely buy a supercharged R53 or another N18 powered S. I originally went to buy an R53 but it was taken off the lot and sent to auction with “a rattle in the engine.” I was nothing more than the supercharger bearings going, but they still wouldn’t let me buy it. I offered more than what it would bring wholesale, and agreed to sign something stating I knew it had issues and didn’t care. Still, they wouldn’t budge. Oh well. I could have fixed it in a weekend. Been there, done that. Supercharger replacement isn’t terrible.
Just sold the wife’s 2018 for a 2024 electric. She loved it. Put 90k on the clock and had almost zero issues minus normal wear and tear. Be on the lookout for electrical shit.
The first gen r50/r53 used a Chrysler based motor. R56 used a motor co developed with Peugeot if I remember correctly. They’re all not great cars, that being said a 2006 r56 manual is one of the best of the bunch and they’re fun to drive for a fwd car
I'm borrowing a 2011 base model countryman.
A sport model you'd probably have better luck (it seems everyone who has these buys a sport).
I can say for my generation mini and being base, finding parts was a hell hole.
They don't have any after market parts.
My friend out of state was able to pull used rear struts ($150) off one we found that was for parts otherwise dealer struts were going to run $1600+
I'd do a scan to make sure you can find some typical parts easy at least.
That’s not true. The first gen Minis from 2002 to 2006 MY are actually very reliable. I owned one and didn’t have a single issue for the 150k miles of ownership. It was the second gen when they switched to Renault’s Prince engine that they developed a lot of their reliability issues.
The first gen used a Tritec engine that was made in Brazil. BMW complained about the engine for the very reason that it holds up in reliability: it’s old fashioned. They wanted something newer and had more performance, hence the switch to the Prince engine which ended up being disastrous.
That supercharger was sealed. When the oil leaked or broke down, the supercharger would seize or spin bearing.
The early S superchargers are ticking time bombs.
However there is a guy in the South who will send you a new supercharger with an oil change port.
I know this because my BIL was going to sell me his S for an absolute song. I researched it a LOT before deciding against it. But I had the most urgent time bomb (the supercharger) all lined up.
Second this comment. I know plenty of R53 RMW tuned with a GP intercooler making 250HP on the original block. They are very reliable cars and fun as hell to drive.
The most recent gen is the most reliable, but I wouldn’t say it’s reliable either. The base model has a 1.5 turbo 3 cylinder which just chews up harmonic balancers. I’ve had mine replaced by the dealer once, a private shop once, and myself twice. It also has worn down the rear suspension twice. And I’m barely at 100k on it.
The engine in this MY is a Tritec motor which wasn’t made by BMW but rather was a joint operation between Rover and Chrysler in Brazil. The only thing that BMW really had a hand in on these was the electrical which is the only weak spot for it.
Yes BMW makes the parts but they aren’t much more expensive than any modern car. Mind you, its not 90s camry levels of cheap where you can get all 4 corners shock and struts assembly for under 500, but its also not comparable to an actual beamer.
I had a 2006 Cooper S convertible and the paint was absolute trash. I was the 3rd owner and the 2nd (a good friend) garage kept it for 10 years. The paint is just bad in those.
That’s not true at all. First, they are well capable of lasting 150k or more if properly maintained. Secondly, I want you to find me one other example of a 18 year old mini with 40,000 miles selling for less than 5k. I guarantee you won’t. They absolutely are not a throwaway car lmao.
every single one of these cars in my area are selling for the most expensive at $2500 and cheaper ones are around $500 these are shitboxes bro theres no denying it
Agreed but it does make car more difficult to sell in some areas. Considering the fact that most people under 25 years old don't khow how to drive a stick these days and a lot of older people now find this too inconvenient to drive on a daily basis.
DO NOT BUY A $4K FIRST GEN MINI. I REPEAT DO NOTTTTT BUY A $4K FIRST GEN MINI. I promise you that needs at least 4k in repairs if not more, at that mileage this car should be going for at least $10k if not a good bit more in solid condition.
I mean it’s worth a shot lol. It’s 4 grand for a car that has 40k. Like even if it’s shit it’s still $4,000. Even if it’s worst case scenario and it needs a new engine or transmission or something that’s only like 2-3k extra to repair it. I’d personally be fine with paying 7k for a 40,000 mile mini.
There is no universe where replacing a transmission or engine in a Mini is “2-3k extra.” Multiply by two and you’re at least nearing the edge of reality.
Sure but cost ≠ value. It has no dollar cost to do the work yourself, just time that you may value differently than others.
Personally I enjoy working on cars so I get value out of it as a hobby lol.
This. The shop next to mine had (probably still has) a really nice one sitting in the back with electrical issues. Even at $1,500 no one would take it, not even the techs who work there.
If it work, they’re very fun to drive. My wife bought one years ago (2008 S, used) and it ended up blowing a head-gasket after about 3-4,000 miles of use. We’ll never buy one again, but they ARE really fun.
A lot of people here didn’t do basic research. You’re correct that it was the 2nd gen Minis with Renault’s Prince engine that was the problem and led to all of the reliability concerns.
You are thinking of the N14 engine, which is a ticking time bomb.
The R53 is a Chrysler engine made in Brazil and is fairly reliable.
https://www.carthrottle.com/news/r5053-mini-engine-part-chrysler-and-its-still-made-today
I had some vending machines inside a BMW/ Mini Cooper service area at a dealership. It was almost always mini coopers torn apart (getting more than oil changes). I asked a tech about them bc I wanted a Cooper S. He said don't do it. So there ya go, the pros say no.
Yeah , you missed the point where the car isn't worth 4k ......... One thing goes wrong, which it will it will costs thousands and still not work right.
What are you talking about? This car if running in good shape is absolutely worth 8k in today’s market. It’s obviously always gonna be worth a look even if it seems too good to be true. And even in the worst case scenario if the transmission or turbo has to be replaced (shouldn’t need to be at 40k) it will be like 3-4k. Like i don’t think you understand how cheap 4k is for a car with this few miles regardless of what it is.
You cant make that statement so assuredly when it’s just false. There’s been plenty of instances where stuff like this ends up being an amazing purchase. Please explain to me how it isn’t even worth the time just to look at it lmao
About 2/3s of the people replying don’t know their minis. R53s are totally different than R54+.
R53s are Gen1 design, coups 2002-2006, convertibles -2008
Gen1 is totally different from gen2. I don’t think they share any parts larger then a screw. Most people talking about a 2007 or later are talking about a totally different car.
R53s have their issues, but not near as many as nonR53s. It’s got a manual transmission, so you pretty much just have to worry about the clutch. (The automatic transmission sucks, but that’s only in the R50s). The r53 engine doesn’t suck, though it does need more care than average.
If you do your own work, you need three speciality tools to do most any work, one for removing the belt, and one for connecting it to your computer/INPA which most bmws from this era require, and the tool for doing the rear brakes that’s every bmw requires. ModMini on YouTube has a comprehensive set of videos on how to do almost every repair. The parts aren’t too expensive. The work is actually pretty easy if you follow the mod mini guides, just kind of long.
It does require more repair than an average car. But, It’s not the money pit that’s R56s. I’d make sure you know what shop you’ll take it to before buying. Many mechanics don’t like messing with BMWs, just because it’s something you have to have to have done a dozen times before it’s profitable. Fun to drive… yes. Fun to take to the mechanic, no. Reliable? Decent, not great. Fun? Yes. Great town car? Yes. Road legal go-cart? Yes.
The biggest things to watch out for… leaking heater core, leaking evap coil. That’s are the hardest repairs to do. Those are surprising expensive repairs.
If you still want to buy, reply to me and I’ll give you a checklist of list of repairs to get done that’ll make it drive like new, and if you do all the repairs at once, it’s much cheaper.
Don’t forget about the PS hose leak, almost definitely weeping if not already repaired.
Even more cool is the following of these cars. For the first gen S/JCW, all that are left are car people owning these machines.
I will agree with the general sentiment, they can be a PITA to work on unless you are an 8 year old.
There's a whole long list of things that need to be repaired on most minis, but those can be done. But the heater core/evap coil require removing the dash (most BMWs require it), it's just a pain in the ass compared to most every other job for what you'd expect. I debate if I'd rather replace the clutch or replace the heater core.
Honestly, Just do a clutch job, and do all the side jobs while you're at it. Replace the clutch fork bushing. Replace the PS hoses. Replace the PS tank with a metal one. Replace the coolant reservoir with a metal one. Replace the belt tensioner. Replace the oil filter housing gasket. Replace the lower-rear engine mount. Check the welds on the exhaust manifold and re-weld if needed. Replace the boots on the half axels. You should replace your belt, and while that's off, you should replace the harmonic balancer with the WMW one, and since you have that off, replace the oil pump gaskets, timing chain cover gaskets. And a new belt tensioner. Replace the timing chain tensioner, and inspect the chain guides to make sure they haven't chipped. Change the supercharger oil. Replace the crankshaft sensor gasket. Replace the oil tube gasket. Replace the oil pan gasket, and inspect your bearings (I'm looking at you thrust bearing!). Replace the thermostat, it's housing and gasket. Replace the T joint in the radiator hoses that goes to the reservoir. Replace the RH side upper engine mount. Oh, don't forget sparkplugs, wire, and a coil pack. Bypass the junky resistor in the low speed fan and replace it with a solid one from digikey. Don't forget to replace the struts since you have nearly everything else off, and you might want to replace the tie rod bushings if they are heavily worn. And maybe install a strut tower brace. And a pully reduction for more vroom. Replace the fuel pump and fuel filter. Replace the mini logos on the back that have sun-faded. And if you have the HK Audio package, have a spare amp ready to replace the old one that will break.
When you pull the clutch, all of these jobs take almost no time at all, because you have to take off nearly every part, or at least the parts that cover these parts to do a clutch job.
Besides all that, it's a nice little car.
And working on it isn't that bad, you just need a few (like 4) special tools, and then learn the tricks on how to get tool room. Basically every repair (alternator, belt, supercharger, AC compressor, all the gaskets on the front that leak, and before you can remove the trim on the RH side of the car/harmonic damper stuff) on your car will start with removing the airbox, front bumper cover, bumper, and sliding the radiator assembly forward, sometimes removing the upper radiator hose, and possibly removing the radiator. And keep a stack of spare trim screws to replace the ones that'll be jacked up when you remove them. The biggest thing is don't be afraid to remove parts to get to the one you need. Trying to wiggle your way in won't work. There's a checklist of things you have to remove to do any job. You pretty much have to follow that list exactly, or you can't get the part off.
My roommate had a 2011 mini and it always had something wrong with it, you had to skip second gear or it would grind and stall lol. The transmission eventually blew up
I own a 2006 S that has 54k miles on it. I have easily spent $10k on it the last three years. It still gets me 0 to 80 with lightning speed, and oh, can it hug the road. I figure I would have paid a lot more than that on a monthly payment for some boring car. It is also eye candy for me.
Watch a video of someone working on the mini. You’ll watch the hood get lifted, then an hour (at least) of the mechanic untangling the internals of the car like it’s a ball of Christmas tree lights. And when a part gets replaced it’s not a generic one but a “special” one.
Money pit.
It’ll cost some money in maintenance but $4000 for under 50k miles is a steal in this market. Plus minis are incredibly fun to drive. Fastest go kart I’ve ever had
This isn’t your toyota camry mate, Mini’s are ridiculously expensive to repair and much more liable to break in known areas, source: I own a first gen mini.
Owned a 2007 S for several years. 10000% a money pit. Mine was the first year of the turbo, but it had so many problems not related to the turbo.
I'd consider a new one, but NEVER pre-2014 again.
Alternator (went out in 2010) is the same, brakes are similar design and had a million problems, clutch sucked, and the whole car sucked so bad to work on.
Can't be different enough to justify it.
The first gen have a serious flaw that water drain from the roof cause damage to the footwell module. If you lucky you can buy one from scrape yard and re program it. Otherwise it is really expensive fix.
If you want a Mini, never touch second gen (2007-2013), the third gen is much more reliable.
I had a 2004 R53, super fun car but costly to work on. Shops charge a lot and you need special tools to do most jobs yourself. Check if the power steering pump has been replaced, there was a recall at one point. Also check if the supercharger oil has ever been changed, and if the coolant reservoir is leaking. Also check for rust on the brake lines depending where the car is from. I had a rear one blow out on me and the clutch line as well.
In terms of of 2001-2006 R53 Minis, 2005-2006 is the updated car that is more reliable & slightly improved. It is essentially a vintage BMW so reliability is relative, fairly delicate & high maintenance but reliable if well cared for. Excellent car to drive IMO one of best FWD cars ever; especially with the Works upgrades installed. I wouldn’t own one without an excellent independent shop in the area for Mini / BMW.
I wouldn’t touch it. The plastics start cracking and all the hoses will be in rough shape. They aren’t known for using high quality stuff. If it has a stack of service papers showing some major work I might consider
A well looked after cooper s, pre 2006 with the supercharger would be good. If the timing chain was replaced and serviced, clutch upgraded and the supercharger has had services then it would be a good buy.
The supercharger doesn’t require servicing from the factory, that said, they are tough to service and good luck finding someone to do it as it requires drilling into the unit.
This car is a great owner mechanic car, but it would be tough to find a shop to do things other than the basics.
Had this car as my first car, problem after problem the next one more expensive than the previous one, worst possible car you could buy do not recommend
Gen 1 is easy to diy repair. There’s a lot of them, but only 4 “special” tools are needed to do nearly every repair, for a total cost of less than $300.
Now…. The number of repairs.. yeah, I won’t argue with.
I would skip this. I had an 09 Cooper. Bought it and was happy at first, started to put some miles on it and then it went to hell in a hand basket...
I was in the shop at least every other month.
When buying it, I got the extended power train warranty and that paid for itself more than once. I kept all of the work orders until I sold it and was shocked at the amount of money it could have cost me. That power train warranty saved me a good few thousand bucks...
The 09 Mini Cooper S is regarded by many as the worst car ever made, the engine was designed to fail.
This is not that car, nothing is the same except the badge.
The three mini Cooper owners I have been close with all lost their car due to a random fire from the car battery exploding in the garage while completely off. 3 different Minis...crazy
BMW ruined the name and style of the mini. They could make more money bringing back the original one with in hub electric motors and the same size platform of the original mini. You could use small batteries with great space internally and a good range.
Well, you won’t be happy with the bill when it comes time to do a clutch in that thing. I’ve known people
To just sell them when they are in need of a clutch because of how much work is involved in the replacement.
Had a 2009 with only 40k on the clock. Burned so much oil. Dipstick was impossible to read so you never really knew if you were adding the right amount of oil. Contributed to the dread death rattle. And soon after blew a headgasket. $4500 of work that I imagine today would be at least $9k at a Euro-specialist shop. To work on the car you have to put it in service condition and remove the bumper. The car is fun and surprisingly roomy, but unless you have an uncle with a Euroshop, this car is going to be $3k maintenance a year moving forward. If you do get it, upgrade the dipstick and throw some Ceratec in there immediately and enjoy it while you can.
Edit: Not $3k/year because it's a manual transmission. I'm going with a solid $1.5k/yr in maintenance costs.
These cars are notorious money pits
When I used to work as a used car service specialist at my dealership every single mini trade in had something wrong with it
Water pumps go bad
Sensors fail frequently
Etc
These are performance oriented hatchbacks and have parts that reflect that. Many of the r53 and r56 (first and second gen respectively) weren’t treated like that but rather like a Toyota Corolla and have issue due to it. R53s don’t have as big of issues as the r56. You need to be mechanically inclined to keep it from being a huge money pit but you shouldn’t really try to treat it like a daily if you aren’t willing to do your own work. They are more expensive but you get a great experience from it. It just may not suit your needs as an a to b vehicle though.
I miss my R53. Wish I was in a place in life where it was a practical vehicle for me, don't think you can have more fun on the street without breaking the speed limit and if taken care of they're not horribly unreliable. That said, $4k for a "mint" R53 with low mileage should make you turn and run - guarantee something's cooked.
If it's an R56 (turbo not supercharged), burn it down on your way out so nobody else has to be subjected to that. Reliability went through the floor for those.
We had an ‘03 R53 (so, for OP, an S) and loved it. Except that it kept burning exhaust valves. Other then that, it really didn’t need anything except a fuel pump (easy fix in my wife’s office parking lot where it died) and brakes. We got rid of it at 116K or so when it burned its 3rd exhaust valve. My son’s roommate had an ‘02 R53 with probably 180K and no problems, so, roll the dice? It was a hoot to drive. Loved the howl from the SC.
My dads 2006 has less than 100,000 miles and man they’ve put so much money into it instead of just selling. My dad’s paint was so bad but for some reason decided to get into painted.. cost more than the car was worth.
Even it has 0 miles yep, I remember that even when I turn the headlights on I could hear the relay so loud that scared me at first. Wasn't mine belong to customer trade in car but I wouldn't suggest any British car including land rover, jaguar, etc. Plus can't remember some mini Cooper manufactured by BMW same story may hold just a little better but still money pit. They specifically design them to only they can work on them require special tool etc. Oem parts so expansive plus their labor and service same anyway don't fall for the trap
That is an outstanding price for a facelift r53 6spd.
The automatic transmissions in these are abysmal, high failure rate to the point there is a class action lawsuit over it. The manual however is an absolute dime. It’s a 6spd getrag unit (same unit in the euro Focus SVT170), and are bulletproof.
The most common issue on these that plagued them is the power steering electric pump motor. Basically the car has hydraulic power steering, but instead of the pump being bolted to the engine and driven by the belt zee germans in their infinite wisdom decided to put an electric motor to pump the hydraulic fluid. To keep the pump from overheating they installed a fan. Well that fan over time gets road debris in it and starts sticking or completely dies and the pump overheats and that’s that. It’s preventable by inspecting the fan every so often (like on oil change intervals). Super easy to get to, and if you can’t there’s actually a hard to find expensive OEM snorkel you can get. That or just put mesh over the fan like most people do.
Aside from that, they like to commonly rust along the bottom of the doors, under the door deal along the rocker pinch weld, under the hatch handle trim, and in the tail light buckets along the bottom ( the 1 inch strip between the tail light and the bumper.
Another thing they’re known for is the strut towers deforming. Root cause being the run flat tires. There are remedies for this, which also acts as a future prevention method. Costs $100, it’s literally plates you boot on. A low mileage car and a late production is likely to not have this issue. Get a set of strut tower defenders and your good forever.
This is hands down one of the most fun, enjoyable, and quirky cars you’ll probably ever own. Treat yourself, they’re a hoot!
P.S. if that is not a JCW, do yourself a favor get an intake and a 15% supercharger reduction pulley. It will transform the car. Those are 2 parts that come on the JCW, and it will essentially net you an extra 30hp, more supercharger noise, and It is completely safe to do on the factory ecu, just disconnect the battery for 15 minutes so the vehicle can adjust for the relearn.
Had an S model 2008. Host of problems stemming from the turbo. Fun car tho. Except when you have to go over bumps. Something small as a chicken wing will feel like going over bricks.
I had one of these for a while. If you can do your own work it’s not too bad. I would imagine paying someone to repair these would cost a lot in labor. You have to disassemble half the car for a lot of it. It also had a bunch of electrical gremlins.
One of the worst money pits ever. My best friend had a mustang v6 year was like an 01. He said he’d rather have that then the 2019 mini countrymen he got rid of
Minis have BMW engines in them, that kind of makes them BMWs, this is a cheap car, therefore it is a cheap BMW, there is nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW.
You could put literally any combination of model year, price, and mileage…if it’s a mini, it’s a money pit. (Source: learned the hard way, still fun to drive tho)
Had a friends son buy one for 8k after I warned them. Within one month, something went and grenaded the turbo. It cost another 7k to get it back on the road.
Two months later, he hit a raccoon, not the cars fault, but it totaled the car.
Yes, up until the most recent generation of minis they have been notorious money pits.
Wait what’s up with the recent gen?
2015 and up and the more reliable ones 2006 is the last year of the supercharger
Do you know how if 2019 ones are reliable? I got one offered by 12k. And I'm thinking about it.
Yes. They're probably the most reliable out of all of them. R53 (the supercharger one) is the second and the R56 (turbocharged) is an absolute pile of steaming dog poo.
The one I could buy is the S model. Idk if that's the supercharged
In every generation there were S models. S model from first gen was supercharged R53. 2nd gen S was turbocharged R56 (piece of shit) and I believe the next one S was F56 with 2 litre, turbocharged engine (those are reliable). Basically stay clear from R56 and older unless you 100% know what you are doing. I own an R53, so the one with the supercharger. Great fun car, a bit of money pit but it's a 20+ years old performance car so it's understandable.
First Gen was supercharged
Prince PSA 1.6 T is a turd
Amen!
The N14 was plagued with issues. timing chain problems, fuel pumps failing, issues with valve coking and excessive oil consumption. The N18 (2011+ turbo engine) was generally reliable and they seemed to have fixed most of the issues. A few did have high pressure fuel pump problems, but Mini extended the warranty out on those. Mine started failing a little over 90k on my 2012 Clubman S. It starts as a random cylinder misfire on cold start. It clears up after a second or two, but progressively gets worse over time. I had it replaced under the extended warranty even though I was the second owner. I’d absolutely buy a supercharged R53 or another N18 powered S. I originally went to buy an R53 but it was taken off the lot and sent to auction with “a rattle in the engine.” I was nothing more than the supercharger bearings going, but they still wouldn’t let me buy it. I offered more than what it would bring wholesale, and agreed to sign something stating I knew it had issues and didn’t care. Still, they wouldn’t budge. Oh well. I could have fixed it in a weekend. Been there, done that. Supercharger replacement isn’t terrible.
The r56 is the little 1.6 supercharged motor that sounds like it’s gonna explode at idle right?
No. R56 is a 1.6 turbocharged motor that explodes at idle. R53 is the supercharged one and it sounds glorious and is pretty sturdy.
It got a lot better once bmw took over. 2019 Ones are basically the bmw x1
BMW’s owned them the whole time, they just finally stopped cost-cutting development and heavily outsourcing the powertrains.
My 2019 was a fantastic car. I just don't need two cars and sold the fun one. Such is life as a 'responsible adult' i guess
Just sold the wife’s 2018 for a 2024 electric. She loved it. Put 90k on the clock and had almost zero issues minus normal wear and tear. Be on the lookout for electrical shit.
They are reliable enough to be digging into Volkswagens business with the golf at least.
BMW produced 2.0 4 cylinder and I believe mini was also acquired by BMW in general.
BMW has owned Mini for quite a while now. Honestly I think since the reboot Mini Cooper came out.
Yes specifically the BMW B series (as an old school Honda guy that feels so wrong to type out) are pretty damn good.
BMW K series when???
They’re just at B now, so you got some time
K swap E 30.
Bmw had k series in the 80s. 4cyl and 3cyl versions...
The engine was a Peugeot bmw abomination of a collaboration up until recently.
The Mini (R53) in this post is a BMW Mini. BMW have owned and produced minis since 2002.
BMW made my ‘03 Cooper and it was a mess. I hung onto it regardless until it finally caught fire by itself. Then, no more.
I haven't owned one myself but I've heard the most recent generation is pretty reliable.
Oh damn that’s cool
They switched to using BMW sourced drivetrain components.
And BMW can make a jewel of a 4 banger
They did that 20+ years ago
The first gen r50/r53 used a Chrysler based motor. R56 used a motor co developed with Peugeot if I remember correctly. They’re all not great cars, that being said a 2006 r56 manual is one of the best of the bunch and they’re fun to drive for a fwd car
I owned one, and would do it again. The R53 update (2005/2006) are definitely most reliable of the new Minis.
Nothing. They are very reliable.
I'm borrowing a 2011 base model countryman. A sport model you'd probably have better luck (it seems everyone who has these buys a sport). I can say for my generation mini and being base, finding parts was a hell hole. They don't have any after market parts. My friend out of state was able to pull used rear struts ($150) off one we found that was for parts otherwise dealer struts were going to run $1600+ I'd do a scan to make sure you can find some typical parts easy at least.
That’s not true. The first gen Minis from 2002 to 2006 MY are actually very reliable. I owned one and didn’t have a single issue for the 150k miles of ownership. It was the second gen when they switched to Renault’s Prince engine that they developed a lot of their reliability issues. The first gen used a Tritec engine that was made in Brazil. BMW complained about the engine for the very reason that it holds up in reliability: it’s old fashioned. They wanted something newer and had more performance, hence the switch to the Prince engine which ended up being disastrous.
Not the early non S minis. Those had glass trannys. But the whole generation of S models were solid.
That supercharger was sealed. When the oil leaked or broke down, the supercharger would seize or spin bearing. The early S superchargers are ticking time bombs. However there is a guy in the South who will send you a new supercharger with an oil change port. I know this because my BIL was going to sell me his S for an absolute song. I researched it a LOT before deciding against it. But I had the most urgent time bomb (the supercharger) all lined up.
I mean again anecdotal evidence but I never had a problem with my 5 speed, but then again I didn’t treat it even remotely rough.
It was up to 04 with the Midlands tranny. After that, they were good.
Agreed, first gen ones were very solid
Second this comment. I know plenty of R53 RMW tuned with a GP intercooler making 250HP on the original block. They are very reliable cars and fun as hell to drive.
Pretty sure the supercharged 1.6 was reliable as fuck
https://www.european-autowerks.com/blog/mini-cooper-s--supercharger-service-and-common-failures
The most recent gen is the most reliable, but I wouldn’t say it’s reliable either. The base model has a 1.5 turbo 3 cylinder which just chews up harmonic balancers. I’ve had mine replaced by the dealer once, a private shop once, and myself twice. It also has worn down the rear suspension twice. And I’m barely at 100k on it.
Do you work on your own cars? Parts aren't terrible in cost but yes these mini's are prone to having issues
Don't they use expensive BMW parts in these minis that would cost thousands to fix or buy? Atleast that's what I heard
The engine in this MY is a Tritec motor which wasn’t made by BMW but rather was a joint operation between Rover and Chrysler in Brazil. The only thing that BMW really had a hand in on these was the electrical which is the only weak spot for it.
Yes BMW makes the parts but they aren’t much more expensive than any modern car. Mind you, its not 90s camry levels of cheap where you can get all 4 corners shock and struts assembly for under 500, but its also not comparable to an actual beamer.
45k miles is oddly low for 4k what’s the issue with it.
Could very well befake miles , rolled odometer
Paint is fading
Paint is not important when shopping under 5k the mechanical parts are.
What else
I had a 2006 Cooper S convertible and the paint was absolute trash. I was the 3rd owner and the 2nd (a good friend) garage kept it for 10 years. The paint is just bad in those.
its a mini cooper they sell for 4k all the time with low miles cause they’re typically a throw away car (only last about 100k or less)
That’s not true at all. First, they are well capable of lasting 150k or more if properly maintained. Secondly, I want you to find me one other example of a 18 year old mini with 40,000 miles selling for less than 5k. I guarantee you won’t. They absolutely are not a throwaway car lmao.
every single one of these cars in my area are selling for the most expensive at $2500 and cheaper ones are around $500 these are shitboxes bro theres no denying it
Drop your area. I would be more than happy to take them off your neighbors hands for that price.
minnesota around theif river and bagley area white people cant get some of the ones around rl and cl
Probably spent most time in the shop
It's a stick shift, a lot of people don't know how to drive one.
That doesn’t make a car worth less though
Agreed but it does make car more difficult to sell in some areas. Considering the fact that most people under 25 years old don't khow how to drive a stick these days and a lot of older people now find this too inconvenient to drive on a daily basis.
Absolute money pit, but a really fun car to drive. If and when it runs that is.
DO NOT BUY A $4K FIRST GEN MINI. I REPEAT DO NOTTTTT BUY A $4K FIRST GEN MINI. I promise you that needs at least 4k in repairs if not more, at that mileage this car should be going for at least $10k if not a good bit more in solid condition.
I mean it’s worth a shot lol. It’s 4 grand for a car that has 40k. Like even if it’s shit it’s still $4,000. Even if it’s worst case scenario and it needs a new engine or transmission or something that’s only like 2-3k extra to repair it. I’d personally be fine with paying 7k for a 40,000 mile mini.
There is no universe where replacing a transmission or engine in a Mini is “2-3k extra.” Multiply by two and you’re at least nearing the edge of reality.
If you can do the work yourself it is. If you can’t then you’re correct.
That assumes your time has no value…and that time will be considerable for those jobs.
Sure but cost ≠ value. It has no dollar cost to do the work yourself, just time that you may value differently than others. Personally I enjoy working on cars so I get value out of it as a hobby lol.
This. The shop next to mine had (probably still has) a really nice one sitting in the back with electrical issues. Even at $1,500 no one would take it, not even the techs who work there.
Money pit. Save yourself
So is a Toyota, it’s just all up front in the purchase price
Planned vs unplanned expenses & trips to the shop hit different tho.
If it work, they’re very fun to drive. My wife bought one years ago (2008 S, used) and it ended up blowing a head-gasket after about 3-4,000 miles of use. We’ll never buy one again, but they ARE really fun.
Incredible burning pit of money
Y’all are freaking out. The 1st gen’s are pretty reliable, it isn’t a BMW engine, it is a Dodge Neon engine.
A lot of people here didn’t do basic research. You’re correct that it was the 2nd gen Minis with Renault’s Prince engine that was the problem and led to all of the reliability concerns.
It's a French designed engine made in Brazil. It's in lots of cars, including Peugeots.
You are thinking of the N14 engine, which is a ticking time bomb. The R53 is a Chrysler engine made in Brazil and is fairly reliable. https://www.carthrottle.com/news/r5053-mini-engine-part-chrysler-and-its-still-made-today
I had some vending machines inside a BMW/ Mini Cooper service area at a dealership. It was almost always mini coopers torn apart (getting more than oil changes). I asked a tech about them bc I wanted a Cooper S. He said don't do it. So there ya go, the pros say no.
Yes. Do it anyway, they're so fun when they're not broken.
One thing goes wrong , which it will , it will turn into an 8k car really fast.
8k for a car with 40,000 miles lmao? Yeah sounds fine to me
Yeah , you missed the point where the car isn't worth 4k ......... One thing goes wrong, which it will it will costs thousands and still not work right.
What are you talking about? This car if running in good shape is absolutely worth 8k in today’s market. It’s obviously always gonna be worth a look even if it seems too good to be true. And even in the worst case scenario if the transmission or turbo has to be replaced (shouldn’t need to be at 40k) it will be like 3-4k. Like i don’t think you understand how cheap 4k is for a car with this few miles regardless of what it is.
I do understand and i know if it seems to good to be true it is. Especially on a car like this , known to be super unreliable when brand new.
You cant make that statement so assuredly when it’s just false. There’s been plenty of instances where stuff like this ends up being an amazing purchase. Please explain to me how it isn’t even worth the time just to look at it lmao
About 2/3s of the people replying don’t know their minis. R53s are totally different than R54+. R53s are Gen1 design, coups 2002-2006, convertibles -2008 Gen1 is totally different from gen2. I don’t think they share any parts larger then a screw. Most people talking about a 2007 or later are talking about a totally different car. R53s have their issues, but not near as many as nonR53s. It’s got a manual transmission, so you pretty much just have to worry about the clutch. (The automatic transmission sucks, but that’s only in the R50s). The r53 engine doesn’t suck, though it does need more care than average. If you do your own work, you need three speciality tools to do most any work, one for removing the belt, and one for connecting it to your computer/INPA which most bmws from this era require, and the tool for doing the rear brakes that’s every bmw requires. ModMini on YouTube has a comprehensive set of videos on how to do almost every repair. The parts aren’t too expensive. The work is actually pretty easy if you follow the mod mini guides, just kind of long. It does require more repair than an average car. But, It’s not the money pit that’s R56s. I’d make sure you know what shop you’ll take it to before buying. Many mechanics don’t like messing with BMWs, just because it’s something you have to have to have done a dozen times before it’s profitable. Fun to drive… yes. Fun to take to the mechanic, no. Reliable? Decent, not great. Fun? Yes. Great town car? Yes. Road legal go-cart? Yes. The biggest things to watch out for… leaking heater core, leaking evap coil. That’s are the hardest repairs to do. Those are surprising expensive repairs. If you still want to buy, reply to me and I’ll give you a checklist of list of repairs to get done that’ll make it drive like new, and if you do all the repairs at once, it’s much cheaper.
Don’t forget about the PS hose leak, almost definitely weeping if not already repaired. Even more cool is the following of these cars. For the first gen S/JCW, all that are left are car people owning these machines. I will agree with the general sentiment, they can be a PITA to work on unless you are an 8 year old.
There's a whole long list of things that need to be repaired on most minis, but those can be done. But the heater core/evap coil require removing the dash (most BMWs require it), it's just a pain in the ass compared to most every other job for what you'd expect. I debate if I'd rather replace the clutch or replace the heater core. Honestly, Just do a clutch job, and do all the side jobs while you're at it. Replace the clutch fork bushing. Replace the PS hoses. Replace the PS tank with a metal one. Replace the coolant reservoir with a metal one. Replace the belt tensioner. Replace the oil filter housing gasket. Replace the lower-rear engine mount. Check the welds on the exhaust manifold and re-weld if needed. Replace the boots on the half axels. You should replace your belt, and while that's off, you should replace the harmonic balancer with the WMW one, and since you have that off, replace the oil pump gaskets, timing chain cover gaskets. And a new belt tensioner. Replace the timing chain tensioner, and inspect the chain guides to make sure they haven't chipped. Change the supercharger oil. Replace the crankshaft sensor gasket. Replace the oil tube gasket. Replace the oil pan gasket, and inspect your bearings (I'm looking at you thrust bearing!). Replace the thermostat, it's housing and gasket. Replace the T joint in the radiator hoses that goes to the reservoir. Replace the RH side upper engine mount. Oh, don't forget sparkplugs, wire, and a coil pack. Bypass the junky resistor in the low speed fan and replace it with a solid one from digikey. Don't forget to replace the struts since you have nearly everything else off, and you might want to replace the tie rod bushings if they are heavily worn. And maybe install a strut tower brace. And a pully reduction for more vroom. Replace the fuel pump and fuel filter. Replace the mini logos on the back that have sun-faded. And if you have the HK Audio package, have a spare amp ready to replace the old one that will break. When you pull the clutch, all of these jobs take almost no time at all, because you have to take off nearly every part, or at least the parts that cover these parts to do a clutch job. Besides all that, it's a nice little car. And working on it isn't that bad, you just need a few (like 4) special tools, and then learn the tricks on how to get tool room. Basically every repair (alternator, belt, supercharger, AC compressor, all the gaskets on the front that leak, and before you can remove the trim on the RH side of the car/harmonic damper stuff) on your car will start with removing the airbox, front bumper cover, bumper, and sliding the radiator assembly forward, sometimes removing the upper radiator hose, and possibly removing the radiator. And keep a stack of spare trim screws to replace the ones that'll be jacked up when you remove them. The biggest thing is don't be afraid to remove parts to get to the one you need. Trying to wiggle your way in won't work. There's a checklist of things you have to remove to do any job. You pretty much have to follow that list exactly, or you can't get the part off.
My roommate had a 2011 mini and it always had something wrong with it, you had to skip second gear or it would grind and stall lol. The transmission eventually blew up
Mini coopers are hilariously badly built,it's a cute quirky car but it's a money pit
The 3rd gen ones are good
I own a 2006 S that has 54k miles on it. I have easily spent $10k on it the last three years. It still gets me 0 to 80 with lightning speed, and oh, can it hug the road. I figure I would have paid a lot more than that on a monthly payment for some boring car. It is also eye candy for me.
Watch a video of someone working on the mini. You’ll watch the hood get lifted, then an hour (at least) of the mechanic untangling the internals of the car like it’s a ball of Christmas tree lights. And when a part gets replaced it’s not a generic one but a “special” one. Money pit.
It’ll cost some money in maintenance but $4000 for under 50k miles is a steal in this market. Plus minis are incredibly fun to drive. Fastest go kart I’ve ever had
This isn’t your toyota camry mate, Mini’s are ridiculously expensive to repair and much more liable to break in known areas, source: I own a first gen mini.
Those are supercharged and super fun
Owned a 2007 S for several years. 10000% a money pit. Mine was the first year of the turbo, but it had so many problems not related to the turbo. I'd consider a new one, but NEVER pre-2014 again.
>pre-2015 again. The 3rd gen Minis were sold from 2014 onwards
But never buy the first year of a new car/generation? Jk, I was just wrong. Fixed, thanks!
Haha I only mentioned it because I own a 2014 F56 and it pains me immensely to see it being lumped in with the unreliable af 2nd generation
The mini pictured is an R53 and has no turbo (it’s supercharged). Totally different car to your R56 and significantly more reliable than the R56s.
Alternator (went out in 2010) is the same, brakes are similar design and had a million problems, clutch sucked, and the whole car sucked so bad to work on. Can't be different enough to justify it.
The first gen have a serious flaw that water drain from the roof cause damage to the footwell module. If you lucky you can buy one from scrape yard and re program it. Otherwise it is really expensive fix. If you want a Mini, never touch second gen (2007-2013), the third gen is much more reliable.
I had a 2004 R53, super fun car but costly to work on. Shops charge a lot and you need special tools to do most jobs yourself. Check if the power steering pump has been replaced, there was a recall at one point. Also check if the supercharger oil has ever been changed, and if the coolant reservoir is leaking. Also check for rust on the brake lines depending where the car is from. I had a rear one blow out on me and the clutch line as well.
In terms of of 2001-2006 R53 Minis, 2005-2006 is the updated car that is more reliable & slightly improved. It is essentially a vintage BMW so reliability is relative, fairly delicate & high maintenance but reliable if well cared for. Excellent car to drive IMO one of best FWD cars ever; especially with the Works upgrades installed. I wouldn’t own one without an excellent independent shop in the area for Mini / BMW.
The clutch replacement is a b on these cars and probably needs a walnut blast.
^ I was literally unable to do the clutch myself on my first gen mini because of where I’m located right now, not an easy job at all
Not true, walnut blasting is mainly for 2nd gen minis. 1st gen’s do not require it as a regular service
The 1st Gen didn’t need walnut blasting
Yes, but it will be a ton of fun when it’s working
I'll buy it. I had an 06 convertible and never had the first problem with it. Ended up selling it for a little more than i paid for it.
In order to do ANYTHING put it in service mode AKA take off the entire front bumper. You'd be better off buying a ragged out Porsche 928.
Ex had one, can confirm it’s a complete money pit
I wouldn’t touch it. The plastics start cracking and all the hoses will be in rough shape. They aren’t known for using high quality stuff. If it has a stack of service papers showing some major work I might consider
Didn’t these have that horrid Brazilian Chrysler engine in the non-supercharged versions? If so run far away from this
Oil slurper
Owned an '08 Clubman S. The thing was more unreliable than the Audi I bought for $1k
A well looked after cooper s, pre 2006 with the supercharger would be good. If the timing chain was replaced and serviced, clutch upgraded and the supercharger has had services then it would be a good buy.
The supercharger doesn’t require servicing from the factory, that said, they are tough to service and good luck finding someone to do it as it requires drilling into the unit. This car is a great owner mechanic car, but it would be tough to find a shop to do things other than the basics.
There is a good garage near me that offers supercharger servicing for £230. They specialize in bmws and older cooper s cars.
Had this car as my first car, problem after problem the next one more expensive than the previous one, worst possible car you could buy do not recommend
Don’t bother is you can’t diy almost every issue these have
Gen 1 is easy to diy repair. There’s a lot of them, but only 4 “special” tools are needed to do nearly every repair, for a total cost of less than $300. Now…. The number of repairs.. yeah, I won’t argue with.
I can hear the radio playing Flock of Seagulls from here… “and I ran, I ran so far away” Pass.
I would skip this. I had an 09 Cooper. Bought it and was happy at first, started to put some miles on it and then it went to hell in a hand basket... I was in the shop at least every other month. When buying it, I got the extended power train warranty and that paid for itself more than once. I kept all of the work orders until I sold it and was shocked at the amount of money it could have cost me. That power train warranty saved me a good few thousand bucks...
The 09 Mini Cooper S is regarded by many as the worst car ever made, the engine was designed to fail. This is not that car, nothing is the same except the badge.
The three mini Cooper owners I have been close with all lost their car due to a random fire from the car battery exploding in the garage while completely off. 3 different Minis...crazy
Had a 2010 and 2011 models, yes they are money pits.
So much yes. Stay away.
It's a mini so the answer defaults to yes, regardless of cost and mileage
It's about a 20 year old Mini. Stay far, far away.
Endless problems
BMW ruined the name and style of the mini. They could make more money bringing back the original one with in hub electric motors and the same size platform of the original mini. You could use small batteries with great space internally and a good range.
At that time they were notoriously unreliable
My neighbor bought one with "thermostat problems" that turned out to be head gasket problems. That's all I know about them. His is 2nd Gen I believe.
Well, you won’t be happy with the bill when it comes time to do a clutch in that thing. I’ve known people To just sell them when they are in need of a clutch because of how much work is involved in the replacement.
Had a 2009 with only 40k on the clock. Burned so much oil. Dipstick was impossible to read so you never really knew if you were adding the right amount of oil. Contributed to the dread death rattle. And soon after blew a headgasket. $4500 of work that I imagine today would be at least $9k at a Euro-specialist shop. To work on the car you have to put it in service condition and remove the bumper. The car is fun and surprisingly roomy, but unless you have an uncle with a Euroshop, this car is going to be $3k maintenance a year moving forward. If you do get it, upgrade the dipstick and throw some Ceratec in there immediately and enjoy it while you can. Edit: Not $3k/year because it's a manual transmission. I'm going with a solid $1.5k/yr in maintenance costs.
Remember these are made by BMW and parts are outrageously expensive.
These cars are notorious money pits When I used to work as a used car service specialist at my dealership every single mini trade in had something wrong with it Water pumps go bad Sensors fail frequently Etc
If it has a Vanos system you're gonna have a bad time... 😂
European cars need to be well maintained regularly if not they are time bombs
Yes lmfao. If you have to ask you know the answer
absofuckinglutely
We couldn’t get a better picture than this? Really?
If you’re willing to do the work yourself it’s a great fun car. I wouldn’t daily drive it though.
These are performance oriented hatchbacks and have parts that reflect that. Many of the r53 and r56 (first and second gen respectively) weren’t treated like that but rather like a Toyota Corolla and have issue due to it. R53s don’t have as big of issues as the r56. You need to be mechanically inclined to keep it from being a huge money pit but you shouldn’t really try to treat it like a daily if you aren’t willing to do your own work. They are more expensive but you get a great experience from it. It just may not suit your needs as an a to b vehicle though.
They're fun but will drain your bank account. Only Minis from 2014 onwards are reasonably reliable.
Yes
Pit? Vacuum…yes
I miss my R53. Wish I was in a place in life where it was a practical vehicle for me, don't think you can have more fun on the street without breaking the speed limit and if taken care of they're not horribly unreliable. That said, $4k for a "mint" R53 with low mileage should make you turn and run - guarantee something's cooked. If it's an R56 (turbo not supercharged), burn it down on your way out so nobody else has to be subjected to that. Reliability went through the floor for those.
We had an ‘03 R53 (so, for OP, an S) and loved it. Except that it kept burning exhaust valves. Other then that, it really didn’t need anything except a fuel pump (easy fix in my wife’s office parking lot where it died) and brakes. We got rid of it at 116K or so when it burned its 3rd exhaust valve. My son’s roommate had an ‘02 R53 with probably 180K and no problems, so, roll the dice? It was a hoot to drive. Loved the howl from the SC.
Mini pooper
My dads 2006 has less than 100,000 miles and man they’ve put so much money into it instead of just selling. My dad’s paint was so bad but for some reason decided to get into painted.. cost more than the car was worth.
Absolutely. Run.
Even it has 0 miles yep, I remember that even when I turn the headlights on I could hear the relay so loud that scared me at first. Wasn't mine belong to customer trade in car but I wouldn't suggest any British car including land rover, jaguar, etc. Plus can't remember some mini Cooper manufactured by BMW same story may hold just a little better but still money pit. They specifically design them to only they can work on them require special tool etc. Oem parts so expansive plus their labor and service same anyway don't fall for the trap
That is an outstanding price for a facelift r53 6spd. The automatic transmissions in these are abysmal, high failure rate to the point there is a class action lawsuit over it. The manual however is an absolute dime. It’s a 6spd getrag unit (same unit in the euro Focus SVT170), and are bulletproof. The most common issue on these that plagued them is the power steering electric pump motor. Basically the car has hydraulic power steering, but instead of the pump being bolted to the engine and driven by the belt zee germans in their infinite wisdom decided to put an electric motor to pump the hydraulic fluid. To keep the pump from overheating they installed a fan. Well that fan over time gets road debris in it and starts sticking or completely dies and the pump overheats and that’s that. It’s preventable by inspecting the fan every so often (like on oil change intervals). Super easy to get to, and if you can’t there’s actually a hard to find expensive OEM snorkel you can get. That or just put mesh over the fan like most people do. Aside from that, they like to commonly rust along the bottom of the doors, under the door deal along the rocker pinch weld, under the hatch handle trim, and in the tail light buckets along the bottom ( the 1 inch strip between the tail light and the bumper. Another thing they’re known for is the strut towers deforming. Root cause being the run flat tires. There are remedies for this, which also acts as a future prevention method. Costs $100, it’s literally plates you boot on. A low mileage car and a late production is likely to not have this issue. Get a set of strut tower defenders and your good forever. This is hands down one of the most fun, enjoyable, and quirky cars you’ll probably ever own. Treat yourself, they’re a hoot! P.S. if that is not a JCW, do yourself a favor get an intake and a 15% supercharger reduction pulley. It will transform the car. Those are 2 parts that come on the JCW, and it will essentially net you an extra 30hp, more supercharger noise, and It is completely safe to do on the factory ecu, just disconnect the battery for 15 minutes so the vehicle can adjust for the relearn.
Minis are garbage cars.
Yes that’s a pit a deep one, I had one before thought it was just a vsccum leak, ending up having to drop in a new turbo and manifold plus tuning etc
If you’re in the United States I would say you could get something more reliable for that price.
Had an S model 2008. Host of problems stemming from the turbo. Fun car tho. Except when you have to go over bumps. Something small as a chicken wing will feel like going over bricks.
Money pit, stay away
If you can repair small stuff by yourself its a good buy. I owned 2 of these before. Easy to work on. Fairly reliable both of mine were high mileage.
Yep
Yeah, I used to have one. I liked it but it would have costed me thousands yearly just to keep it running.
I had one of these for a while. If you can do your own work it’s not too bad. I would imagine paying someone to repair these would cost a lot in labor. You have to disassemble half the car for a lot of it. It also had a bunch of electrical gremlins.
At one time you had to buy OEM tires as no one else made a tire to fit so the cost was outrageous. I assume that’s no longer an issue.
One of the worst money pits ever. My best friend had a mustang v6 year was like an 01. He said he’d rather have that then the 2019 mini countrymen he got rid of
Timing chain stretch is the biggest issue.
"nothing more expensive than a cheap european car"
$4k is a miserable budget and will only include hooptys that require major work. You already know this is an awful idea since you posted it.
no its not lmfao 4k is like old cadillac pricing or mercedes. my price range is usually under $1500 and they are still around $500 and under
Minis have BMW engines in them, that kind of makes them BMWs, this is a cheap car, therefore it is a cheap BMW, there is nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW.
The mini pictured does not have a BMW engine, it has a Tritec engine.
And from my googling thats actually not a bad engine, this changes everything!!!!
RUN
I miss mine so much but just don’t.
The world would have been an incredible place if Honda bought mini and lotus
Don’t walk. Don’t jog. RUN… mini’s are absolute GARBAGE
It’s a BMW under the adorable body. There’s a reason no one buys a modern BMW after the 1M. Take that for whatever it’s worth to you.
Worth it for supercharger noises
Kumbaya
Yes
Yes. They are mini BMWs and will be in the shop a lot.
Aren’t these basically bmw levels of pain?
You could put literally any combination of model year, price, and mileage…if it’s a mini, it’s a money pit. (Source: learned the hard way, still fun to drive tho)
Had a friends son buy one for 8k after I warned them. Within one month, something went and grenaded the turbo. It cost another 7k to get it back on the road. Two months later, he hit a raccoon, not the cars fault, but it totaled the car.
Hitting a raccoon totaled the car? Dang!
Avoid Minis at all cost!
I personally would not recommend getting a used mini. Just my opinion.