No offence but I think Ducbird has given you a very 'real' taste of the issues, some may occur, very few WILL occur but have cropped up. I had a 2001 Cooper, first batch off the line, and I had a 2006 Checkmate Cooper S, so the very last of the Supercharged. 2006 saw a decent update to the Cooper S, while still the same model it received the bigger exhausts, an uplift in trim fitment so it was less rattly, and several other 'fixes'. Also, the 2006 had the ceramic tipped supercharger that went in the works, as standard, so was decent. The gearbox is getrag in the S, notchy but generally solid. In the standard it was a peugeot/rover miss mash and was horrendous, mine just fell apart in 50k miles of not ridiculous driving. I won't go there on spec, decide what's important to you but be aware 100k was a chunky service as the supercharger oil needs changing and it has to come out, and obv be aware of stuff like miss-fires. The clutch is also pretty heavy compared to most cars so factor that in. Start it from cold, the hydraulic tappets may rattle a tiny bit but no more than 1-2 seconds if it's been stood a while. If you can hear 'ticking' under the engine bay it's normally just injector tick, but you shouldn't hear it in the car. Finally the only things to look for other than what's been mentioned is probably in the cooper S, turn the air con on, and listen for 'bubbling' behind the passenger glove box, its' where the coolant heat exchanger is and can be a sign it needs servicing. Actual Finally... All the power steering pumps are really noisy in mini's, it's a product of the electro/hydraulic unit, however there is a cooling fan on the back of the rack that can gum up and it over heats. It will be noisy, but if it's REALLY noisy, or noisy even on small loads then be suspicious. I'd have another tomorrow, thirsty as hell, and not that fast but a lovely car, just felt really special to drive and always engaging.
They’re prone to the coolant overflow tank leaking, I’ve had mine 18 months. It’s been messed with runs coil overs lowered 2 inches and has low pros. Mine has run flats too which generally peeps change to ‘normal’ tyres. Check the wear on the front tyres to ensure it isn’t running just on the inside 2 inches of the tyre. Also on a Cooper of that age rust bubbles can be an issue, particularly the boot lid and front of the bonnet. If it’s got air-con check it through all of the temperature range. Also check the boot where the spare usually is as Mini allow water into the boot space usually the battery tray. Metallic Blue or Anthracite are the better colours IMO, Mine is the Chrono edition with the extra dials in centre of the dash which was my preference.
Right.....we are off to see it in a min. Thanks to everyone for the detailed advice. I am actually going to print this thread out and take it with me
I will stand corrected, but I don't think the R53 has hydraulic tappets? But the chain tensioner is hyraulic and after being stood for any length of time it takes a second or two to get the oil pressure and it can rattle a bit. The tensioner is also fussy about oil quality and it can get stuck, so regular servicing is a must. And not the BMW service intervals
I've got the R53 1.4 diesel magic little motor 120k on the clock (Toyota Yaris engine with BMW modified head i believe) really economical but quite rapid if required. Replaced the front suspension struts and top mounts and a leaky rear caliper, spares really affordable. But yes battery box had to be drained of excess water the other day.
I may be miss-remember so we will go with your analysis. I agree with the service bit, I tended to change my oil more regularly. One thing we didn't mention but tbh it's an issue on all cars is rusty exhausts, I've seen SO many mini's though that are now 10-15 years old with the straps for the exhaust rusted through and hanging on by the mounts before the back box
Haha, I think they built that design into it, in keeping with the original. That and all the engine oil leaks I'm fairly sure ours is still on the original (45k miles), the straps are OK but one of the boxes has rusty bits peeling off. Was an advisory on the last MOT so it looks like it will have to be replaced. Not much change out of 700 quid there
Here now. Coolant leaking from cap of expansion tank. Also steering rack gaiter loose noted as advisory on 2018 MoT but still not done. Mismatched tyres on rear axle which IIRC should be a MOT failure
Gurlf is taking it for a test spin with the seller while I mind the dog. The more I question the seller the more his story is falling apart like a cheap suit. It started off that it’s his wife’s car and has FSH but now we are on version number 3 which is that he is a letting agent by day and he bought it for his wife and/or bought it to sell (he can’t really decide). In one version he admitted to being a trader yet he didn’t know how to open the bonnet or when it was open, what the coolant tank was for? Plus if it’s recently been serviced how come the coolant and screw wash tanks are empty and the oil cap had several months of engine gunk residue on it? More importantly, why no receipt? The girlf felt sorry for him so she’s taken it for a drive to give him a bit of a break from me
Sounds like head gasket is on way out Check engine mountings for leaks there is one you can see on the left as you look at the engine
Left it. Girlf now has a face like a smacked arse cos she liked the black wheels and wanted to buy it. SMH. There was also some cock and bull story about why he didn’t have a receipt for his purchase of the car and so couldn’t prove title (probably because he bought it from an auction but doesn’t want me to know that). Amd the reg number doesn’t match the V5. Again, there’s some story about it being mid-plate transfer but that time I’d heard enough. I didn’t even bother making a silly offer as my spidey senses were tingling so much.
Could be something wrong with the cooling system or the fan they aren’t supposed to keep going when you turn ignition off I remember being taken for a test drive in Brighton the guy wouldn’t let me drive it. When we pulled up at his house and switched the engine off the fan continued going for ages He said they all do it yeah right
I have to lol at the lady logic which results in me getting the silent treatment as a reward for driving her all the way to Coventry, lying underneath a car in the rain and interrogating an imbecile (I even had to show him how to open the bonnet and explain what the expansion tank was for!), thus saving her the expense and heartache of being stuck with what was almost certainly a lemon and then driving her home again in horrendous weather conditions as she slept the whole way while I kept nodding off and then coming round from my micro sleep in a state of mild panic. Probably because I only got 2.5 hours sleep last night due to my shoulder being in agony as a result of somehow tearing a ligament or cartilage or trapping a nerve or something when putting my helmet on the day before. It felt like my neck at first but either way, getting old fkn sucks, and I’m struck by the irony that on the same ride out yesterday, my son crashed his bike and was right as rain while I managed to cripple myself just by putting my lid on As Oscar Wilde once said, “Strange chaps, women.....”
