buying a mini copper s what to look for

charlearose

we have always leased cars before but i am going to buy a car now soley for myself as one of our lease cars is going back in a 2 months
i know exactly what i want to buy - a mini cooper s with the body kit and chilli pack on it and i want to buy privately not from a garage i have up to 10k to spend if its the perfect car ie low milage one /two owner and all the bits on it but looking around the 7k mark
as we will probably be travelling a few hours most likely to london ect and
I havent bought a car for years so just wanted some ideas on what to be doing when paying cash
generally i mean do i hpi it myself or take the word of the owner that the hpi certificate is correct

carrying a large amount of cash with you isnt what i want to do but have little choice really if i want to buy privatly
any ideas on buying privatly would be much appreciated

mark5

Never heard of head gasket problems the engines themselves are pretty solid, its more the clutches, power steering pumps etc that cause problems.

I have removed the runflat tyres from our one and its now a much nicer ride.
I still spend around £100 per tyre though.

Most Mini's have full service history for the first 5 years due to the Mini TLC service package.

We've got a Mini Cooper Chilli (jan 05) its not the s version,we bought it 3 years ago with 1 owner and 9000 miles on the clock it was 2 years old at the time. (not from a dealer).

Mines been a good car so far.

I have a gut feeling you wont find a nice example Cooper S Chilli for £7000, my guessing is that money would buy a 5 year old + example with 70,000+ on the clock. You will probably need to spend your full budget of £10000 to get one with low miles.

Goodluck with your search.

Mark

Edit: There was also a minor face lift in the summer of 2004 with some improvements and a stronger gearbox on the normal Cooper, if there is a reverse light in the rear bumper its the older design, later models had a fog light there instead.

harveybobbles

I have a set of bumpers for a black Mini Cooper if anybody needs any. Brand new and bubble wrapped.

movilogo

What to check?

Alternative cars to Mini - eg Suzuki Swift, Daihatsu Serion etc.

Cheaper, more fun, makes more sense and more reliable.

missile

We had one of those, great little car but found the chilly pack suspension really firm and a nightmare on anything rougher than motorway surface.

missile

carrying a large amount of cash with you isnt what i want to do but have little choice really if i want to buy privatly
any ideas on buying privatly would be much appreciated

Ask reg number and run hpi check before you go.

As others have suggested take enough for a deposit, get a receipt and arrange to meet at the bank to pay him the balance.

Seems like you are nervous about a private purchase? Take along a knowledgeable freind or arrange RAC check.

Be very careful if owner arranges a meet at anywhere other than the address on the V5.

Ask to see documents. A genuine owner will have sales invoice, service bills etc.

emmell

movilogo wrote: »

What to check?

Alternative cars to Mini - eg Suzuki Swift, Daihatsu Serion etc.

Cheaper, more fun, makes more sense and more reliable.

Why would anyone considering a Mini buy a Daish!tsu?
ML.

verityboo

Hi. I used to have a bmw mini and would really recommend the https://www.mini2.com forum and website if you are interested in the current mini, or have any issues when you have purchased one.

vikingaero

Also check out https://www.totalmini.com

leanneq

I've had my mini over 5 years with no problems whatsoever