Mini Cooper S any buying tips?? Car bought but has a problem any ideas??

[B3n]

Hey Folks

After trying to convince my Girlfriend to buy a MK4 Anni she is having none of it and wants a Mini Cooper S. She has found one she likes and we are going to view it on the weekend. There lies the problem I have absolutely no idea when it comes to Mini's so any tips on what to look out for would be great

It's 2005 in Red with panoramic roof, Aircon, Xenon's and full leather with under 40k.

One main question I have the run flat tyres, do you have to keep them?? Or can I just place normal tyres on the car and stick a can of tyre weld in the boot

Cheers


Ben

[mvb12]

my mrs had a MCS a few years ago.

You can replace the run flats with normal tyres no issue!

take the car for a good run around as the power steering pump is a major issue with these cars. ours cut out on a roundabout once and it was a good thing i was driving as its near enough impossible to get the car going where you want it (it drives as if the engine is not on.... absolutely no power STEERING  ).

oem sat nav is a must!

you will have issues going over speed humps as the mini S sits quite low and the front valance tends to scrape across the humps  

P.S the boot is the size of a shoebox  

[Greeners]

I have a tip for you............

Talk her out of it! 

[Tamiyoman]

Hey Folks

After trying to convince my Girlfriend to buy a MK4 Anni she is having none of it and wants a Mini Cooper S. She has found one she likes and we are going to view it on the weekend. There lies the problem I have absolutely no idea when it comes to Mini's so any tips on what to look out for would be great

It's 2005 in Red with panoramic roof, Aircon, Xenon's and full leather with under 40k.

One main question I have the run flat tyres, do you have to keep them?? Or can I just place normal tyres on the car and stick a can of tyre weld in the boot

Cheers


Ben

My brothers ex wife had an MCS, her best friend has one and they all love em, proper girly cars   (oh and the one time my brother arrived at the pub in it, he got ripped to shreds, so dont drive it unless you want to look like a hairdresser  

Same as MVB said, replace them with normals, no issue there

The assistant pro at my golf club has one too, he gets some loads grief about it 

[mvb12]

if you do get an mk4 Anni i have some genuine mk4 anni BBS in need of TLC a refurb.

[B3n]

I have a tip for you............

Talk her out of it! 

Haha wish I could mate :'( but her mind is set!!!

Cheers guys but I have absolutely no intention of going anywhere near the drivers seat again after the test drive lol. Well unless I fancy a hoon on a very dark night!!!

Thank god your able to take the run flats off!!! I always thought you'd be able to but but the missus thought otherwise after reading about them lol.

Any good Mini forums in the uk??

[Tamiyoman]

I have a tip for you............

Talk her out of it!  

Any good Mini forums in the uk??

Dunno mate, I am neither a girl nor a hairdresser  , you opened the door, I only merely walked through it  

[john87]

I have a friend who has one (turbo engine not supercharge) and the turbo went 2 months out of the warranty. Whether it was down to neglect or faulty part, I'm not sure...

[GTIjames]

You will be missing out, I had a r53 cooper s before my ed30 and now have a r56 jcw one after I sold my cayman, and they are great fun to drive. Take it out on a decent country road and I guarantee you will find it alot more fun and involving than your golf, its not as fast in a straight line but they are very neutral and well set-up out of the box even on run-flats.

40,000 mileage is pretty good for that age so I would just look out for the normal stuff like you would with any other car - has it been modified, gearbox ok, brake pads and discs etc and does the supercharger sound alright.

You might find it quite a crashy ride compared to the soft set-up of the golf but the sharper handling and better grip makes up for it, and changing the tyres to non runflats will improve the ride considerably.  

If she gets it, and you can cope with driving a girly car, then take it out for a hoon and report back.  

as for mini forums - totalmini and minitorque - seem the better ones.

[mvb12]

TBH I liked the Mini S,

a good site i was frequenting was lohen.co.uk get cracking 

[George]

Make sure the supercharger belt has been done at the correct intervals, it's very common for these to stretch even beyond the tensioner

As said ditch the runflats for standard tyres, better ride, grip, handling and value!

The engine and gearbox itself is very strong.

Try and get a facelift with the better xenon headlights

[Andy]

you can take the run flats of..When you buy bmw or minis new you have to pay extra for them,Go to halfords and get a electric tyre inflator and leave it in the boot

[ktlstar]

mini + corner = alot of fun :)

[Mk5 GTian]

The Mk1 Cooper S is the one to get. My ex had a convertible with the 210 bhp JCW kit, and it was hilarious fun to drive. The whine of the supercharger winding up is a fantastic noise, and it had a superb JCW exhaust, giving a lovely deep note.

Luckily it also had blacked out windows so no-one could see me with the hood up 

[rdfcpete]

Hey Folks

...she is having none of it and wants a Mini Cooper S.
Ben

This is going to be Ben's dogging car.
Regardless of the advice a deposit is down on the Mini and his 'nature reserve parking permit' is on it's way