New kid on the block.

[KiNgAL]

Greetings.
I am new to all things mini ..
I have been a petrol head for years , have had many fast cars , and in fact still own one or 2.

I am looking at getting an older cooper s 2003 model with relatively high mileage,
i will be using it as a daily drive to work and back and dropping my daughter off at school.
Ok what info i am looking for is
1) how reliable will a super charged s with high ,mileage be
2) driving it full tilt what kinda consumption can i expect.
3) what can go wrong and what will it cost?
4) who can service it after warranty and are parts pricy with it been linked to bm and all ?

I am a huge subaru nut by the way and i am use to working on my own cars etc.
so how easily will i be able to start enjoying and working on a cooper s?

cheers L

 

[rick540]

Dude.... You cannot use the logic of high mileage and reliable and full tilt and consumption in one sentance.....

Just buy the car you want because you want it. Most of use here are passionate about our cars even though we know they are all going to cost serious money in maintenance, fuel and mods, but we don't care, we bought the car we wanted.... just because.

Buy the car you want with your heart and just enjoy it.

If you want reliability, high mileage and good fuel consumption, go buy a Toyota

 

[KiNgAL]

Dude.... You cannot use the logic of high mileage and reliable and full tilt and consumption in one sentance.....

Just buy the car you want because you want it. Most of use here are passionate about our cars even though we know they are all going to cost serious money in maintenance, fuel and mods, but we don't care, we bought the car we wanted.... just because.

Buy the car you want with your heart and just enjoy it.

If you want reliability, high mileage and good fuel consumption, go buy a Toyota

well spotted bud ..
i am not really worried about it breaking or been fuel efficient , but would like to know what things go wrong , and what kinda abuse coopers can go through , if i enjoy it id most likely go get a newer john cooper works or something .

On my sti i was getting 250km to a 55lt tank which i thought was a bit poor .
A new clutch was setting me back like 7k and when the turbo got damaged the replacement part was 15k ..
but i enjoyed every second i spent in the car.

So i am hopefully going to get worst case answers from a bunch of enthusiasts .

i just am completely in the dark with regards to coopers , although i do look at every single one i see daily and think about owning one.

 

[rick540]

Cmon Mini owners help him out.

As far as I know parts are a bit pricey, but the cars are so worth it!

 

[Denzil]

Howzit.

I drive a 2010 cooper s.:thumbsup:

The car can take an absolute beating, and in my eyes are under rated. :excited:
feul efficiency - sticking her once in a while = 9l per 100/km . sticking her 80% of the time = 12-13l (350 -450km per tank) and driving highway ,driving doing around 140 - = 6,5l(700-850km per tank).

Me vs Type R = I won
Me vs Megane RS = I won
Me vs Renault sport = I won
Me vs Focus ST (White + Red) = I won
Me vs Focus St (Orange) = I won
Me vs S2000 = I won 1st round ,2nd round I lost
Me vs gti 5 (Black) = I lost
Me vs Gti 5 (Red) = I won
Me vs Modded opel N/A 2L kadett = I won
Me vs Audi 18T = I won
Me vs Audi 2T = I won

The best one :
Me vs MAzda MPS 2010 = Kicked his ass:clap::clap: by 1 car lenght all the way upto 210km/h down north rand road then had to stop for the red light.....:dropjaw::dropjaw:

Still waiting for an OPC corsa & astra to pull up next to me???

All the cars I diced I pulled with a car length or more......

 

[zaleonardz]

Well,

We have owned a mini new since 04, and she has not given us a days headache. It only has 40,000 on the clock now, so not much km's done.

The Mini's are solid as hell, that steering is prob the most amazing direct steering I have ever felt, and all round the car is good.

Biggest issues is that there is no space to work on it, example if you want to do a clutch, thats bumpers off radiator out, much of the suspension has to come out....

I heard that the earlier models had electronic gremlins, but I would look for one just out of motorplan to evaluate.

Good luck with your search.. they really as spectacular little vehicles.

 

[KiNgAL]

sounds great..nippy and all.

It seems from my reading on the forum that there are some electrical issues
and water tank leaks at the worst to worry about?.
Are there no other real concerns .. to worry about.

Do they run timing chains as opposed to belts?
what kinda fuel do they require? 95 only or can they run on 93?

I have seen 2 cars i like both in the auto trader
one has 110k on the clock the other 160k is this mileage a bit high for a 4cyl 1.6 motor ?
edit
More things i want to know are
when did the change from super charged to turbo charge happen?
and what are the various options like chilli pack and the various other options
cheers

Can the earlier supercharged ones be easily modded at all ?.
what is the standard boost etc?

my prodrive foz requires 95 at a minimum but usually run 98ron especially in summer.

any and all opinions welcome..
also if you know of any gems for sale give me a shout!!

 

[Denzil]

recommended 95.
think the change came in around 2007.
The chilli pack consists of halogen upgraded lights , semi leather and cloth mix ,interior trim changes etc.
i think they run timing chains and if im not mistaken some models had a problem with them which made the car sound like a tractor and after changing that, the prob was sorted.
I believe they can be easily modded : decat upgrade exhaust , chip , bigger intercooler , air filter , external dumpvalve (for that nice swoosh sound) and cranking the boost open should provide quite nice gains.... as for the boost they are running im not sure - I know corsa opc's run at 1.2bar but i highly doubt mini boosts that much....
the only crap with super chargers are they are damn expensive when they go......as opposed to turbo chargers - when the turbo blows it can easily be changed and or upgraded for something better at much lower costs.

the nice thing of a factory built force fed car is that the internals are nice and strong so with a lil know how ,you can have a monster car.....

other option are john cooper work mods , click the link and check what stuff yo can find for the R53(Supercharged) mini - from wheels ,suspension, engine mods etc....
R53(Supercharged) Mini
R56(Turbo) Mini.


http://www.minigenuineparts.co.uk/

http://www.minisport.com/

 

[Spy007]

Welcome. If you are stuck The gopher has space in the boot so we can take the MINI for a test drive. :excited::excited:

 

[Skwinty]

I recently bought a 2006 Cooper S.
Last of generation 1 with supercharger.
75000km on clock.
Paid 170k.
Oil service and inspection 2 - R1900
Front brake pads - R1100
15% extra boost Pulley kit and decat - R4000

Awesome car, worth every cent.
It is like have 2 MT01's bolted together :excited:

 

[Mike1]

Just buy it!

I had a Clubman S for 2 days last week...

I have driven in Rohans old GP Works and many a MINI and they are fabulous!

You will not regret it. You cannot believe.

:thumbsup:

 

[KiNgAL]

ok thanks guys .. the hunt continues.

If any one knows of any good buys .. keep me updated

cheers ..

 

[JCroyW]

ok thanks guys .. the hunt continues.

If any one knows of any good buys .. keep me updated

cheers ..

Yo guy ...

I have been off the forum for while now been inundated with work and studies and with an added bonus of having a pregnant wife that is due in 6 weeks time with our son number two.

I own a 2009 Factory JCW which had her birthday on the 22/08/2010 and I have loved and enjoyed her ever since. They are phenomenal cars i must add. She has ravaged many hot hatches including a G6 GTi ,G5 GTi ,OPC to mention a few and definitely capable of much more .Go cart handling which can even get better with added suspension parts and grunt grunt and more grunt from low down.
Space is a problem but not if you the only one that uses the car most of the time and if your passengers are keen to travel light too,so family outings is a big No No at times but what the hell its all part of the MiNi experience.

I prefer Turbo over Supercharger.
But with super your current mod list is endless so if this is what you want then let this be it .
I have driven a GP Works which is supercharged and I digged it too. Cooper S turbo, Clubman S turbo these are good to go for as well.

If you are in Cape Town FIRST TRY AUTO ATLANTIC MINI !!! speak to Mbali or Shaun on 021 402 7800 they are the greatest I have ever dealt with. If they don't have stock then try Autohaus Angel in Claremont they have a swarm of pre-owend MiNi's available too ...

My Last words will be GO FOR IT !!!