1st Gen R53 Cooper S Buying the perfect R53 - what would you look for?

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by fishmonger, May 15, 2015.

  1. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

    May 13, 2015
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    I'm currently looking to buy a second R53. First one I own is great, will stay in the family forever. So I am curious to hear from other R53 enthusiasts what they would look for if they went shopping for another car today. Just pretend your current toy needs to be replaced. What are your parameters when judging a 10 year old car to possibly become your next R53 when looking at the R53 in 2015?

    To keep it all reasonable - let's say your budget tops out somewhere around $12k for the car for the initial purchase, but you really would want to keep it below 10k if possible unless you get a lot of goodies you really want already installed in the vehicle.

    You also want a car that can be driven right away, not a 2 year project on jack stands in the garage, meaning the car has to be nice, not a shell waiting for everything to be torn out and replaced before you can drive it. I am not building a time attack car. I like to work in cars, but time to spend in the garage is limited.

    So if you were to buy a "nice" R53 today - what exactly are the things you look for in a car to be attractive?


    To get you started here a list of the things I have in mind when I look at a Mini being offered for sale/ Almost none of these pros and cons are firm, as there are very few cars that will let me check all the right boxes.

    I like/want from the car:

    • '05 or '06 hard top, 6-speed
    • Clean, summer only or dry climate car
    • maintained by enthusiast
    • adult owned, ideally 1 owner
    • under 75k miles on the car
    • minimal engine mods (15% pulley max, no tune, no cam no head no headers)
    • JCW engine
    • JCW bumpers
    • big brakes (Wilwood, Stoptech, Brembo)
    • exhaust
    • LSD
    • Quality suspension upgrades (higher grade coilovers, control arms, camber plates, etc)
    • I do like the sunroof, I know it's heavy, but I don't race the car.
    • cloth seats if possible, but Sparco Evo going in anyway
    • HID lights
    • white roof

    things I don't care for:

    • anything referred to as "stance"
    • crank pulley mods, pulleys over 15%
    • carbon parts
    • leather seats
    • navigation or the mickey mouse gauges
    • 18" rims
    • anything ALTA
    • hood stripes
    • checkered anything
    • Union jack flags anywhere
    • custom audio systems
    • custom wings and splitters that scrape on the ground
    • there are a few colors out there I would not want on the car

    And when you post your thoughts, please add how you use the car. My use is completely on-road, mostly just for fun drives or road trips. No commuting. No winters, no track days or auto cross, etc.
     
  2. N2MINI

    N2MINI MINI of the Month

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    Sounds like you have it narrowed down pretty good right there..
     
  3. ColinGreene

    ColinGreene Well-Known Member
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    I know a guy selling a really really nice car for 15 with a 1.8 in it in the bay area...
     
  4. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Your NOT interested in list is AWESOME! :Thumbsup:
     
  5. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    What?!
     
  6. Zillon

    Zillon Well-Known Member

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    No mods (especially not Alta), 05/06, no sunroof, LSD, and preferably grey, blue, or green.
     
  7. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    You do not need a big brake kit unless you track it. You can put on the 06 GP JCW brakes A.K.A. The R56 standard brakes and call it a day.
     
  8. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Savvy,
    Read his whole post.

    Look at the second section of things he does not care for, (not interested in)
     
  9. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    I'm not sure, but I'm think'n you'll probably not be able to check all the items on your wish list for a 10K budget...
     
  10. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    FTFY. Punctuation helps sometimes. Especially, with your typo track record.
     
  11. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    as for the big brakes - I love good brakes, and the Wilwoods I have in my current car are probably the best thing about the car. It's well worth doing, although I know you can stop the car with the R56 setup just fine. I would not pay extra for JCW brakes because of that. Basically, if I found a car without brake kit that otherwise checks many boxes on my list, I'd eventually add that myself. Not a must have. There are few MUST have items on that like/want list, such as 6-speed and hardtop. But everything else, especially if it can be adjusted with aftermarket parts, is optional.
     
  12. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    I would add or subtract nothing from your list. It's spot on.

    Personally, it's more likely that I'll buy an older car with a bunch of broken stuff for cheap, but if money were no object, you got it.
     
  13. minintrigue

    minintrigue Active Member

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    But we don't all have your skills Eric. Or frankly any of them in My case...

    As for your list, I'd have to have heated seats. I didn't think it was a big deal as I had them in my R53. But when u bought my R52, which didn't have them, I figured out quickly that it was a must have item. At least here in the mid West.
     
  14. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    I like the heated part in the seats I have now, however, that's about the only thing about the seats I like. Uncomfortable, don't support where it matters. I plan to install aftermarket seats once I find the right car to put all those goodies into.
     
  15. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Oh one last thing to add color: Chili Red..... they look the best and are 5% faster off the assembly line. :lol::ihih::devil:
     
  16. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut:..................and they'd be 30% faster in BRG and if they had a turbocharger. (all in good fun. Merely engaging in playful badinage.:lol: No one MINI is better than another except in the eye of the beholder.:cornut: ):Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  17. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    red is also 20 percent more likely to get pulled over, if that's what you mean by "faster" :)

    color is not that important to me. there's always that vinyl wrap option if the color makes your stomach turn.
     
  18. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    That Red stat is a Myth and I drive with a very good V1 radar detector. :devil:
     
  19. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    my personal color/ticket stats:

    Red 100%
    any other color 0%

    just saying.

    Anyway - the cars currently for sale somewhere in this country I am interested in are blue, red, thunder gray and the color isn't a reason I hesitate on any of them. One lacks a cat, seller sounds like a slick used car dealer, the other is an '04 and costs too much, while the thunder gray is just overpriced like any other GP.

    To get back to the suggested alternative of just buying a cheap fixer-upper: there is one in the area that fits the bill, but I am afraid that the total cost to get it all fixed will easily go well past a very nice car that needs nothing. What are the numbers that would make a "dirt cheap car" work out as a good buy?

    Let's look at a real world example - the only cheap R53 currently offered in my area - 168k miles, needs a hood, probably more body work and trim pieces and who knows what else, but is still listed as 'condition good' :D
    https://madison.craigslist.org/cto/5014439547.html

    Let's say I can get it for $3k - that's optimistic, but hey, it's a busted up old car...

    new hood, paintwork, some plastic parts, super charger rebuild, engine rebuild? new clutch, new everything pretty much. Then the add-ons such as LSD, exhaust, suspension and brakes, etc - is it all possible under $11k and come out with a car that matches a nice one for that price? I have no idea what it would cost me to rebuild a motor on these things - I'd do the remove and install but really don't have a clue where to even take the thing, what to buy new, etc. All I know about engine rebuild comes from Mod Mini's Youtube channel :)

    I actually feel this may not be a bad route to take - I'd like to know every bolt in my car and having two of these things in the family means I probably won't suffer extreme R53 withdrawal while the car sits on jacks for a year or so.
     
  20. packimocity

    packimocity New Member

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    I would be tempted to shop around my CR/W 06 R53, with most of your top list requirements, and none of your bottom list no-nos.

    Only 3 obstacles I see:

    1. mileage is more than 75K, closer to 121K
    2. I love driving it
    and, most important
    3. It's my wife's first MINI, and she would stab me in my sleep if I sold it

    :cornut::cornut:
    pac
     

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