So, as many of you know, I have R56 Justa-cooper. Prior to that I had an 06 R50. On a whim, I was looking at the used minis at cinci minis and they have an 03 R53. As you may also know, I REALLY miss the body style of the R50/R53 and kinda wish I hadn't stepped up to the R56. That all being said, this little R53 HERE would pretty much mean we'd be down to just one car payment and i'd get a whiney Supercharger out of it! So, am I crazy?
Of Course you are crazy *********Well, About car's.*********** Mini Cooper's that is: You just need to get what you will like most. Like Nathon said ::::
Thoughts on the 03 vs say an 05-06? I know the later are more refined, different gearing. Any other thoughts or items im missing? Any major issues that are costing big $$$$ these days for earlier model years?
I'd recommend an 05 or 06. The R53 seems to be less problematic. No you are not crazy, but I am. :crazy:
:aureola: The responsible person inside me says: The R56's do have a better reliability rating and a better re-sale value just due to the fact that its newer. Also a car with that many miles will need a timing chain/belt and it's at the age when things start to need replacing. It's not farfetched to expect that the amount of money you put into maintenance might approach the same money you're currently spending on a car payment. :devil: The impetuous side of me says: You're not crazy at all and since this decision probably won't ruin your life, if you really want to - go for it!
For perspective (WRT reliability), my dealer changed the cold-start-rattling chain tensioner twice in ~18 months. I had no reason to believe that they fixed it for good the second time, and I didn't want to foot a $2,000 bill for it to be fixed out of warranty. Also, consider the carbon fouling issues with the R56 engines. No real fix for this exists as far as I know, other than occasional cleanings. Not sure if this is a problem with the non-S engines but it definitely doesn't exist in the R53.
My 03 passed 86,497 miles almost 40,000 miles ago. My timing belt is just fine:wink::wink: Who stated this myth, a R56 is more reliable.
tut-tut. No worries if you disagree with me. In terms of reliability, I am referring to consumer reports. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but I've read that the R53 headlights are attached to the bonnet—and this causes problems with headlight alignment whenever the hood is closed too strongly. As for the timing belt/chain—it's never a problem until it's too late. :wink: But typically, one should change it somewhere around 75k-125k. Still, all in all—I've read many R53 owners who love their MINI and have no complaints. I also love how the R53s look. And as I stated, I don't think it's a crazy decision all in all.
I put no stock in what consumer reports has to asay about R53 MINI's. The R53 has a timing chain. Never had a need to adjust my lights except a tweek up a bit to my liking on the drivers side. Just because you can't signal aircraft at night with your headlights doesn't mean the R53 is a defective design. I think the R56 design was a cost cutting idea anyway. I'm keeping mine
Thanks for the thoughts thus far. Think i'm going to bide my time a bit and make a stronger decision between which model year I'd want. I like the idea of the 05-06 being the end of the run where they had all the "tweaks" made by then... but yea, good price on this 03. Decisions, decisions.
Tough decision.... Though I'd buy an '05 or '06 R53 in a heartbeat, or God, a GP (drool) the '03 is a little old. That's a tough call to make.
Truth be told, the cheapest car to buy is the one you already own. You may find a deal on a nice R53 if you keep looking & I hope you do. Be ready for a painful gouging when you go to trade yours in. IMHO the high resale value of MINIs traded to dealers is a myth. It is only high when you are buying a used one. :smilewinkgrin:
I hear ya, and I am not trying to knock R53s. I like their styling a lot. They're simpler and cleaner looking. But the theory behind CR is that a large number of actual owners describe their experience - which (at least in theory) trumps the occasional person you meet who say Toyotas are terrible because they got a lemon once or someone who believes MINIs are all reliable because theirs never had a single problem. The R56, according to at least one book I am reading (MINI: 50 years) says that the R56 was designed to improve on the mistakes of the first gen in a number of ways. Can't name them all, but the headlights issue stuck out for me (apparently that was a major issue). So combine that with CR, and I think the odds for greater reliability lies in favor with the R56. But the book also mentions how perhaps some things were lost with the R56—the R53 offered a more visceral ride they say, so the R56 may be a bit more refined, but it may be too refined for some people.
I think the main reason changes were made to the R56 was to simplify assembly & gain more profits for the company. They smoothed the rough edges to appeal to a wider non-enthusiast audience. Yes I know enthusiasts own R56 MINIs. As far as consumer reports goes. They know how to test & evaluate appliances not cars.
The dealer, such as ours here, will definitely screw you on the trade as I just found out when looking at that R55. I should have gotten the R52 I was looking at. Didn't realize that it was a good deal at the time. That whole nasty hindsight thing.