PA, NY, NJ, OH and most states in the Northeast use salt so I would stay away from those cars because like you said all dealerships lie. It would be better to shop for a 1st Gen automatic vert (Best looking IMO) out West / very dry state to get a rust free car.
I know, that's part of the problem. I'd love to assume low miles meant no winters but as I found out yesterday, it does not. Thanks
Wow this is fun! It is a funny thing perspective. I live in the south Memphis home of the King, I have lived all over this country including Florida. I always stay away from cars that are from the north and Florida. I guess to someone in NY a Florida car just has surface rust that can be fixed. To me I don't touch them. I believe this is where the disconnect came from. Now lets all calm down before the we release the kraken (Dave.0) I am with Dave on this, first Gen all the way. I did not say that earlier because I thought you were wanting a newer car. If it is going to be a toy and you plan on doing Mods get a 2005-06 S. The third Gen 2 letter engine might be a good engine to mod, I just don't know. We have one guy here that has one and is Moding it, he even puts up with us talking crap about his F-car, I mean his F series. Each generation has been more refined so it depends on your taste. Us with good taste own Gen1 cars................sorry I could not help myself!:devil:
You could look for a west coast car. You don't see many rusty cars here, I think most of those are from the North East.
As mentioned in my own new member intro a few days ago, I looked for a very nice example 1-owner low mileage 2006 MCS hardtop 6-spd manual. The 1st gen with supercharged engine appealed most to me from a purist standpoint. Spent a lot of time checking Craigslist and AutoTrader ads daily but didn't find anything matching within reasonable driving distance. Actually did go see one described as such and drove 3+ hrs roundtrip to view it only to determine seller's perspective of "primo" was not like mine. With search expanded to 2nd gen MINI, I'd read that overall build quality improved at the then-new Oxford plant. Also read mention of avoiding early 2nd gen motors (N14?). So, I ended up with a 2013 MCS with the German built N18 engine. Not quite what I planned but then, life is full of compromises... :yesnod: BTW to the OP, still suggest you check out the 3 MINI dealers in my area for CPO eligible 2013 cars - most having Arizona history (CarFax) and seem were 2nd cars (not primary drivers) thus with lower mileage.
Actually, YOU are the condescending ass. I tried from the get-go to welcome you to M.A. and supply helpful info in your search. Then, you start yammering about northern cars being rusty and ultimately insult ME with your snarky reply about coming to NY to see "real" snow, when all I said was that the salt air in Florida must affect the cars there, too. Obviously, with an average of 175+ inches of snowfall a year in NY, you spend a lot of time in Florida during the wintertime. Personally, I don't care if you "own a forum with over 250k members for 15 years now". It's OK to bash me for making a comment that obviously irks you [aka the old "truth hurts" saying].
Ok, this is over. It's fine to disagree, it's fine to argue your point. It's still NOT fine to personally attack the person you disagree with.
Cars from anywhere in the country can have issues; salted winter roads in the north, sea salt from coastal areas, dust/grit/sand in the SW, paint fade in the sun belt all cause issues with a car. A lot depends on the care that has been taken of the car by previous owners. For example, DaveO lives in Philly which has it's fair share of winter carp, but I would wager that his '05 is in better condition than most cars 10 years newer. My '06 was well cared for by it's original owner, and by me and remains rust free on the body. Has the usual surface rust on a few fasteners on the underside.
Yup, Mine lives is a carpeted garage all year around and comes out for local trips, car shows, parties and a week at the Dragon.
I bought a 06S red with black top from a member on this forum the car was exactly what he said it was and I couldn't by more happy with it .but then the shipping. I had to ship the car from Texas to nevada this had nothing to do with the seller this was all on me and i had never had a car shipped so i got on the Internet and started making calls and made a decision based on price. Well long story short it took me six weeks and a lot of phone calls and finally yelling just give me back my money ill find someone else to ship it and what do you know i got the car a few days later.so if you buy and need it shipped dont hire a shipping broker just hire a trucking company outright.
^^^ or buy th car and drive it home and enjoy it. A guy I know flew to Washington state picked up a gen 1 GP and drove it home to Pennsylvania. That must have been a fun trip.
I have always wanted to do something like that. Buy out wast and hit rout 66 and a bunch of other cool places on the way home.
I'd worry greatly about cosmetic damage in transit using a shipping service other than of the type "Chasing Classic Cars" or the BJ/Mecum auction houses hire. For example, I nearly bought a used BMW motorcycle of interest a year ago which was at a dealer in Oregon. Cost to do so wasn't cheap, but it was worries of damage that prompted me to cancel that deal. Instead, I bought a newer model private party, sight unseen other than Craigslist ad pics. Borrowed a buddy's trailer, then drove 1100+ miles roundtrip to pick it up in SoCal and haul it home. The moto was as advertised and I had full control from point I loaded it until I got it home.
Hey....some of the 2014-15 hardtops have taken such a huge hit $$$ wise...been debating picking one up if/when the VW buyback goes through....Ouch...thinking of going to the dark side .....lol. Think it been long enough that the recalls and early production issues have all been done? Lol. Early production cars...I shiver...but getting to swap cars, with $$ left in my pocket....and it would kinda be a MINI.