1st Gen R52 Cooper Convertible Pre-owned '05 vs '07 - Which would you pick?

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by alwzopn, May 25, 2011.

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  1. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #1 alwzopn, May 25, 2011
    I'm looking at two used R52s:

    07 Dk Silver w/58k miles
    16" X-lites, halogen headlights, leatherette, standard stereo

    or

    05 Hot Orange w/32k miles
    17" Bullets, Xenon, leather/cloth, H/K stereo, Chrome-line, rain-sensor/auto-dimming

    The 07 has NEXT CPO and way fewer options, but the 05 is decked out, has 20k fewer miles and is priced $1000 less.

    Which would you pick? Why?
     
  2. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    #2 ScottinBend, May 25, 2011
    All the rest being equal.....the '05
     
  3. iwashmycar

    iwashmycar Active Member

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    #3 iwashmycar, May 25, 2011
    05. sounds funner, and all those options are must haves except the wipers.

    xenons rock, the base stereo SUCKS, and chrome line is very cool.

    I always missed the supercharger whine, and the only supercharged one I have ever been in was a test drive once... owned the 09 for 55K miles and missed that ONE test drive lol
     
  4. KittyMini

    KittyMini Club Coordinator

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    #4 KittyMini, May 25, 2011
    Last edited: May 25, 2011
    Definitely the '05.
    That seems to be the "cherry" year of the 1st gens from what I hear. And options are awesome.
     
  5. Wikedmini

    Wikedmini MINI of the Month - December 2009

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    #5 Wikedmini, May 25, 2011
    The 05 if its a manny.
     
  6. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    #6 BThayer23, May 25, 2011
    2005. Options make a huge difference.
     
  7. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    #7 Minidave, May 25, 2011
    The one you like the best.....but I'd look for a lower mile better optioned '07 or newer myself....
     
  8. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #8 alwzopn, May 25, 2011
    1st gens overall, or just the cabrio?


    Both are manual. My R56 (that I will be trading in) is an auto and I'm not a fan. (It was a concession to my wife who later admitted it was a bad thing to have insisted on.)


    I have to admit, even without half of the options, the 05 just looks so much cooler, there are plenty of Minis in my area but I never see Hot Orange... :drool


    My 09 R56 has all the packages except Nav, Leather, and the upgraded stereo. I'm already going to miss the USB/iPod integration and Comfort Access going to the 1st gen, so I'm hoping to keep as many of the other options as possible.


    I'm obviously going to need to get more specifics and actually drive them to really be able to decide. I tried to go for a test drive this morning before work but ran out of time; I'm going to try again tomorrow. It would seem from the Carfax and the overall condition that they're pretty much the same otherwise.
     
  9. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #9 alwzopn, May 25, 2011
    Since I'm trying to get away from my just-out-of-warranty R56 because of a recurring cold start rattle (two tensioner replacements so far), I'm concerned about "stock problems/issues."

    Can anybody chime in on what common problems I should look for? I see that there are comments on the 'sewing site' about low speed fan resistors (05 has auto climate, 07 doesn't) and I think I remember seeing something about motor mounts on the 1st gen...
     
  10. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    #10 BlimeyCabrio, May 25, 2011
    I'd go with the '05.

    Just need to look at the roof and make sure it doesn't have excessive wear at the fold/pinch points when it lowers. That was a problem with some '05s before the tops were adjusted correctly.

    Otherwise, by 05 they had most of the kinks out of those cars mechanically. I have an 06 cabrio with 96,000 miles and have had few issues that I didn't cause via mods and insane abuse. :devil:

    Though as I write them down, it sounds like a lot (an is, compared to my older hondas, etc.)

    Common problems that I HAVE experienced, and that you are likely to, also:
    * leaky thermostat gasket = intermittent small blue coolant puddles on garage floor. easy fix
    * seeping oil pan gasket (replaced at 35K miles, now seeping again)
    * failed fluid-filled motor mount (they all fail eventually, TSW poly replacement fixes it for good)
    * water pump gasket (replaced pump while we were at it at about 60K miles)
    * seeping crank position sensor o-ring (fixed when the water pump was replaced)
    * belt tensioner damper worn out - replaced tensioner assembly

    Everything else has basically been standard maintenance... or something I broke or wore out by driving my car like an ATV all the time. :D
     
  11. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    #11 BThayer23, May 25, 2011
    If you're thinking about aftermarket wheels, note that the '07 will have 14mm lugs identical to your '09, while the '05 will have 12mm lug bolts that fit a wider range of wheels.
     
  12. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #12 alwzopn, May 25, 2011
    I've seen that before and I have to say I don't understand exactly. What is the 12-14mm measuring? The diameter of the bolt at the threads? Seems too small to be the measure of the bolt head, which is how I'm used to thinking of bolts...
     
  13. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    #13 Nathan, May 25, 2011
    Bolt diameter.
     
  14. Norm03s

    Norm03s New Member

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    #14 Norm03s, May 25, 2011
    My choice would be the 05.
     
  15. Vollgas

    Vollgas New Member

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    #15 Vollgas, May 25, 2011
    I would go with the 05 R52.
    Far more opitions available for it.
    The 05/06 1st Gen cars were more defined and had most of the gremlins worked out of them.
     
  16. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #16 alwzopn, May 25, 2011
    Did anything change in 07 that might have let the gremlins back in?
     
  17. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    #17 BThayer23, May 26, 2011
    FYI, the convertibles are first gen through 2008. Hard tops switched over to second gen in 2007. So both cars that the OP is considering are first gen.
     
  18. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    #18 Mr. Jim, May 26, 2011
    Based on mileage, color and options I'd go with the 05 :Thumbsup:
     
  19. alwzopn

    alwzopn New Member

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    #19 alwzopn, May 27, 2011
    We did it! My wife and I are the proud new owners of a shiny Hot Orange 2005 convertible!

    Pictures to come, it's too dark right now to take any. (we actually picked it up at about 7pm, but have been out motoring and having a celebratory dinner till now LOL)
     
  20. Rae

    Rae Club Coordinator

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    #20 Rae, May 27, 2011
    Congratulations! I think you made an excellent choice! Glad to hear you got the initial motoring in, just to make sure it was a good fit :biggrin5:
    Oh, yeah and :useless :smile5:
     
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