Hello little car world, I'm a vw nut who wants to switch things up a bit. I spent my afternoon off yesterday at Inskip Mini here in Rhode Island testdriving a few s's and I fell in love. Looking past the tacky interior (imo), I'm totally hooked and ready to sell my 97' GTI drivers edition and get myself into a coop. I've test driven both the charged minis and boosted- really don't prefer one over the other, but a good friend who happens to be a tech at mini is talking me into 08'+ models. Anywho, I'm located in sothern New England (RI) and looking to buy a mini. Shot in the dark, but hoping there was someone out there with something for sale. Any thoughts/comments/recommendataions/offers? Thanks so much for your time, I'm looking forward to joining your little community! -Evan
Here is a nice one. http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/minis-sale/16380-2009-cooper-s.html http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/member-garages/12784-kate-2009-mini-cooper-s.html
He's the parts guy there... :wink: Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community. Good Luck in your search. Your patience to wait for the right one for you will be rewarded.
My 12 Justa came from Mini of Bedford and I've had service done on the 09 Cooper S at both MoP and MoB.
Just think of the road trip home from Bedford NH to Rhode island...You will be smiling the whole way home...you will find yourself making excuses to drive the MINI anyways...Just Sayin
Along the lines of what to get, 2007 was the first year of the turbo verses the super charged engine. In 2007 & 2008 there were two engines installed in the MC-S; L4 W11B16A or L4 N14B16A. In 2009 & 2010 only one engine in the MC-S: L4 N14B16A. In 2011 in the MC-S the L4 N18B16A. I don't know what the differences are; you'll need to ask a mechanic. I had a 2007 MC-S and it was a superb driving and handling vehicle. I traded it for a 2011 Countryman S nearly 2 yrs ago and am extremely happy with that too. If you need slightly more room than the MC coupe, consider the Clubman S. Minis have a way of growing on you; they're a big little car. Kinda of like the Chihuahua who barks at and tries to attack the pit bull; but is well aware he's on his leash!
a Broment? I think so. So I have 3 private sale test drives coming up this week. Below are the individual ads. VWVortex.com - FS: 2006 Mini Cooper S 2006 Mini Cooper S - $10250 (Middletown) mini cooper s 53k - $9200 (bristol ri) Let me just add- If you haven't guessed, coming from a VW background, "stance" is very important to me- coilovers would be the first thing i do, following wheel spacers (depending on wheels), exhaust, intake, etc. ^ Which is why the first link is so appealing to me. I'd also like to add- the 3 ads are in my REALISTIC price range. I really can't be spending more then 15k, as college loans are up my a$$. Thoughts? :beer
You could find a really awesome r53 (supercharged) or a decent r56 (turbo) in that price range. Not sure if you know this but there are threads and threads of arguments about which is better, R53 vs. R56. For now there are more modification options for an R53 than an R56 but that should change in the future. If you are doing a lot of mods to your car I think the S is the way to go vs. the JCW unless you want a tuned car right away. Now, the JCW option is a little harder find. Just so you don't get snookered if you are looking at a JCW, there are some differences between dealer installed and factory installed, I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but most R53 JCWs are dealer installed up till I think 05-06 whereas R56 JCWs are typically factory. However it is installed just be wary b/c if it has a JCW badge it doesn't mean that it is. Number one thing is that every JCW should have a paper that says it has the tune on it. I would do more research on JCWs if that is your direction....
They all look really nice First Gen R53 are awesome (EVERYONE LOVES A SUPERCHARGER WHINE..GETS THE BLOOD PUMPING) Look them over ,they are all going to need something...the Black R53 has been on CL for awhile you might be able to get his price down a little bit...being in New England I have seen that car on CL for awhile... Good Luck .....and I will still help you out with accessories or replacement parts...
I got my '05 R53 from Texas on ebay for $12500 with only 24500mi. Shipping was $550 to Ohio. I got a great deal on a really great car. Mine is a dealer installed JCW but the certificate got lost somewhere along the way. The '05-'06 JCW should have a one piece exhaust. Also most of them had the JCW brakes and an LSD. The dealer ones for '05-'06 are usually air box, head, injectors, 2 piece exhaust and badges. If you go for the '08-'09 run the vin number by a MINI service department before you buy. Make sure the N14 engine issues have been taken care of. A dealer may not want to give you the info over the phone (MAG) but if your standing in front of them it's harder to ignore you. One car I had ran had a salvage title.