2003 BMW mini now bought

[Vince70]

A friend of mine wishes to buy a bmw mini on a 53 reg tomorrow and I was just wondering if there's anything I should be looking at on the car that could be a potential money pit..

I've heard the horror story's about the midland gearbox and dodgy power steering and know obviously all old cars are going to have a few faults but is there anything that I should be looking at.

[Station]

I don't know anything about the car:

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mini/one-r50-2001/?section=good

 

But I would own one, I think they're nice looking.

[Cavcraft]

I bet you can't find one that hadn't been driven by a blonde bird who's either an estate agent or is more interested in her iPod than doing something ridiculous like concentrating on driving.

[strangeangel]

midland gearbox

 

Which failed in my neighbour's one recently... all in they've spent three grand in two years on repairs to one that age.

[RichardK]

The main thing you want to watch for are hordes of people in cardigans and heavy NHS glasses waving Observers Book of Cars and nasally shouting "But it's so big it should be called a Maxi" and "Alex Issygonies would be SPINNING IN HIS GRAVE".

 

Oh, and BMW electrical systems, probably.

[sierraman]

As my mate put it 'check some tart hasn't had it and kerbed it'

[Station]

The main thing you want to watch for are hordes of people in cardigans and heavy NHS glasses waving Observers Book of Cars and nasally shouting "But it's so big it should be called a Maxi" and "Alex Issygonies would be SPINNING IN HIS GRAVE".

 

I'm glad it didn't look like these:

 

[trigger]

I was fancying a Mini Clubman a little while back but having read online and advice from a friend who works in the parts department at the local BMW Mini dealers basically put me of the idea, they are meant to be shit and a utter nightmare to fix, I remember a mates ex having a cooper and the gearbox shat itself at 60k and cost £1800 to fix.

[CortinaDave]

Friend of mine has had a cooper S on a 53 plate for the last five years and has had no grief until this month when the clutch went at 95k

 

Don't think you can grumble at that. It's a fun wee thing to drive too.

[Bren]

Radiators are poor and tend to leak.

[Largactil]

I ran a late '09 John Cooper Works one for 18 months, flogging it last November.

 

Amusing thing to steer - Ride was awful, but ditching the runflats sorted a good deal of that.

 

It was properly quick too - Drove to Italy in it last year, and hit a GPS verified 151mph (just...) on the autobhan in a moment of childishness.

 

Over 18 months it needed a couple of rear wheel bearings (although this was just after I spanked it off a load of kerbs during a trackday at Mondello), and the a/c condensor pipework fractured and leaked all the gas out.

 

No gearbox issues, although it was later R56 rather than an R53.

 

Guess you can be unlucky and get a heap of problems as highlighted above, but my old car was fine.

[gordonbennet]

Mate of mine has bought his wife 3 new S's, each and every one has had the engine dismantled more than once for timing chain issues, the latest car (now replaced and so far trouble free at 12 months old, that's a first) saw the upper valvetrain replaced within 1000 miles, the first one blew the supercharger, second one needed a turbo...could be other way round cos they've been into the dealer so many times that i've lost track.

Put it this way, he daren't let the warranty run out.

 

Isn't the Diesel on earlier models that 1.6 PSA unit with it's well known turbo eating issues?

 

They are cute and at least look individual when compared to everything else out there.

[Station]

Would getting an earlier one with all the problems replaced/ironed out be a good idea? What are the best engines on these (knowing they are Mexican made or Peugeot units). How hard can replacing the gearbox be for the average mechanic though?

[Talbotman]

Early diesels on these are the Toyota Yaris units themselves prone to the odd head gasket woe, later ones are the Ford/Psa unit. As long as you are prepared for a few niggles along the way their not too bad. The build quality is a bit inconsistent and you'd probably be best off with a late build early engined petrol. The timing chain issue on the 2 phase cars is a concern...and it can just happen out of nowhere.....and as said above the chain, tensioner,cam sensor system etc etc has to be changed to repair them..apparently a dowel comes lose in one of the cams and makes the chain slip. Great cars to steer mind you...just get a tidy independent warranty on one if you take the plunge.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Interiors are rubbish - watch for seats sliders that fall to bits. Also, they can really, really rust underneath to the point where undoing any nuts and bolts is a no no - fetch forth the grinder of angles.

[Station]

Quirky looking, cute cars that appeal to the 18 - 30 year female car buying sector that rust horrifically underneath?

 

What does that remind me of?

 

 

[kinkersaab]

they are shit!  see them as a "designer handbag" or "designer watch"  they might* look good, but it doesn't mean they are good!  if you take away the appeal of its looks, there isn't much else to recommend them on, anything else would likely be better. A Suzuki swift sport is in my mind everything a mini should be!

 

but, as she will want a min, and nothing else will do.

 

Gearbox

subframe bushes.

suspension joints/broken springs

creaking and not working sunroofs

airbag lights

abs lights

eml light

wheel bearings

steering pump

knackered seats

anything electrical.

I hate them, but they do sell, and those wanting one will not be put off or steered, a bit like those that like landrovers.... its a lifestyle choice...or some other shit.

[EssDeeWon]

These are proper girls cars so check for decent service history, dont fall for all that "its had a lady owner so it must be well cared for bollox"

 

In my experience birds are the worst people to buy cars off, and 97.8% of these would of been owned by at least one.

[kinkersaab]

oh,and they are the new " its a Honda / rover"  type...  fed up hearing  "they are a bmw underneath so they are good" 

[Aston Martin]

 A Suzuki swift sport is in my mind everything a mini should be!

 

 

But then you have to live with that interior, the brittlest/cheapest plastic i've ever seen.

[kinkersaab]

^indeed, but it will stand up better than bini's will  ...

[dollywobbler]

I'm glad it didn't look like these:

 

 

I disagree. I think Issy would have liked that. Certainly makes a good use of space, and could have anticipated the Smart. The Smart rather proved the folly of such innovation though, by being like the original Mini, and costing rather more to build than to sell.

[forddeliveryboy]

If the wipers stop working - which is more likely given the average owner combined with the inbuilt quality* - then it's a true pain in the arse to fix. In my view, these cars represent perfectly what wrong with things in modern Britain.

 

Style over substance, crap quality, impractical and rip-off prices. edit... and foreign owned.

[Ghosty]

Autos are CVT.

The headlamp units are in the bonnet and can misalign sometimes. 

Be wary of anything with non-standard looking bonnet stripes and/or 17" wheels.

[Talbotman]

Style over substance, crap quality, impractical and rip-off prices.

 

 

That statement aptly describes all modern German motors....have you seen the profits posted by BMW for the past financial year? It's in the billions.Astonishing..somebody is having a larf and it's not the consumer. Cheaply built with a veneer of finish...and charge the customer full whack. Binis are just the tip of the iceberg. My mother in laws 59 plate 320d has just lunched it's autobox after hardly a tyresmoking 70k. And yet the press...check out this week's Autocar BMW lovefest... consistently keep licking their backsides...I just don't get it at all. Yes their good to drive....yes Binis keep Brit workers in employment but get real..as private ownership prospects they are no more than average in durability and reliability. Owning a Bini is just proof of that fact.

[HH-R]

They are only practically two seaters, especially if you're anywhere near six foot.

[Vince70]

As it goes I've got to sell her Suzuki Baleno which she has owned since new 16 years ago and she's only looking for about £250/£300 for it and it's never let her down the engine is a real peach and it's never needed any work apart from general servicing and the odd wishbone arm and a rocker gasket but has every bill and mot since day one.

 

It's only got 99000 on the clock and about 8 months ticket the inside is immaculate so if she buys the Bini tomorrow I will put it up on here and I will ask her if I can put a shitters discount on it.

 

I have warned her about the pitfalls of Bini ownership and when she looks at It I won't be pushing her to buy the car but I think if it starts and stops and drives in a straight line she's going to have the car anyway.

The thing is the old Baleno will most probably still be going when the mini is scrap.

[cort16]

All cars have problems especially 15 year old ones. Pick any other car of the same age (or any other car for that matter ) and there'll always be stuff to go wrong.

If you read all the what do I need to know threads on here you'd never buy anything .

 

I bought an avantime, guess what nothing went wrong . I bought a mercedes cl500, guess what nothing went wrong !

Buy with your head, if the gearbox is howling don't buy it , if the suspension is clunking don't buy it, if it says Peugeot on the bonnet don't buy it.

[mat_the_cat]

I bet you can't find one that hadn't been driven by a blonde bird who's either an estate agent or is more interested in her iPod than doing something ridiculous like concentrating on driving.

 

I'd better not mention that to my engineer wife...

 

Radiators are poor and tend to leak.

 

Gearbox

subframe bushes.

suspension joints/broken springs

creaking and not working sunroofs

airbag lights

abs lights

eml light

wheel bearings

steering pump

knackered seats

anything electrical.

I hate them, but they do sell, and those wanting one will not be put off or steered, a bit like those that like landrovers.... its a lifestyle choice...or some other shit.

 

She's had it 4 years and 65k miles (now 120k), in which time I've done the radiator, front subframe bushes, both front wheel bearings, steering pump, front to rear brake lines, exhaust from cat back, discs & pads all round and the airbag light has come on a few times due to apparently a seatbelt tensioner fault. She has full leather which is standing up to wear well.

 

Most of the non-service bits this year, suggesting it's reaching the end of its design life now. Although it still feels good to drive - nothing else feels like it's about to fail imminently. I didn't want to like it but it's quite a fun car. Ride a bit harsh even on 175/65 R15 tyres. Not bad to work on IMO, could be better, could be worse!

 

But then you have to live with that interior, the brittlest/cheapest plastic i've ever seen.

 

Have you been in a Mk1 Kangoo? Makes even the plastic on a Kinder egg toy seem high quality.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

In my view, these cars represent perfectly what wrong with things in modern Britain.

 

 

Yeah a modern, competitive small car that is produced in huge numbers in a completely refitted factory right here in the UK and exported all over the world, thatsd fun to drive and loved by the car mags, and which can be seen by the dozen on every street taking people to work/college/on holiday/whatever whilst being driven by people who in general deliberately chose it cos they actually liked it and wanted it. Oh and not forgetting it makes a healthy profit and therefore is a sustainable product that is likely to carry on doing its good work for its owners, manufacturers and suppliers, for the foreseeable future. HOW DID IT COME TO THIS??? I DESPAIR