Just tripped on a 2002 Mini w/ 136K miles (not an S). But it's stupid cheap, one owner. Too tempting. Only known issues I've been told so far is the airbag light is on and there is an intermittent check engine light. There's supposedly another interested party. What's the skinny on these? Any known issues or gremlins?
The Midland 5 speed transmission doesn't like being abused.If it's a CVT auto trans I'd be very careful in inspecting the car. Look for mushrooming on the top of the strut towers, all the R50 and R53 cars will do it.Check the front suspension to see if the bushings are good. They have a habit of tearing at relatively low mileage.
Forgot to say that it's a 5 speed, female owned.
As has been noted the Midlands 5-speed has a TERRIBLE reputation, do a bit of Googling. They are very failure-prone even when cared for. 2002 is the first and most problematic year, build quality improved with every successive year. Does it have the panoramic sunroof? Because they leak and cause heinous electrical problems. You would have to define "stupid cheap" because MINI didn't really start getting it right until the much-needed 05-06 design changes and the non-S cars before then have absolutely tanked in value, with good reason.
From the few pics I have, it does look like it has the panoramic sunroof. Stupid cheap as in $2K.
In reply to dbgrubbs:
IMO, stupid cheap is $1000 or less. $2-3k is about average for early non-S Minis these days, and the 2002 is the least desirable of them all. Depreciation is hitting these cars HARD right now. They will also nickel and dime you to death worse than a BMW at higher miles, so I wouldn't go for it unless it's something that you really want, because you're not going to make much (if anything) on a flip.
IIRC the airbag light being on can spell doom for the contents of your wallet if it's one of the seat airbags.
Good to hear. I'll still take a look at it if I'm given the opportunity. Usually when cars are down to $2K or less there's something wrong with them. From the description and texting the owner the CEL and air bag light seem to be the only issues. I really thought these cars were still going for $3500 or so.
BoxheadTim wrote: IIRC the airbag light being on can spell doom for the contents of your wallet if it's one of the seat airbags.
What's the deal with the seat airbags? I suspect this is the issue.
dbgrubbs wrote:BoxheadTim wrote: IIRC the airbag light being on can spell doom for the contents of your wallet if it's one of the seat airbags.What's the deal with the seat airbags? I suspect this is the issue.
What happens is that the wiring harness under the carpet that runs to the airbags cracks and breaks from repeated seat adjustments, perpetually throwing an airbag light and deactivating the SRS system even though there is nothing wrong with the bags themselves because of the intermittent connection.
MINI extended the warranty on these components back in the late 2000's so many cars had the harness replaced under warranty, however the warranty extension has now expired...and as you can imagine replacing the harness is not a cheap or easy ordeal. On top of that you need either a dedicated SRS tool or the INPA software suite to reset the SRS system. And then you have a CEL to deal with too...
I work on older BMW products all the time and DD a '99 5-series. I am pretty familiar with MINIs and that car does not sound like a good deal to me.
Well, went to look at the car tonight just to put my mind to rest. VERY clean and well taken care of. Two door dings and a paint chip were all I could find wrong at first. Drivers seat leather was getting hard and on the verge of cracking. Then I noticed the outer layer on the muffler was rusting. Being in GA I thought it was strange. Started asking questions and found that the car spent 8 years in Iowa winters. Asked about any other problems and she mentioned the doors need lubing from time to time. Turns out the door hold open mechanisms were severely rusted. And right before making a decision.........there it was............rust stains at the very bottom of the doors and blistering paint. Pass. Made turning it down VERY easy despite the $2K price tag.
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