Mini questions

My wife and I have decided that a 'new' mini would be a good next car for her. We practiced putting the car seat in the back and decided it would be something we could live with on a daily basis. Due to price limitatations, we are looking at an 02-03 cooper or S. The car will see 95% daily driving duties and hopefully some autox duty when I don't feel like towing the miata to an event.

What are some things to look out for on these cars? Timing belt or chain? Major maintenance issues? I would be doing my own maintenance, so how are they to work on? Does an S require premium fuel? What kind of mileage can we expect?

I thought the question would be one worded like, why, what, or when

No help here, move along.

They didn't get LSD's until about '05. If you plan to Autox even occasionally it's something to consider.

Isn't the new lsd "virtual"? like it uses the brakes to reduce wheelspin.

LSD isn't a big issue because if I want to autox quickly, I have my miata for that. Were both the 5 and 6 speed trannies weak in 02? Where do the seats break? Are there warning signs before the trannies go?

Get the Bentley service manual (best price I've seen is from Amazon). Follow the "1st gen Stock Issues" forum on northamericanmotoring.com

02 to 04 justa coopers have midlands 5 speed trannies if manual. 05 and 06 have a getrag 5 speed. Midlands, bad. will self destruct at some point. Cooper S has a 6 speed getrag. IIRC, slightly taller gearing on pre 05 models. great for storming the autobahn. get 15 inch wheels for stop light drag racing, ie normal stateside driving. Cooper S tranny also has a dual mass flywheel setup. Change the tranny fluid asap. It's considered a "lifetime" fluid. 07 and newer justa coopers have a 6 speed getrag.

The 1st gen Cooper S has a serpentine belt tensioner that may fail spectacularly. Aftermarket companies make a stop bar or cable catch to prevent spectacular failure. The eaton m45 blower is considered a "lifetime" part as well. Get a used spare and have it serviced.

Thermostat housing is known to leak. On early models, the coolant tank should have been replaced. use bmw/mini coolant or evans only.

All engine variants have timing chains.

Bushings should be replaced on high mileage Minis. Front LCA bushing should be inspected for sure. Front top strut mounts should be checked for tears (good time to install camber plates but oem if you want to stay in stock class). If driven in a metro area, struts probably will be need to replaced. Check out the Mini Cooper (R50) project car that Per and Kim drove for suspension and exhaust ideas.

The faux LSD, nee F1, is only available on the 08+ JCW.

I have been driving my daughter in my Mini since she was seven months old. luckily, she transitioned from the carrier to a forward facing child seat.

Motor on!

Midlands = BAD Getrag = Good

Also, PS fans and pumps tend to fail, mainly from electronics not mechanical. Probably heat related. On the S, recommended maintenance on s/c belts is 60k but my original went 110k. I carry a spare in the boot but have not used it yet. LCA bushings are junk. Get aftermarket replacements. Powerflex is pretty popular. Quirky cars but I love mine. I have 150K on it.

You can have the best of both worlds. The other day I saw a Mini towing a Miata on a trailer.

J