I’ve visited a few local MINI dealerships and have perused classified ads(in Los Angeles), and have been surprised at the price of the used cars, even the first generation MINIs, which are about the same price as a standard MINI without accessories. I know it’s a seller’s market, but I’d rather order a shiny new MINI and wait a couple of months than buy a used MINI for about the same price.

I know for a lot of people MINIs are inexpensive, but as a young person just starting out in the world, I’ve been saving my dollars for one. I could see myself buying a used certified MINI, then uprading to a new one after I get a bit further along with my job. But if a used one, even certified, is just about the same price as a new one, then I will hold off buying and continue to save until I can afford a new one. Getting it sooner, even with a great warrantee, just doesn’t trump having a new MINI that hasn’t been driven and exposed to the elements, possible bad maintenance and aggressive driving, etc.

If I were to buy used, though, I would prefer to buy certified from a MINI dealer than from a private party. I like the idea of vehicle inspections and certifications as well as a warrantee and would be willing to pay more.

I sold my ’04 MCS in Cars.com, just 6 days after placing the ad with 12 photos. The buyer of the car is a local resident, so you never know who may show interest in your car.

http://www.minimania.com, already runs a dedicated and totally free classified page for used MINI/Minis. They allow 1 free photo upload and runs until it sells. The problem with them is that you get a lot of bogus hits from less than reputable individuals, claiming to have the cash on hand for your car (Nigerian scams, etc).

(Gabe, Matt… Any interest? You could link that site right from here.) ;-)

BUT, I could see a certified program work if they did something unique. Like…take advantage of the custom factor when you order new. You could do that by making an online order system where you select the year and model and then select the options that are year-appropriate. At the end it would search the certified network for the closest matches and display the results. The cool thing would be them putting it on a transport and delivering to the closest dealer. That would allow people to pick the car which matches their wants the best, dealer prep of vehicle, and then dealer gets the opportunity to start a new relationship with a 2nd owner.

The contact page is giving an error?!

I would get a certified MC for my wife who now likes Mini’s….. this way i dont have to worry about anyone driving my modded MCS.

so prices for bone-stock S:

new: 20.5k certified: 19k what we can get: 17k

I would buy a pre-owned MINI, especially b/c they’d extend the warranty. I think it’ll be nice to have the option in a couple years of getting a moderately loved MCS to complement my MC. I think the main thing between a private buy and the certified buy is the extened warranty…a nice bonus in case the previous owner was not as considerate of MINI care as I am…

Every MINI I’ve seen for sale as used has been very close to the value new, a lot to do with not enough supply for the demand. I imagine a used MINI on the West Coast, especially in the Northwest would fetch close to new values…

The second hand sales will also be augmented by the newest reliability ratings….

In the end, yes I’d buy a certified MINI but only for the extra warranty.

Honestly with all the in town driving I do, an MCS wouldn’t really be needed. I had originally planned to sell it in the fall of ’02 but have just grown so attached to the thing. That said, it would be nice to try something different ;)

And I agree with the poster above: stock or JCW cars seem to sell quicker than cars with aftermarket mods.

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I bought my MINI used on Ebay it was in FLA. It had 3,000 miles on it so I got all the use of the warranties. It now has 40,000+ on it. The exact car here in CA was $34,000+, I got it for $21,500 Tx & Lic.

Had many of the usual ’02 problems but my dealer here in CA fixed them all, but, not without me having to call the factory rep, all in all I’m Happy.

The car has been trouble free the last 20,000 miles. Oh yeah, they never could totally fix the “Stumble”, but if I run the car without the DSC it is “OK”.

And that’s my experience with a used MINI.

Perfect car for anyone considering modding or adding the JCW kit as it was 100% factory spec with no engine or suspension mods.

By the way, speaking of mods, People in the used car market looking for used MINIs show the most interest about cars that remain 100% stock or have the JCW kit installed. Cars with aftermarket mods seem to be the most difficult to sell and don’t command the highest resale values.

• They did not care about buying new or used.

• They seem to be accustomed to buy used cars.

• They are willing to pay top dollar for an used MINI.

• They do not want to wait to order from factory.

• They prefer to buy from a private owner, thus they dread purchasing directly from an authorized dealer.

• They want a MINI NOW!!