Ask MF: The Best Place to Find Used MINIs
This week’s Ask MF comes from Demian:
>I wanted to let you know that your website is a great one! I daily check for updates and info. In regards to used minis, I am looking for a used 2005 and later model. Could you recommend an adequate price range for these models? Any website recommendations for used minis?
Assuming you’re looking for an R50/R53 (they were made from 2001 through 2006 worldwide) it’s really hard to say what prices to expect or even what currency you’re talking about. However if you’re located in the US we’d recommend starting your search in the normal used car places like Cars.com and Autotrader.com. While some forums have a decent selection you need to be aware that some of the cars offered are forum based sites can be heavily modified. Obviously this is not always the best thing for used car longevity. Unless of course you don’t mind that.
But enough of our suggestions. Let’s hear from MF readers. Where would you look? What would you expect to pay for a 2005 – 2006 MC and MCS?
<p>I would agree, im currently in the market for my 2nd MINI (first one was a 06 MCS that i had to sell and i miss it alot). And the 2 places that i check daily are autotrader.com and northamericanmotoring.com which are both for US people but i find the selection is pretty good and both cover pretty much all of the US.</p>
<p>First of all I’d recomment getting an ’05 or newer. Mini made some nice upgrades in the ’05 refresh and you can get a car with some full warranty left.</p>
<p>I think the “marketplace” section of NAM (North American Motoring.com)is a great place to find a used Mini being sold by “Mini people” who perhaps loved their car with a little more TLC than the average schmoe.</p>
<p>The values on the R53 variants have definately remained high. A 2005 with about 50k miles is still around $19k.</p>
<p>Check the MINI club websites – you know you will be getting a well cared for MINI. You may have to register for some of the sites if you want to respond but you should be able to browse the “For Sale” sections. Start with psmini.org (Washington State) for example. Do a Google search to find MINI clubs closer to where you live, but don’t rule out a trip to get a MINI somewhere else and drive it home. (We bought one in Florida and drove it home to Washington)</p>
<p>This is a big challenge unless you’re willing to buy a certified used car from a Mini dealer. If so, you can check the Mini Next section on miniusa.com for certified used Minis at dealers nationwide.</p>
<p>Other than that, you’re buying a used car, which means the asking prices will be too high (especially on NAM), you’ll have to call to find out what options the cars have, and you won’t know how well the car was treated.</p>
<p>Other places I have looked:</p>
<p>Individual dealers may have their uncertified used inventory available for browsing, too. They usually don’t do a good job of listing all the options the cars have.</p>
<p>Carmax has cars all over the country and will ship them to the location nearest you, but it will cost you up to $1000 from what I’ve seen. They do have lots of photos of the cars, so if you know what to look for (toggle switches/labels, multi-function steering wheel, etc.) you can figure out the major options the car has.</p>
<p>Craigslist has a lot listings, especially in larger cities.</p>
<p>I recommend checking out “Consumer Reports” annual auto issue (April) that just came out. It has a list of “Used Cars to Avoid” by year and model; mainly due to reliability issues, and there are some earlier MINI’s included. You can see from their data that MINI has improved a lot over the years, and is now one of their highly “RECOMMENDED” cars.
Also, I’m happy to say the MINI CLUBMAN was listed at the top (along with the Porsche 911) for “Cars You Would Buy Again”.</p>
<p>I work for MINI of the Main Line in Philadelphia. We get some nice used MINI’s in (and some not so nice used MINI’s – we don’t keep those) We usually have a pretty good crop of cars available. We ALWAYS have them priced below market value to move them as quickly as possible. If you’re in the market for one, give me a call.
Mark
Motoring Advisor since 2002
MINI of the Main Line
610.667.1000
<a href="mailto:moneill@minimainline.com">moneill@minimainline.com</a></p>
<p>I recommend cars.com (or my driveway if you are in Houston). Time to part, sadly, with my 07 MCS. The family is growing.</p>
<p>There are plenty of cars out there to choose from. In this market, no one seems to be buying.</p>
<p>The biggest problem is tracking down the options. A MINI that had an MSRP of $18000 and one that had an MSRP of $28000 look almost the same on most listings. They tend to list the obvious or standard features only. A/C, power locks, power windows, radial tires, ABS, airbags, vanity mirror, etc. That sport suspension or JCW kit or 18″ wheels aren’t going to be in the listing, but will make a $25000 used MINI become a real bargain. Darn you-ified cars!</p>
<p>I bought two used Minis from Carmax. They have a good selection to choose from and they have really good no haggle pricing. I also sold one to them and got 1000 dollars over blue book.</p>