Currently reading: Mini Cooper S | Used Car Buying Guide

The first generation of BMW's reborn hot hatch is not only regarded as the best of the lot but is also quite affordable now

Like a hard-to-sell flat with potential, the Mini Cooper S is one of those cars whose glaring shortcomings – ridiculously cramped rear cabin, hard ride, twee interior – are best glossed over, your sights set instead on the bigger picture. Such as the fact that this supercharged, first-gen version of the reborn hatch (officially called the R53, pub quiz fans) is widely regarded as the best. Oh, and prices start at just £1750.

With quick and direct steering, a grippy chassis and a torquey, supercharged 1.6-litre engine, the model’s trick is to take its promising ingredients and, like a Great British Bake Off finalist, combine them into one mouth-watering confection.

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It was launched in 2002 with 163bhp, leaving owners of the standard 115bhp Cooper wishing they’d waited longer. With frontwheel drive, a choice of 16 or 17in wheels and run-flat tyres (the 17s gave an unacceptably harsh ride but looked better, while owners replaced the dynamically compromised run-flats with cheaper rubber), a quickfire six-speed manual gearbox and multi-link rear suspension (so budget for four-wheel alignment),the Cooper S was the real deal.

The 0-62mph sprint passed in an admittedly underwhelming 7.2sec, but a John Cooper Works tuning kit was swiftly offered that boosted power to 200bhp, bringing the 0-62mph time down to 6.4sec. From 2005 the kit’s power rose to 210bhp, snipping a further 0.2sec off the time. In 2006 the JCW GP appeared – a hardcore two-seater boosted to 218bhp and prepared by Bertone in Italy. Just 2000 were built, 459 of them for the UK, making it a sought-after rarity.

Mini cooper s ubg 254

Trim-wise, the standard Cooper S was fairly basic, which was why most buyers plumped for a Chili pack, with its leather steering wheel, half-leather seats, xenon headlights and air conditioning. Personalisation is a big thing with the Mini and no two cars are the same. The only thing to note is that the factory-fit decals have been known to crack on some cars. “Peel them off and replace,” you say. It isn’t that easy; it’s actually an expensive job for a bodyshop, so give any decals a careful inspection.

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Take the car for an extended test drive, too. Some reckon the Cooper S is more of a weekend blast than a daily driver, although they may be of the tall variety since the driver’s seat has limited rearward travel. Otherwise it’s a comfortable place to be, while the controls and interior fittings all look and feel top notch. But forget taking the kids: the rear cabin is barely bigger than the boot.

First owners will probably have opted for Mini’s great-value TLC servicing package, which at least gave the little car a good start in life. The earliest models are now 12 years old, but there are still a surprising number around with a full service history, so settle for nothing less. That said, the car thrives on expert attention, so you want to see some main dealer or specialist stamps. 

HOW TO GET ONE IN YOUR GARAGE

An expert’s view... 

JOHN CORNHILL, MASTERDRIVER

“My favourite R53 has a Chili pack, full leather and the panoramic roof. No two cars are the same, though, and in any case, all the options were so expensive that you’re actually getting a bargain, because all the value has gone but they still look and go great. They can leak oil and the power steering has played up in the past, but there are no ugly surprises. Condition easily trumps age and mileage. I’d buy a 100,000-miler no worries; the niggles will have been ironed out long ago.”

Mini Cooper S problems - buyer beware…

OIL LEAKS

The BMW/Chrysler Tritec engine can leak oil from the sump and timing chain cover. It’s a gaskets issue. Otherwise, expect to add around 250ml of oil per 1000 miles, even on a healthy engine.

CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD

If the cooling fan thermostat fails, the engine can overheat and crack the head. Trouble is there’s no temp gauge, so owners may not realise.

ENGINE MOUNTS

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The combination of 17in wheels and stiff suspension can crack the engine mounts. All in, it’s a £400 repair.

DRIVESHAFTS

Can be troublesome. Find a car park and do some slow, full-lock checks, listening for graunches.

SUPERCHARGER

It’s pretty strong but can sound noisy with age. It’s nothing to worry about.

STEERING PUMP

A common failure. A few were replaced under warranty, so fingers crossed. Watch for the steering going rock hard as you turn out of a junction.

Mini cooper s ubg 253

SUSPENSION BUSHES

Not surprising, but they can wear out.

CHAIN TENSIONER NOISE

Some cars are immune to tensioner woes; the Cooper S isn’t one of them.

TRACK ROD ENDS

Can seize, so prepare to buy new ones.

WATER LEAKS

Check the passenger footwell for damp; it plays havoc with the ECU located there. Also look for puddles in the boot.

HANDBRAKE

On early cars, the handbrake could twist and slip off the ratchet. It was a recall issue, so check it’s been fixed. Also worth knowing Can’t stretch to a John Cooper Works or you’ve found a mint standard car that could use a power tweak? Mini specialist Lohen can give your R53 a 15% power hike for £480 all in.

Mini Cooper S prices - how much to spend...

£1750-£2500

Mix of early 2002-2004 cars with over 100k miles. Lots with ‘full history’, but don’t expect many official Mini stamps.

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£2600-£3400

Tidy 80,000-mile 2004-2005 cars with FSH, plus a few leggy ’06s.

£3500 -£4000

The pick of the Cooper S line-up. Condition and mileage, rather than registration year, is what you’re paying for here, so expect some goodcondition early cars in the mix.

£4100-PLUS

For the best 2004s with reasonable mileage and anything beyond.

Join the debate

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ArtySin 19 August 2020

Used car prices are rocketing

Pipsyp mentioned above about future prices rising. The cars to go for are the post facelift ones with 2005 and 2006 the cars to go for. If you want a Cooper S from either of those two years with service history, in good condition and some great factory options you're now looking at between £4K - £5k. However, for a John Cooper Works they're now going for about £6k - £7k. I paid £2.8k for an 88k miles Cooper S automatic with the Chrono pack, Recaro heated seats, Harmon Kardon sound system and climate control last August. There are a pair of these seats currently on eBay for £2k as these a very rare as is the anthracite head lining which mine also has. They were a £500 factory option. I was offered £4K just three weeks ago, July 2020. The drive is such great fun as with 180bhp on these cars, the 0-60 is 6.6secs for the Cooper S and the JCW is 6.2secs. The supercharger whine is a noise to behold and the fun is absolutely fantastic. Buy one now as the prices will only rise further.

pipsyp 13 September 2019

Such a great car, foresee used values rising before too long

Recently bought a very clean 2006 late facelift with Chilli Pack and LSD and have to say I dont think I have ever enjoyed a car so much.

Even by todays hot hatch standards, a stock facelift car isnt slow, are brilliant fun to drive, very tunable and just have so much character it makes pretty much any modern fast hatch feel quite boring by comparison.  As of right now its still possible to get a good one for not alot of money, but I suspect in the not too distant future prices will begin to rise as they are really getting a cult following and becoming universally lauded as the best BMW Mini thats been made.

I had a 6C Polo GTI manual with Sports pack before, was a lovely daily, very rapid and had character for a VAG group car but cant compete with the R53 for entertainment.

They arent brilliantly well made (facelifts are better, but still not wonderful) and have a number of common issues/faults (some of which can be ££££) but get a good one, you'll not regret it.  The only real downside is c.20mpg urban fuel economy.....they are very very thirsty when not being taken on a run.

I had an R50 Cooper facelift for a short while prior and have to say that was a great car too....nothing like as fast but the performance was in a sense more usable.......one of these even a One would make such a great first car for someone thats really into cars/a keen driver.  Still quite thirsty for an NA 1.6, but nothign like as bad as an S.

If I could impart any R53 advice, it would be to buy the latest, cleanest and most genuine car you can afford for your budget.  Mileage is less of an issue, so long as its history is good.  A late facelift is really the one to have as BMW resolved/improved some of the minor niggles with the earlier car (mostly build quality related), they have a bit more power, shorter gearing and a tougher supercharger than the earlier cars....also as stock they pop and bang on overrun like a gooden which the earlier cars dont.  If you get one from early 05 onwards, if it has the Chilli pack chances are it'll have a factory diff too.....though these cars are quite rare as it didnt become available until late in the Mk1 facelift run and bizarrely was a tick box option you had to choose despite being free with the Chilli Pack (£100 option otherwise)...surprising the numbers who didnt tick that box!

Definitely a case of get one now and enjoy it, before they end up becoming prohibitively expensive.  Lots of good cars are being broken/scrapped now because their owners cant justify the maintenance cost which means whist still fairly common now, good cars will just become a rarer commodity.

 

 

jason_recliner 25 September 2016

Bargain!

Just 1750 quid for a Cooper S? That is some excellent buying IMO. My last car, a Pulsar SSS, was AUD$3,400, and I'm sure the Cooper S would be faster on any road or around any track, if not as practical.
sirwiggum 26 September 2016

jason_recliner wrote:

jason_recliner wrote:

Just 1750 quid for a Cooper S? That is some excellent buying IMO. My last car, a Pulsar SSS, was AUD$3,400, and I'm sure the Cooper S would be faster on any road or around any track, if not as practical.

£1750 for a ropey example that is going to induce more headaches than a stag weekend.

Small car price but BMW style repair bills.

Though I have to say, if you know a good mechanic, they are an absolute hoot to drive, be worth it as a little weekend / track car.

Used to be a naysayer as they are not an Austin Mini. But then I came to the realisation that they are not really intended to be - that market has moved on, the Hyundai i10 is closer in spirit to the original Mini. This is a modern sports hatchback homage to the (almost accidental) sporting credentials of the original, and if you trace the 'BMC/AR small car' evolution via Metro, 100 and 200-25, even the size makes sense. They've made a whole range, to me this is a modern trendy sporting range of what Austin used to provide. The 5 door reminds me a bit of photos of an 1100 concept.