lMINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 00:28
lMINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices - PhilC

Due to a change in job internally it is highly likely SWMBO is going to have to hand back her company lease car she's had since last November (59 plate Golf 2.0 TDI 140 SE, 15,000 miles) as we suspect we won't get a good deal on a final payment after 8 months of a 36 month plan.

Therefore we've started to have a look around at what's out there. Having persuaded her not to go back to a Yaris (capable, reliable but boring!) she now interested in Minis.

With a budget of £7k we've seen a couple we like the look of. One's a first generation (R50) 55 plate Cooper with the Chilli pack and uprated 17" Mini alloys. It's done 37.5k miles.

The other is a 2nd generation (R56) 56 plate Cooper. Although it has air conditioning and uprated alloys the advert doesn't state if it has any Mini upgrade packs. This one's done 46k miles.

Future mileage won't be an issue as the Missus did 20k miles in her old Yaris in 3 years.

We're going to try and see them both over the next couple of days. Is it worth going for the R56 over the R50? Is there that much difference?

Any advice on the pros and cons of buying a Mini would be, as ever much appreciated.

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Fri 11 Jun 2010 07:33
lMINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices - madf

Frined of mine had a R50 on 17 alloys. Horrible hard ride: not good for local country raods.

She got rid after 12 months...

Try a test drive on badly maintained roads...

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Mon 14 Jun 2010 23:45
lMINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices - nick1975
the newer model is a much better car, so i would look at those only
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Tue 15 Jun 2010 10:58
MINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices - NickS

Ive got an R56 Cooper S on 17" wheels with runflats. The ride is "solid", shall we say, and it tramlines pretty badly around town.

I will be chopping mine in later this year for a Cooper Clubman on 16" wheels.

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Fri 25 Jun 2010 00:56
lMINI Cooper + Cooper S R56 - Buying a Mini - Choices - PhilC

An update.

By the time we contacted the owner of the 55 plate R50 it had gone. We viewed the 56 plate R56 last weekend. Externally the car was in good nick. However the headlining on the driver's side of the car was extremely dirty. The driver's grab handle was covered in an oily gunk. I couldn't work out what it was. The saleman said he hadn't noticed it before! There were also bits and pieces missing like the back shelf and the tyre compressor. It was a one owner vehicle with the previous owner being a leasing company. We decided to walk away.

Anyway after scouring various websites and a number of visits/test drives last weekend we've bought a 56 plate R50. It's chilli red, has the Chili Pack and done 46k miles. Its got 16" 'normal' tyres. Having compared the ride in a similar car with 17" run flats my wife found the ride far better in the one we've bought. The garage had just got it in on the Thursday before we bought it on the Sunday. Therefore It had yet to be valeted and had some exterior work to be be done (windscreen chips, slight wheel scuffs, bonnet stone chips and a slightly cracked bumper). All this is being sorted out before we pick it up on Saturday with a 12 months MOT and 3 months warranty. Ended up paying £8k but it is exactly what my wife wanted.

As always thank you for your advice.

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