The car has been barely used but its gear knob is worn out. Also, there is no spare key and the one that we have works but is broken.
BHPian Sapra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Hello folks!
My dad finally got his dream car: the Mini Cooper, not the Countryman, but the smaller 2-door sibling. He has been eyeing this car ever since The Italian Job came out in 2003.
He’s been looking at prices in the secondary market for a long while now, and recently we got a really good deal from a relative, he does car brokering on the side. The car originally belonged to a celeb, who is pretty big in the south (whose name I can’t disclose for obvious reasons), and with 10k on the odo. He said that the owner looked after the car very well; it was so barely used that no one had sat in the backseat. Furthermore, he had hired a service team from BMW itself to look after the car, and it shows (pics attached below).
But when we got the car, we were informed of some ‘minor’ issues.
- Torn sunroof screen: The Mini has a netted sunroof cover, and this net is kinda busted on the sides. Dad said he wants to replace this with an opaque one, as the sunlight seeps in through the net and makes it hot.
- Entertainment dash: The entertainment unit on this one is pretty analog, which is nostalgic and everyone in my family adores it, but the display has a lot of scratches and a yellowish tint to it. Apart from this, it’s small, and the lack of GPS and Bluetooth playback seems like a dealbreaker to us. Is it possible to get the latest entertainment unit which is Android Auto/Apple Carplay enabled?
- Worn out paint in some places: The paint on a few places is worn out; for example, around the gearstick, it shows its age. How much would it take to get it all repainted?
- No spare key; the current key is broken: We didn’t get a spare key with this; the other key apparently was broken. I was skeptical about this, but my dad trusts the broker so I couldn’t really say much. What’s worse is the key that we got is also broken and taped, but works perfectly fine. How much would it take to repair the key and get another one?
Apart from these, we haven’t been informed of any other issues and we haven’t found any either. What else should we check for, especially under the hood, as I couldn’t ask here before the purchase; Dad had kept it as a surprise for the family.
I would love everyone’s opinion on this. Kindly add the approximate cost it would take for each of the repairs and modifications.
Lastly, she’s a looker. The car is really good, the most powerful car I’ve ever driven. Sports mode is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve attached the pics of the above-mentioned problems and of the car.
Thank you so much for your valuable time.
PS: How do we use the paddle shifters, and are they any good or just a gimmick?
Here’s what BHPian Jeroen had to say about the matter:
These Mini Key FOBs are frightfully expensive to replace. When you get a new key you will need dealer equipment to program it for your specific car.
On some FOBs, you can easily replace the battery. Check the owner’s manual!
If not, you can open them up and replace the battery yourself but it does take a bit of DIY.
When you open it up you can check the battery and also clean the micro switches with contact cleaner. That usually does the trick. If not, you will need to find somebody who knows how to repair the electronics or get a new one.
With respect to the analogue dash, I doubt it is doable to replace it with the more modern Mini version. Do what I did, add a hands-free kit that also allows you to stream music via the speakers. Works very well for me!
Here’s what BHPian CarCraze had to say about the matter:
Oh, I love this car. I am in the same boat as your father. I am a big fan of this 2 door Mini especially. Sad that I am not in a position to own it anytime soon as it’s not practical by any means in India. Have a good time with this beauty!
Here’s what BHPian lapis_lazuli had to say about the matter:
Congratulations on the vehicle… an icon indeed. However couldn’t help but wonder, a car with only 10000 shouldn’t have a worn-out gear knob or pedals for that matter. Those wear out only with actual prolonged physical contact and use. Not just time.
As long as the exterior paint is factory original, I think you are ok to get the internals from independent workshops. Your region would have lots of options. Save the money for a year… surprises may come up as you start driving regularly. I will say take it slow. One fix a month, sort of. Best of luck and happy Mini.
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