New Poster with a WWGRMD thread. Would you daily a cheap, high mileage R53 Mini?

tuna55 wrote:

RealMiniParker wrote: In reply to tuna55: Oh, there's a screw. But there's also a stupid servo that moves the whole headlight assembly, to compensate for cargo load. Berking module that controls the servo was about 500 clams, IIRC, and it needed to be "programmed". berkeley that! So, I would have to periodically force them into the highest position, after having turned the manual adjusting screw to the minimum height.

Wait, cargo load!? This is a compact hatchback with stiff springs. I don't even understand.

Self-leveling systems are required for HID lights. If you buy any car with factory HID lights it'll have some sort of system. It's intended to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. On the MINI, there is a level sensor on the LF and RR lower control arms. The non-HID lights don't have these. Since the MINI was available with and without HID lights, it makes sense the controller would be stand-alone. I'd imagine on cars where HIDs are standard, the self-leveling system would just be part of the body control computer.

The ex's '03 has the HID lights. The '07 Cooper 'vert we bought later did not as we ordered it that way. Mainly due to the $900 cost to replace one of her lights a year or two after she bought the car (they are now a bit cheaper) and a highway retread incident. The HID lights are better, but the standard halogens aren't bad.

racerdave: There's a difference there. When did you buy your '06 (which incidentally, is widely considered to be the best year for the R53)? There's a difference between a car that you know every thing that's been done to it since new and a used car almost 10 years old (or more) with questionable service history. I have a similar opinion as you about my '03 VW Jetta TDI Wagon. I'm the only person who has ever turned a wrench on that car in 12 years and 329K miles. I'd trust that car to drive anywhere. But would I buy a used '03 TDI and expect similar unless I knew and trusted the previous owner(s)? Hell no.

STM317 wrote: Thanks for the advice. Deep down, I know the Mini is the wrong choice, but I'd heard this was the place to come for enablers

To get the enabling, your post should have started off more like this :

STM317 didn't write: THE PROBLEM: I've got an 01 Ford Ranger for my daily driver (2.3l Duratec/5 spd manual). Long story short, it needs a new cylinder head due to previous owner's ineptitude. I could use a beater to drive around while I finish the Coyote swap.

The prevailing logic that if you don't have the time or space to swap a Ranger cylinder head, that also rules out having the time or space to do your own maintenance on the Mini. That's my take too. Something like a Celica or Focus for the same $4000 would be a better deal.

LOL. We pride ourselves on enabling on this forum, but we still wouldn't tell you to jump out of an aircraft with a backpack full of silverware instead of a parachute. If you had said "should I trade my Camry for this high mile R53? I've got an old Ranger I can drive if the Cooper breaks..." we'd have been all "Hellz yeh!"

I see a lot of Grassroots Appliance drivers in here.

As to owning ANY car out of warranty, if you know what you're looking at, you can do well, regardless of brand. I recently bought a 150k mile BMW 740i Sport. Other than tires (that I knew I was going to have to replace going into it) and fixing a broken wire on the evaporative leak detection pump, I've only been doing fun mods in 3000 miles. I hope to have the car for 5-10 years and get another 50-100k out of it. My last one went from 143k to 185k miles with only $1500 in repairs and mods in the 5 years I had it.

Minis are about the same. Most of them are fine. Our last one was a 2011 Justa that was a daily driver and also went on a few long trips. Never needed anything other than gas and oil changes.

If you want an appliance car, buy one. If you want a fun car, get something that makes you smile when you drive it and learn how to do tha basic repairs and maintenance yourself, just like those of us that have driven little British cars and older Italian and German cars for years. I'd rather have a fun German/British/Italian car that needs repairs every once in a while than a soulless appliance car that I don't have to touch (and I've had supposedly reliable Hondas that have left me stranded on the side of the road. Never again...). I eschewed a new, reliable economy car to get the BMW and I have no regrets.

MadScientistMatt wrote: To get the enabling, your post should have started off more like this :

STM317 didn't write: THE PROBLEM: I've got an 01 Ford Ranger for my daily driver (2.3l Duratec/5 spd manual). I could use a beater to drive around while I finish the Coyote swap.

Well, while a Coyote swapped Ranger would be pretty sweet, I've already got one Ranger "race truck", and having 2 of them just seems kind of like showing off. I like having at least one stock vehicle that I don't really care about.