So I'm giving my Mazda 3 to #2 Daughter which means I'm car shopping. I've always lusted after a Mini. I was looking at a 2011 to 2013 R56 but a near mint 2006 R50 came up locally. It's way below my self imposed budget.
My wife is telling me to just buy something new but that goes counter to my character plus after driving a 2021 Mini I felt it was lacking the directness I like.
Do it, do it, do it.
The '06 R50 will have the almost bullet proof Getrag 5-speed instead of the "made of glass" Midlands. The engine is way understressed in the R50 and with regular maintenance will last a long time. LCA bushings go out on all of them, but a swap to poly bushings will take care of it from then on. It should also have the power steering pump fan cover from the factory to prevent the pump from overheating. If it's a tin top model without all the options thrown at it (like auto A/C, chronos package or navigation), there's even less to fail. If it doesn't have them, look for the sport seats out of an S or out of an R50 with the option for better side bolsters. I felt like the pleather instead of cloth or leather seemed to hug you better with less sliding.
I still miss mine, but it was an odd optioned model with only the sport seats and sport suspension plus as options. Most (seems like 95%) have the sunroof and all the options you could get on them.
-Rob
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