Episode 8

full
Published on:

9th Jun 2022

Should You Buy a Used R56 Mini Cooper S? - Part 1

00:00 - Show Intro - Should You Buy A Used R56 Mini Cooper S?

00:55 - The Short Answer: Yes, but...

Great question. I would say the short answer is yes, but with some caveats. The R56 Mini Cooper S is a great option because this model is typically not too old, and not too new, with not too many miles and it's also not too expensive, but these cars do have their issues, some of which I will discuss later in the podcast.

01:55 - A Brief History of the Mini Cooper

Sir Alec Issigonis designed the Mini in the late 50s for Austin motor company in response to the fuel shortage from the Suez Crisis. Austin wanted a small, fuel efficient car that could comfortably carry four adults, while also being affordable to just about anyone. To meet this vehicle requirement, Issigonis did something no one had done before. He pushed the wheels out to the edge of each corner of the car, then turned the engine sideways and used front wheel drive to free up considerable space inside the car. Introduced in 1959, the Austin Mini easily sat four, got excellent fuel mileage and sold for a low cost. It was also an instant hit.

03:20 - Racing Legend John Cooper Gets His Hands On The Mini

In 1961 British racing legend, John Cooper began modifying Mini's for racing by increasing horsepower and improving braking and handling, and the Mini Cooper was born. These modifications turned this boxy little car into a giant killer, so much so that Mini Coopers won the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally three times in the mid to late 1960s. Over time the popularity of the Mini continued to grow and it went on to become the best selling British car of all time with 5.3 million sold.

04:10 - BMW buys Rover Group And The First Gen New Mini Is Born

After purchasing the Rover Group (which included the Mini name brand) in the mid-nineties, BMW set about designing a New Mini. Their design directive was to produce a car that, when seen from any angle, could not be mistaken for anything other than a Mini. They nailed it and the first generation of the new Mini was introduced in 2001 as a 2002 model and it was sold in the US through 2006.

The base R50 Mini Cooper had a normally aspirated 1.6-liter engine that made 115-horsepower and 110-lb.ft. of torque. The Mini Cooper S, also known as the R53 made 163-horsepower and 155-lb.ft. of torque from a 1.6-liter supercharged version of the same motor. Zero to sixty acceleration times were a little over seven seconds for the Mini Cooper S and both engines were built as part of a joint-venture between BMW and Chrysler.

05:38 - The Second Gen New Mini Hits The Streets

Available in the US starting in model year 2007, the second gen Mini was a little larger, and the new 4-cylinder 1600cc engine in the Cooper S was now fitted with a turbocharger, rather than the supercharger found on the first gen Cooper S.

The 2007-2010 R56 Mini Cooper S came with the N14 engine that made 172-horsepower at 5500 RPM and 177-lb.ft. of torque at 1600 RPM. The N14 engines featured BMW's variable valve timing (or VANOS) only on the intake cams.

The R56 Mini Cooper S from 2011 to 2013 was fitted with the slightly more powerful N18 engine. This engine featured variable valve timing (VANOS) on both the intake and exhaust cams and horsepower output increased to 182 at 5500 RPM with a torque rating of 177-lb.ft. at 1600 RPM. However this engine's DME or engine computer allows the turbo to overboost for several seconds at wide open throttle for a temporary increase in torque to 192-lb.ft. The N18 engine is also reported to have less issues compared to the N14 engine.

08:00 - Reasons Why You Might Want An R56 Mini Cooper S

Fun to drive (this is definitely the top reason to own a Mini Cooper). Lots of power for its size and weight. Easy to maneuver in traffic and easy to park. Great handling. Good fuel economy. Versatile hatchback design. It is a cool car (or at least some people think it's cool!).

10:45 - Reasons Why You Might Not Want An R56 Mini Cooper S

Limited space if you need to carry a lot of people (4 max). It's a small car compared to larger sedans, trucks and SUVs around you on the road. Darty, short-wheelbase chassis means this is not the best long-distance car for interstate travel. Mini Coopers can be finicky (less reliable) with higher mileage. No coolant or oil pressure gauges make it difficult to monitor engine function while driving. There is limited room In the engine compartment to complete common maintenance tasks.

15:08 - My Experience With A 2011 Mini Cooper S

I purchased a 2011 R56 Mini Cooper S in 2017 with 116,000 miles for $4500. A pre-purchase inspection revealed no major issues and I put a few thousand trouble-free miles on it before I experienced a series of common problems (various engine seal failures, resulting in oil leaks, electrical problems, broken timing chain guide, other issues, etc.). Basically I was living proof that there is no such thing as a cheap, high-mileage Mini Cooper S.

17:30 - High Mileage Mini Cooper S - Common Problems/Issues

The high pressure fuel pump can fail prematurely. Timing Chain (mostly on N14 engines) may wear prematurely and require replacement. Thermostat housing and coolant crossover tube can fail and leak. Turbo oil feed/return lines can leak over time. Oil filter housing and oil cooler seals can fail and leak. Oil pump control solenoid wiring plug can leak, which can wick oil up into the engine wiring harness and DME. Direct injection engines like on the R56 Mini Cooper S require regular intake valve carbon removal. Computer chips and electronic modules that run critical systems can fail due to moisture, heat cycles, etc. over time and require replacement.

21:50 - Wrap Up R56 Mini Cooper S Part 1 and Preview Part II

In Part II, I review how some of these common problems manifested In my R56 Mini Cooper S and I'll talk about the repairs I had to make to fix these issues to get my Mini back on the road. I will even tell you why, in spite of the problems, I still liked my R56 Mini Cooper S.

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About the Podcast

Better Than New
Find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you'll love
The average new car sales price in the US is nearly $50,000, and the average used vehicle sales price is close to $30,000... I think that's insane! Well if you're like me and you don’t want to pay these crazy inflated car prices, I believe you should still be able to drive something fun. That’s the idea behind Better Than New – a podcast to help you find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you’ll love.

I’m Gary Crenshaw, host of Better Than New and a long time automotive enthusiast, and I want to inspire car buyers on a budget to think differently about what they can actually afford to drive. My goal is to introduce listeners to the broad array of interesting, fun-to-drive, enthusiast-friendly used cars, trucks and SUVs available at prices just about anyone can afford… vehicles from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond that offer buyers a wide range of interesting choices. Each week we’ll explore a specific vehicle or vehicle category, tell you what to look for and what to avoid, and give you practical tips to help you find your next cool used car, truck or SUV and keep it on the road for years to come.

With a little work, the joy of owning a cool used car at price you’ll love is within reach and this podcast is here to help you find it.

So hop in, buckle up and let's go for a drive!

About your host

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Gary Crenshaw

A lifelong lover of all things mechanical, Gary has spent the majority of his existence driving, dreaming about or wrenching on cars, motorcycles and even the occasional airplane.

It started with mini-bikes and go-karts as a kid, progressed to 2-stroke dirt bikes, followed by his first car… a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Then came the Yamaha era with several RD400s, RZ350s and a Canadian RD350LC (should have kept that!). A pilot’s license was next with some memorable hours flying a 1946 Aeronca Champ low and slow around the Pacific Northwest. While in college, his brother-in-law who sold high-end cars hired him to deliver BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles to customers.

Those early experiences led to a lifetime of owning an eclectic mix of interesting used cars, including a ‘65 Mustang GT, a ’72 Datsun 510, a Porsche 914, a Celica Alltrac Turbo, a Mini Cooper S, a couple of Miata’s, two Audi S4 Avants, a Galant VR4, a Fiat 850 Spider, a 1983 Subaru 4x4 GL wagon and a first gen RX-7, along with dozens of daily driver cars and SUVs from Acura, Honda, Toyota and Mazda. And his favorite? Depends on when you ask, but that distinction likely goes to the Mazda RX-4 station wagon he learned to drive in. That fun-to-drive car combined Gary's passion for wagons, rotary engines and manual transmissions all in one.

So what about you? Which used car, truck or SUV would you love to own? Let’s find it together!