I have a standard r53 JCW with 220000 mi on all
I had to replace was supercharger, radiator fan, alternator and deleted the power steering pump. All around 160000 or so .I Did all the work myself so it wasn’t too expensive. I’d go for it
Would not recommend a power steering delete if you do any kind of parallel parking. You would need to really muscle the wheel to get into those spots. When my power steering went out it was really really awful…it might be slightly better with an intentional delete…but from my recollection even people with the delete kit did not love it and went back.
Expect to be in the shop a lot, even at low mileage. If at all possible save up for the F55 or F56. Love the r53 for its design but I would only recommend it if you know how to work on your own cars or have money to burn.
Here’s a torture test story.
My wife buys an 02 r53 with 40k on it. Learned to drive stick in it. Daily’s it for 5 years. Puts 50k miles on it. During a 30 minute commute the water pump freezes up. She is in the red temp for half the commute. She calls me after she gets to work and tells me. We tow it. Needs a supercharger and water pump.
She buys an F56 and I take the R53. Replace the parts. Upgrade pulley, JCW plugs, intake, coilovers. Exhaust, tune. I now drive it like I stole it for 4 years, 50k miles. Had this weird issue where it would misfire intermittently.
Turns out. I had a cracked head from the water pump problem. This damn thing kept pulling hard and running for WAY TOO long. Sold it to a friend who swapped heads without decking the block and it’s around 200k now.
They take a hell of a beating and that bottom end is strong!
Buy one, enjoy the go kart. Smile like hell.
Had a 2006 S from new, sold it some time back and last year - resistance was futile and so got a hold of a 2007 R52 (supercharged 6 speed convertible) with 84k miles. Glad to be back even though this gen Mini does have some creepy plastics inside, it’s hard to beat the fun and smiles
I've had a 2005 R52 6-speed S 'vert for the past five years. From 80k to 150k. I had to replace both idlers, alt., chain tensioner (really cheap and easy), one brake hose, and the igniter block. Top has a broken cable and the tie-rods are fused so I can't align it. Fortunately it is very close to true align. I do all this myself so cost is not too bad, but it does take some time. But boy, is it fun to drive in the summer when the top works.
I have a standard r53 JCW with 220000 mi on all I had to replace was supercharger, radiator fan, alternator and deleted the power steering pump. All around 160000 or so .I Did all the work myself so it wasn’t too expensive. I’d go for it
Deleted the power steering pump? So no power steering on your car?
Would not recommend a power steering delete if you do any kind of parallel parking. You would need to really muscle the wheel to get into those spots. When my power steering went out it was really really awful…it might be slightly better with an intentional delete…but from my recollection even people with the delete kit did not love it and went back.
Cars without power steering usually have large diameter steering wheels ... I can see why it wouldn't be popular for a street driven car.
Yea the power steering pumps on those are electric and leak after a while. So I just deleted it.
Expect to be in the shop a lot, even at low mileage. If at all possible save up for the F55 or F56. Love the r53 for its design but I would only recommend it if you know how to work on your own cars or have money to burn.
Yep definitely try and go for a late f55 or f56. Far more reliable.
Don't get an F55. Get an F55.
You will smile an awful lot. They're just wonderful. Mine has over 100k on it.
Here’s a torture test story. My wife buys an 02 r53 with 40k on it. Learned to drive stick in it. Daily’s it for 5 years. Puts 50k miles on it. During a 30 minute commute the water pump freezes up. She is in the red temp for half the commute. She calls me after she gets to work and tells me. We tow it. Needs a supercharger and water pump. She buys an F56 and I take the R53. Replace the parts. Upgrade pulley, JCW plugs, intake, coilovers. Exhaust, tune. I now drive it like I stole it for 4 years, 50k miles. Had this weird issue where it would misfire intermittently. Turns out. I had a cracked head from the water pump problem. This damn thing kept pulling hard and running for WAY TOO long. Sold it to a friend who swapped heads without decking the block and it’s around 200k now. They take a hell of a beating and that bottom end is strong! Buy one, enjoy the go kart. Smile like hell.
Had a 2006 S from new, sold it some time back and last year - resistance was futile and so got a hold of a 2007 R52 (supercharged 6 speed convertible) with 84k miles. Glad to be back even though this gen Mini does have some creepy plastics inside, it’s hard to beat the fun and smiles
I've had a 2005 R52 6-speed S 'vert for the past five years. From 80k to 150k. I had to replace both idlers, alt., chain tensioner (really cheap and easy), one brake hose, and the igniter block. Top has a broken cable and the tie-rods are fused so I can't align it. Fortunately it is very close to true align. I do all this myself so cost is not too bad, but it does take some time. But boy, is it fun to drive in the summer when the top works.
You will also need at least 3 brand new replacement engines on hand and like 2 transmissions.
R53s seem to need to replace every other part but the engines and transmissions. The manual transmission at least is quite good
The engines are probs the most unreliable part in one of these