r/MINI • u/Comker_thecat • 2d ago

track car

i’m looking to buy a pre 2010 cooper s to strip and track day are there anythings i should be looking out for when buying one? and if there’s any known issues with them

6 Upvotes

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2

u/vollehosen R53 2d ago

Control arm bushings. If they are loose you will probably not pass tech inspection.

2

u/Comker_thecat 2d ago

so i’m guessing that’s a common problem of them going loose over time then?

5

u/MrJimBusiness- 2d ago

They're fluid filled so they fail like clockwork. Polyurethane replacements are the standard.

2

u/SheerHippo R56 2d ago

Why pre-2010?

2

u/Comker_thecat 2d ago

there cheaper and less electrical so when it gets stripped it won’t try kill it self when it doesn’t sense somthing

2

u/Agitated_Eggplant757 1d ago

I drove my r53 4 hours on mountain road with a the battery disconnected. I didn't know it came loose. I just bought it that day out of a wrecking yard. Onlybissue I noticed was the wiper washer. If I used it it killed the car. When I let off everything came back.

It blew my mind. Didn't think a modern car could do it. It was normal pre computer controlled cars.

I'm pretty sure you could gut it and it would still perform.

2

u/Devrij68 F55 2d ago

Also the timing chain in the 2nd gen (2008+) has been known to fail. And supercharger whine is cool.

2

u/Chill-Krypto 2d ago

Get a 2015 F56, easy to work on and tune. Wife and I have two of them. They have been trouble free aside from the regular fluid intervals. Buddy of mind has a 2010 and they suck, not reliable and hard to work on.

I have a stage 2 cooper s f56 and it's been abused forever now and (knock on wood) haven't had any issues. You'll have the mini cooper suspension issues, control arms, bushings etc, but if you change the fluids the car will take care of you.

2

u/Comker_thecat 2d ago

ah right that’s good to know how much did that set you back if you don’t mind me asking as i’m just looking for something cheap to get me started and to improve my skills and knowledge on and off track

2

u/Chill-Krypto 2d ago

I got lucky and found my 15' cooper S for 9k with 85k miles now has 100k miles, previous owner tuned it and it was his mid life crisis car. So I recommend you look for a private sale and do some research on what to look for before getting one, Ie. Fluid leaks, exhaust leak between turbo and downpipe(cat). If there's something wrong with the car you'll be able to leverage a lower price as long as you're tool capable and as long as it's not a catastrophic problem.

Once you find one look into getting bootmod3, then you can request custom tunes through the tuners portal in the app.

1

u/Agitated_Eggplant757 1d ago

You want an r53 for a track car. Supercharger is much more enjoyable to deal with.

1

u/wheelsnbars 1d ago

The earlier cars are fine too if you are fixing it yourself. Lots of people steering clear of the N12/14 based on reputation and in ability to fix them.