Hello all, i'm intending to get my Girlfriend a Pre-owned Mercedes/mini cooper as her daily driver to work as currently she's driving my classic car to work daily.

However i've never purchased a 2nd hand car before as all my cars are bought New from dealer, hence looking for some tips on purchasing 2nd hand cars.

1. what is the recommended milleage i should look out for? (just had a wheel bearing change which cost 8k on my car, hence donwant to have that again!)

2.mainly looking for a GLA250 or a Mini Cooper however i've heard pre owned mini coopers are pain in the ass (sensor issue, steering issue etc)

3. mainly looking for a hatchback, hence the GLA, A180/200, Mini comes into mind.

4. better to buy from certified pre-owned dealers than 2nd hand shops? (odometer tampering too common in malaysia)


main concerns is minimum breakdowns. Touchwood but i've never had a vehicle breakdown before my whole life hence wouldn't want my gf to have that issue too! common issue such as absorber change, oil change tyre change not an issue for me yet.

if mercerdes best to get from certified pre-owned. Mini second hand does really have issues but throughout 3 years of using jcw no issue except certain sensor issue not sure about older car though. I'd recommmend getting gla250 instead of 200 as i feel it is underpower (i believe sometimes u will drive too)

Sorry to hijack TS's thread, but what kind of sensor issues specifically? I'm also in the market for a used Mini Cooper and wonder what the common issues to look out for are

any reason why pre-owned instead of new from other makes within the same budget?

i think it's because my our family car has always been a continental branded vehicle ever since i was a kid, hence i've not considered other japanese/local brands at the time being. would be it fine for you to recommend me some other hatchback vehicles? i've heard the mazda cx5 is amzing,

mazda cx3...go test drive and compare the specs then you will know.

i've heard if you're getting a normal speced mini (not jcw etc),
a 1st/2nd gen mini, clutch failure is very common after 60-70k KM.
Gear box/transmission usually have issue after 150k KM
Water pump leakage sounds common from my research too.

if there's any owners who can share their experience that would be awesome!

Which Mini are considering? I have a 12 year old Mini Cooper R56 auto (2Gen) and I have my fair share of repairs and parts replacement due to wear and tear. Gasket like flywheel replaced. From there it will lead to thermostat and water pump leakages. Replaced. As Mini is not service friendly car due to compact engine compartment. One must dismantle them to reach it. Normal aspirated engine has less problem than CooperS. Replaced engine mountings, aircon compressor, cooling & heating coils and absorbers mountings.

BMW/MINI UK issued a directive that their gear box does not require transmission fluid replacement as it’s long life. Reason being, AB asked owners to change the fluid and after the changed the gears couldn’t be engaged and claimed warranty. So that’s the reason BMW/MINI UK issued that directive. Now my question is, would you follow that directive? My mechanic said it is ok to changed and I did. I’m worried too whether I will have problems later but don’t want to waste too much time on it. Enjoy while I can.

If you do find a well kept Mini, and the owner gives you the full history of the repairs & parts replaced then you can consider to buy. BUT if the owner tells you no repairs then this is red flag!

This post has been edited by HippyTony: Aug 9 2019, 06:43 AM

As long as you get those pre-owned car from authorized dealer, nothing much to worry, it has remaining warranty based on 4 or 5 years coverage.

Faulty parts or breakdown? No one can guarantee even a brand new car with 0 mileage could be breakdown with no alert.

It's all depends on luck, I got 2 pre-owned cars from authorized dealer, so far so good, satisfied with the warranty coverage and they changed my parts at no cost.

Volvo XC40

Proton bezza

R56 Mini with N14/N18 engine is the same engine used as the Peugeot 308 turbo. U know how is the reliability on those thing is..

Instead of a pre own, why not a brand new japs e.g. Mazda Cx-3? U dont want ur girl friend to be left stranded on the road or highway because of the old scraped metal u bought for her right? Can u imagine how much ‘damage repair’ u need after that...

I using 5 years countryman, and 2018 cx5.
My opinion is mini give you badge, and better cornering. Thats all.
CX 5 cornering is good too, and much more comfortable.
I never drive mini to KL, but using cx5 many times.
See you value brand or comfort more.
As for reliability, 5 years already, my countryman never give any problem. I follow the services schedule.

hap seng recently launched an online pre owned list. You can check https://hapsengstar.com/?utm_source=paultan...20Site%20Launch

I bought mine pre owned w205 from hap seng back in 2017. Very good service. You can push them for free service and extended warranty

Lifetime fill of transmission fluid is the most absolute bullshit ever concocted, wonder when they will do so for engine oil in the future...

Failure of transmission after fluid change usually when :
1) over/under fill
2) use wrong fluid type
3) if use those rtv gasket paste, applied too much till some fall off and get stuck inside the fluid circuitry. Those with normal physical rubber gasket unlikely will have this type of problem
4) if already very high mileage, don't change. The gunk accumulated inside is ironically what is making the actuators and friction plates work. New fluid will just wash away those and cause slipping.
5) if change transmission fluid using dialysis machine, another possible cause is wrong timing/temperature/pressure setting.
6) someone act smart and use the "flushing" method which is very risky for newer type of transmission. If loose to much fluid or air bubbles trapped, hancur, because the engine and transmission have to be on live to do this method.
7) not sure whether applicable to mini transmissions, but need some more canggih cars require scan tool to reset. Didn't properly reset, of course cannot work lor...

But if you changed and still work, it will still continue to work. If got problem, will arise very soon after fluid change, you can rest assured.

This post has been edited by wkc5657: Aug 9 2019, 04:50 PM

i see. if you are already used to conti then better stick to it

Thanks for your insight info.

Just for discussion and for my acknowledge. What’s your definition of “very soon”? “If got problem, will arise very soon after fluid change”.
Btw, AB used to recommend 60K to change transmission fluid, so I don’t think it was the case of gunk was the cause. I think BMW own house brand transmission fluid was not compatible. I have also experience their EO house brand to cause my engine running hot! Their SC guy admitted to me that their EO house brand formula was changed.
Thanks again.

Thanks for the info. I’ve put down a reservation for a CKD G30 3 series and I’ll be passing my F30 to my gf

When will the ckd g30 be launched?

So Rich! Poor fag me only can afford myvi!

Get benz you never regret
Mini suspension jz too fking harsh for lady drive

G30 is 5 series, G20 is 3 series

If you that rich to pass the F30 to your GF (not your wife), and yourself get a new 3 series (or G30), then forget about the pre-owned, it's not your standard buying used.

This post has been edited by jameslow: Aug 10 2019, 05:17 AM

When was your last change?

If really got problem, some the very 1st day already can feel something off already.

I don't know what those AB fellors procure for the engine oil, the only thing i know was that BMW HQ decided to preferred engine oil from castrol to shell some years back then and was renewed again last year. So, i hazard guess likely their own house brand oil also from shell.

https://www.shell.com/business-customers/lu...l-supplier.html

Can you describe your last experience regarding "engine running hot"? This statement is quite vague.

Get new mazda 3 TS.

From my source, those that had problem with their transmission after fluid changed at AB was the next day the gears slipped. I changed my auto transmission fluid about 6 months ago, so my Mini should be ok. My mechanic told me BMW transmission fluid probably is inferior or contaminated.

I gather my Mini, the engine was running hot was the service cycle was shortened could barely reached 7 months out of the blue also started to consume EO. Engine noise was louder. Did another EO change, also the same result, the SA initially told me my engine was not right. I asked him to honestly tell me whether they have changed the oil formula, only then he admitted it was a new oil formula but of course he said only my car had this issue. From my experience, my ex cars sometimes consumed EO when I changed to a different EO brand and usually the next oil changed it will be back to normal. The Mini is ok now and I no longer go to AB. Yes the BMW house brand EO is from Shell HK.

My guess with BMW/MINI their new 5/4 years respectively free service, they have to save $ from something. Their left over stock of the old EO was offered to my Mini guy at 70-80% discount. He told me he dare not touch their stuff unless his customers insist on them.

Your transmission should pretty much be fine after half a year. As you also mentioned yourself, those with problem surfaced the next day.

Kind of odd that engine oil could have such a drastic difference. My guess would be they could have used the wrong viscosity. Because, (my opinion), engine oils are built rather tough, even poured in wrong specification, the damage would occur on the longer run instead of surfacing so quickly. But maybe you could be right. Another possibility is that the engine oil has been put aside in storage for too long or wasn't stored properly, especially for those that procure in large drum instead of individual bottles. Those in drum have a higher risk of exposure to elements unless very quickly consumed.