Doing a search on autotrader.com for 2002 Cooper with less than 100k, the cheapest ones listed start at $6999 - so your price seems reasonable.

Anytime you consider buying a used car, I strongly recommend you have a pre-purchase inspection performed by a qualified MINI repair shop.

MINIs are made by BMW, so the parts and repair costs are at BMW levels.

The 2002 Cooper you are looking at is not a cvt, that is a plus.  However the 5-speed manual (Midlands) on the 2002-2004 models are not the most durable, that is a minus.  However almost all internal parts for the transmission is available for repair, that is a plus.

Aside from normal 13 year old car stuff such as bushings, hoses, anything rubber, that needs attention, there are some fairly expensive repair items that may need to be evaluated such as the power steering pump, clutch / flywheel, transmission, etc.

If you are considering a 13 year old car, you have to expect some repairs, some of which may be expensive.

Good luck!
Ken

(no worries... I've got your back!)

I will try to explain better next time.

Tyola, welcome to this discussion board. MiniMania provides this space for owners of classic Minis (the real, small ones) and for newer MINIs like you are considering buying. Both are welcome, of course, and advice is generally supportive and informative about either type of car. However, most of the posts and discussion here are about classic Minis. Some members own and enjoy both. For instance DS1980's avatar shows a classic Mini, as does mine.

Classic Minis are old cars and old technolgy - they are predominantly hobby cars that can, despite Boison's commentary, can be reliable, dependable, economic and FUN. They can be frustrating, but since they are hobby cars, it is more akin to frustrations of a complex computer game, with similar psychological rewards when one succeeds. Parts are relatively nexpensive compared to most vehicles and available by mail order, and since it is a hobby we do as much of the labour ourselves.

The new MINI on the othe hand is a modern car with modern technology. They are made by BMW, and as such can be expensive to maintain and repair. Consider any car made in 2002: even though it is moderen, it is 13 years old, all its parts are 13 years old unless they have already been replaced. Like a Honda, Toyota, GM, Chrysler, Ford or any other product that age, unless the particular car youa re looking at has been babied, it is a "buyer beware" situation. BMW MINIs are expensive to repair, and an older car is more likely to be due for major repair. DS1980 is suggesting you think first about what you intend to use the car for. If you need it to get to work, can you trust a 13 year old car that is costly to repair, and sometimes takes a lon time to get fixed (parts for older cars become les and less available). Simply stated, can you afford a to own and operate a 13 year old BMW? But if it's a hobby car you play with on weekends, and you have deep pockeets and have another car for a daily driver, that's a different story.

Browse this forum for other threads about buying new MINIs. By the way, the cassic "Mini" is spelled that way (one capital letter) and the new BMW "MINI" is spelled all capital letters, often abbreviated to "BINI"

I'm no expert on MINIs, having driven one only once (it was fun!), but from what I've read, the earlest ones had engines from Renault or Peugeot or some such, automatic transmissions are risky, especially the CVT types. My advice: "don't buy one unless you have done massive research and/or have very deep pockets. If not and you do get one, you may end up frustrated and broke."

From what I've read:

• the key fob doesn't work possibly because the batterey was disconnected and the security system needs to be re-programmed.
• if the manual says premium gas, use premium gas (engines are not cheap!). If the engine has been modified and therefore wants premium to un properely wihtout damage, use premium.
• cruise control can be added to just about any car, but not necessrily to match factory original. The car may or may not be pre-wired for it. Probably not.

Personally, I can afford to keep a Mini as a hobby car (and I love it), but my daily driver is a Suzuki SX4, 2010 basic level 2 wheel drive, bought used. I've had it for about 3 years and so far it has only cost me gas, oil, wipers and a couple of minor repairs for about $100. I'll get rid of it when it shows signs of costing more.  I know I can't afford to run a MINI.

I don't know if $6k is a good or bad price, but a good way to assess its worth is to find out how much it would cost for some moderate repairs, say a new clutch, replace water pump, reprogramming the security system, suspension overhaul, the next brake job, etc. Then add them to the price.

 Some recent links to get you started:

Going Nutty

Are MINI Coppers really tthat bad?

Should I buy a 2003?

you know it really all depends on how much you are interested and fascinated with you car, classic minis are notorious in stalling , there parts fail one after the other, its an old car yes, but people still wants to drive them, why? because they are after the looks of the mini, they are not after its reliabilty and it being a daily driver, yes you can push it to drive 60,70 80 but for how long??itsa cute car lets admit it,this car is best for shows, its engine power and speed might be acceptable on the roads 50years ago but not in this modern world. this car is for leisure. , when you own a classic mini , frustrations may come along but its natural.

it a nice car to drive, it handles like a golf cars and atvs, and turns like in rails(or like a caterpillar ride in seaworld)

Now, Minis manuf*cktured on years 2000 and up, well,i dont know, i dont care about them. they're good for errands.... like mokes are good to use in farms to hauls sacks of fertilizers or horse hay. 

and the mini estates are good for camping, when you ran out of wood you can just strip off the wood attached on its back side panels.

bottomline is, your passion will overcome your frustrations , whatever car you own.

if you can't stand the heat, get out of the cookie jar...

If they frustrate you so much, why are you a member of a Mini forum?

A good question to ask is WHY do you want a 2002 MINI? Do you want a daily commuter, or do you like to work on a car with expensive parts and will frustrate you to no end? Some people like stress in their lives.

Hello,
I'm thinking about buying a 2002 Cooper, manual trans, no visible rust on the body, 75K miles, two-pane sunroof, new tires, brakes and brake rotors for $6K.
Couple of questions:
- What are the key things to check for on a used 1st-gen Mini?
- What are the key issues with this car?
- Are they expensive to fix relative to other cars of this size?
- How important is using premium fuel?

Couple questions specific to this car:
- There is a hole in the sunroof control panel on the right side. Is there supposed to be a button there to open the sunroof? There is a button on the left that operates the sunroof vent. How difficult is it to fix it?
- The key fob does not work (battery replaced). Thoughts?
- Can cruise control be added to a Mini that doesn't have it?