Second Hand Mini: Used Mini Cooper S And BMW Mini Cooper Deals

Looking to buy a second hand Mini? A used BMW Mini Cooper or a used Mini Cooper S Convertible?

Although you will find many used Mini dealers online with some good offers to be had on used Mini Cooper S models and BMW Mini Coopers the purchase price may still be over your budget. The quickest way to find an affordable second hand Mini is to visit UKs biggest online auction.

You will find more than 2,000 second hand Minis currently on offer at Ebay and more than any other used Mini Cooper dealer online, either by auction or via their classified’s section

Mini Cooper & Mini Cooper S models, Mini 1000 & 1300 models, Mini Metro, Mini Pickup, Austin Minis, Rover Minis, BMW Minis, Mini Cabriolet, Mini Rio, some even date back to the 1960′s and are real classics such as the 1968 Austin Mini Cooper MK2 – you name the model and more often than not you will find it on offer at Ebay.co.uk.

If you do consider buying a used Mini Cooper or any second hand Mini for that matter it’s important you do your homework first and ask questions. There are plenty of successful deals done for cars on Ebay every day and you really can pickup some amazing bargains.

But ‘buyer beware’ and be sensible, although there is the odd dodgy seller to be found on Ebay, most genuine sellers are up-front and honest in their dealings and will accept payment in Paypal (Paypal offer excellent protection against fraudulent sellers) or will accept payment on collection.

You still have to be cautious, open the bonnet and look inside, see if there are any oil leaks and not spills from re-filling. Have the seller start the engine and listen for exhaust blows and look for any suspicious emissions coming from the exhaust. Very carefully check all documents for correctness including serial and vehicle identity numbers.

Check the log-book, the mileage and service history. Is the chassis VIN correct? If you are concerned that the car may have been in an accident and has been repaired or patched up with plastic padding or some other filler and re-sprayed, you can always check with a magnet that all panels that should be metal are metal.

Although Ebay provides excellent resources online to check out any vehicle it’s recommended that you take along with you an expert to inspect any second hand Mini on your behalf, or arrange with the seller to have the car inspected by a car mechanic at a local garage.

This should cost you in the region of a £100 pounds ( a small price to pay if investing in a ‘nearly new’ Mini Cooper S), get any faults and repairs required along with estimates detailed in writing, you can then use the results of the checks to compromise on the purchase price if repairs are needed.

Something you need to consider is that 600,000 cars are written off by insurers every year and yet many of them will end up on a dealers fore court after being professionally repaired and re-sprayed. Do you really know what you are buying? A new MOT certificate does not guarantee that the Mini is road worthy a lot could have happened to the vehicle since the test was taken and the car may suffer from a major defect or some other damage

A much better and safer option is to have any second hand Mini even if it’s an old Rover Mini Cooper, comprehensively inspected by the AA vehicle inspection service. If the second hand Mini is not more than 15 years old, for a fee of £195, the AA will undertake a full inspection including inspection of the car body, paintwork, visible mechanical components, interior and electrical equipment. This also includes a 10 mile road test, a verbal report and a multi-page written report – it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.

You can find more details including some great offers at ebay UK especially for Used Mini Coopers and the Mini Cooper S range