What's on your mind today?

[Buddy]

Rebuilt because of flooding? Sounds like it may have gone underwater while running and bent a rod. That could indicate crank damage as well. Flood vehicles tend to have LOTS of problems. Another thing to check is the exhaust manifold - the thermal shock of being submerged often cracks them and it can be difficult to spot. Then again, that Mini may have a steel header instead of a manifold. Never messed with them so I can't say for sure.

I am told that the flooding was caused last year when the river the guy lives by rose too high so it wasn't running at the time. He says it runs great with no problems but I'll take that with a grain of salt. I told my brother about the flooding so he knows what to look for and I trust his judgment.

[OldGit]

No address details, just a mobile number.  He may try to show it to you on the street, as opposed to a place where you'd be able to find him again, such as his home or a business.  If so, walk away.

I agree that a recent oil change should flash a red light.

Also, 120,000 miles is a lot for a petrol engine, it could be worn out.  I hope your brother is very experienced and very cautious.

[Recusant]

No address details, just a mobile number.  He may try to show it to you on the street, as opposed to a place where you'd be able to find him again, such as his home or a business.  If so, walk away.

I agree that a recent oil change should flash a red light.

Also, 120,000 miles is a lot for a petrol engine, it could be worn out.  I hope your brother is very experienced and very cautious.

Agreed to all of the above. If your brother has a compression gauge to check the compression of the engine, that's one good indicator of engine health. If he doesn't, I suggest taking the car to a mechanic to have it checked out before buying it.

[Buddy]

No address details, just a mobile number.  He may try to show it to you on the street, as opposed to a place where you'd be able to find him again, such as his home or a business.  If so, walk away.

I agree that a recent oil change should flash a red light.

Also, 120,000 miles is a lot for a petrol engine, it could be worn out.  I hope your brother is very experienced and very cautious.

I got his address after I texted him, and it was a home address. And I did find a mechanic in the area that we can go to. Again I am not planning on going just to buy the car, I am going to get It checked out first. There are also a few others I plan on looking at while in the area so if it turns out that there is something wrong with the vehicle I can move on to something else.

Is 120k that much? My Mazda had over 210k miles on it and was running decently well. And if I wanted anything under 90k I'd be paying over 10 thousand, which I don't have. Unfortunately that applies to any type of car because I looked at quite a few makes and models both foreign and domestic. Since I only have roughly 4 thousand to spend on a car that means I'm pretty much stuck with something that has a lot of miles.

[jumbojak]

120K miles CAN be considered high mileage, depending on the make of the car and the maintainance it recieved. For a Toyota, 120K is pretty much a break in period, while a Chevrolet would likely be coughing and sputtering at that point if it wasn't babied on the way there. I would check the web for the opinions of Mini owners if you don't know any personally to see what they think.

My Toyota was at 300K miles and the transmission started going. I have seen Nissans with parts of the block missing and the crankshaft exposed that ran well so long as the driver didn't corner to sharply, thus throwing oil out of the pan. My brother's Chevy pickup ran roughly at 110,000K miles and he had to find a replacement. There's a wide range of mileage wear.

[Buddy]

From what I have read online, Minis do quite well at high miles. Of course with any car maintenance is the key to it lasting. I just don't see myself being able to afford a car with less than 100k miles until I finish school and get a job that pays more than minimum wage.

[Tank]

From what I have read online, Minis do quite well at high miles. Of course with any car maintenance is the key to it lasting. I just don't see myself being able to afford a car with less than 100k miles until I finish school and get a job that pays more than minimum wage.

I think you're taking sufficient precautions. Take the advice and your brother and get it checked. There isn't much else you can do.

[Buddy]

From what I have read online, Minis do quite well at high miles. Of course with any car maintenance is the key to it lasting. I just don't see myself being able to afford a car with less than 100k miles until I finish school and get a job that pays more than minimum wage.

I think you're taking sufficient precautions. Take the advice and your brother and get it checked. There isn't much else you can do.

Thanks. I'm just frustrated right now because I wouldn't even be in this situation of having to find a car if I weren't being forced to stay in student housing.

I just wish that my mother didn't freak out every time I suggest looking for a manual transmission car because then I could get one in much better condition for the same price. Hell, I found an 07 Mini with 80k miles and no mechanical issues much closer to me than the ones in Chicago for $3500 but nope, apparently I'll die the moment I touch a stick shift.

[Tank]

From what I have read online, Minis do quite well at high miles. Of course with any car maintenance is the key to it lasting. I just don't see myself being able to afford a car with less than 100k miles until I finish school and get a job that pays more than minimum wage.

I think you're taking sufficient precautions. Take the advice and your brother and get it checked. There isn't much else you can do.

Thanks. I'm just frustrated right now because I wouldn't even be in this situation of having to find a car if I weren't being forced to stay in student housing.

I just wish that my mother didn't freak out every time I suggest looking for a manual transmission car because then I could get one in much better condition for the same price. Hell, I found an 07 Mini with 80k miles and no mechanical issues much closer to me than the ones in Chicago for $3500 but nope, apparently I'll die the moment I touch a stick shift.

Millions, maybe even more than a billion people drive stick shifts.

[Buddy]

My brother offered to teach me how to drive a manual on his car and I really want to. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom more than anything and I really appreciate her helping me buy a car especially on such short notice. I wish she had a little more faith me. She is so much more overbearing on me than she ever was on my brother. He got his first car at 17 and it was a manual transmission. I honestly don't see what the problem is with me wanting to get one too.

[jumbojak]

Forging in the rain sucks. Need a structure with a roof. Maybe once I have that some walls could be in the pipeline as well.

[Icarus]

Buddy; stick shifts can be fun. The downside is that when it comes time to dispose of the car, the selling price will be smaller than for an automatic and the market for stick shift cars is much smaller. 

[Buddy]

In a stunning turn of events somebody just listed their automatic Mini for sale and the address is less than two miles from where I live. This one is in better condition, has fewer miles, and is less expensive than the one in Chicago.

Praise Asmo!

[Tank]

In a stunning turn of events somebody just listed their automatic Mini for sale and the address is less than two miles from where I live. This one is in better condition, has fewer miles, and is less expensive than the one in Chicago.

Praise Asmo!

another good turn of events!

[Buddy]

In a stunning turn of events somebody just listed their automatic Mini for sale and the address is less than two miles from where I live. This one is in better condition, has fewer miles, and is less expensive than the one in Chicago.

Praise Asmo!

another good turn of events!

I knew sacrificing a goat to Asmo was a good idea.