MINI Cooper (2001 - 2006)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Few cars in recent times have provoked such a frenzied buying rush as the MINI Cooper. First unveiled in 2001, the cars waiting lists grew ridiculously long and models were changing hands at a premium well above the retail price. As production was ramped up to cope the waiting times fell and the Cooper and Cooper S variants remained hot tickets. Used buyers can now get hold of a Cooper model at sensible prices but how well does it stack up second time round?
Despite its unashamedly retro appeal, the MINI has some reassuringly modern foundations. Clamber underneath and youll spot BMWs Z-axle multi-link rear suspension. Theres a wrap-around glasshouse with glazed-in side pillars featuring fully flush panes. This creates a floating-roof effect which is emphasised by the Coopers options of having the roof painted in black or white.
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In addition, this special edition also featured as standard the Automatic Stability Control and Traction system, a rear spoiler, a chrome line-trimmed interior and exterior, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, a storage compartment pack, front fog lights, automatic air-conditioning, an on-board computer, an interior lights pack, chrome mirror caps, front sports seats and white indicator lights. The Cooper S gets a rear roof-mounted spoiler, plus body-coloured re-modelled front and rear sport bumpers, styled to contribute both to engine cooling and air flow. More air is channelled under the bonnet through an integrated black honeycomb grille in the bumper and theres a similar grille at the rear with two chrome-plated tailpipes sitting in the middle of it. Final touches include a couple of chrome-plated side grilles incorporating white indicator lenses and stamped with the Cooper S and a chrome-plated fuel filler cap.
The Cooper S Checkmate edition featured exclusive Space Blue metallic paint with Checkmate chequered decals on each wing just behind the front wheelarches. 17" Flame alloy wheels also served to spice-up the exterior and there were silver mirror caps that tied in nicely with a roof which was decked out in the same colour. The Checkmate also did away with the MINI Coopers traditional bonnet stripes in favour of a giant U-shaped decal which highlighted the Cooper S trademark letterbox bonnet scoop. Lighting was well catered for with xenon headlamps and a set of fog lights at the front. Inside, there were further additions to the standard trim.
The Checkmate benefited from special Checkmate cloth and leather interior trim, a three-spoke sports leather steering wheel, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, the storage compartment pack, manual air-conditioning, an on-board computer and the interior lights pack. The Checkmate package was largely cosmetic but one feature that will appeal to people also interested in the cars performance was the limited slip differential.
How long is a piece of string? This could get complicated. Beside all the different Cooper models there are separate prices for the Pepper and Chilli option packs, so pricing a Mini Cooper variant is often anything but straightforward. Lets start with the standard Cooper hatch with a manual gearbox. These open at £7,400 on an 01 Y plate.
A 51-plated version with Pepper pack costs from £8,100 with a similar vintage Chilli model going for around £8,800.CVT gearboxes add around £450 to these numbers. A basic Cooper Convertible kicks off at £13,200 on a 2004 04 plate. Move up to a car with a supercharger and youre looking at a few more pounds.
Intro level for a Cooper S hatch with the manual box is £10,200 on a 2002 02 plate with the Chilli Pack adding another £600. The Convertible Cooper S starts at £14,800, again on the 2004 04 plate, with the Steptronic model starting at £17,000 for a 2005 54 plate. The Cooper S Works conversion can be found from £12,750 on a 2002 52 plate.
Practically all MINI owners paid the extra £100 for the five-year TLC servicing option, and as such your prospective purchase will probably have had some main dealer attention. The unfortunate fact that is beginning to emerge is that it may well have needed it. Apart from a recall to modify some cars fuel filler necks, many owners have seen somewhat more of their local BMW service bay than they would have expected. Many owners reported that the ball races at the top pivot points of their front suspension struts were lacking caps and exposed to the elements.
This seemed to be the cause of left hand pull on some models, rectified by fitting new struts. Rattling dashboards and badly fitting roof guttering were also repetitive complaints amongst owners. Likewise a faulty sensor in the tailgate latch often flashes a warning to the driver that the hatch is open, requiring a few slams to disengage it. Check for tyre wear and accident damage and ensure that the hood mechanism functions properly on the Convertible models.
(approx prices excl VAT for a 2004 Cooper.) A clutch assembly is around £130. Front brake pads are around £55, a full exhaust about £360, an alternator around £100 and a front tyre around £65. A starter motor is about £120.
A headlamp is about £165.
It probably wont have escaped your attention that parent company BMW dont have a great deal of experience in producing front-wheel drive cars. In fact, their advertising seems to pour scorn on the benefits of directing power forwards. Other manufacturers have shown that producing a sweet-handling yet powerful front-wheel drive car can be something of a task. Ask any of BMWs engineers whether this was the case with the MINI and theyll chuckle, recalling its impressive achievements during testing at the Nurburgring: BMW arent renowned for creating dynamic duffers. Although the Cooper handles well, keen drivers will always seek out the supercharged but rather thirsty Cooper S models. Whats important here is rest to sixty in 7.2s on the way to 138mph.
All of which would be useless were the basic car to be incapable of capitalising on all that power. But of course it isnt. If youve driven a standard MINI, then youll already know about the excellence of the standard chassis: so good in fact that it would have been a waste not to further exploit the whole set-up. The Cooper S package does that brilliantly. The Convertibles are not quite so stellar, exhibiting a degree of body flex and some poor all-round visibility. For really demented performance try the Cooper S Works.
With 210bhp up front its enough to keep some junior supercars on their mettle.
In case of the MINI Cooper, the market has rewarded an excellent product with stellar sales. The hatchback versions with manual gearboxes remain the pick of the crop with our choices being an entry-level Cooper or a range-topping Cooper S Works. Its hard to go too badly wrong but there is a lot of choice out there so take your time and dont get tucked up by a seller looking to command top book for an average car. Those days have long since passed.
