I bought a Mini Cooper for £150 - Is this my worst car ever?!

[@jonathanfrankel6787]

Amazing to think that was once someone’s pride and joy that had cost the best part of £30k in todays money

[@peterhall8572]

I knew someone who got one as a new company car, it was constantly flashing warning lights for the slightest little thing and had awful run flat tyres that made the pressure sensors act up

[@TonyBanks21]

I’d let your “Jordon” have it-let him fix it up-some people love to tinker around with cars,and fix them up as a Hobby !!

[@adams7405]

Not really...with discounts you could get them for 10k...a third the price of an E39.

[@paulrollings6573]

Absolutely dreadful cars. My wife had one that was only 10 years old with just 80,000 miles, it had oil leaks everywhere, the oil valve seals were leaking, front window motors were faulty, it cost us a fortune to put things right. I had enough after 18 months and we scrapped it as I couldn’t bring myself to sell it to some poor unsuspecting soul. Steer clear of these, they are rubbish.

[@GrumpyToffee]

I'm all for fixing it up - unless it is rotting away beyond repair that is. Think that just needs some love and attention and a decent car is lurking underneath, Don't really like seeing cars scrapped unless they're completely beyond hope.

[@2760ade]

Hope Jordan has it, and brings it back to reasonable health. Seems a shame to scrap it, looked like a great laugh chucking it around those country lanes! I think it's got a few more miles to give yet!😃

[@farmerandy82]

agreed, would love to see it in the future after Jordan had time to clean it up

[@davidwebb8877]

Give it a good thorough service,plenty of life left in it

[@MichaelDavey18]

whats his page?

[@CazSmith]

It needs to be on Arthur Daley's forecourt! 'Mint condition Mini. Drives like new. Low mileage Recently reupholstered and new suspension fitted. You're having the shirt off my back at £7500. '

[@TraceyWilliams-m6t]

Id love to see it back on the road with an MOT on a small budget. If Jordan does the work himself, who knows how little it can be restored for. Best of luck 🤞

[@therealchayd]

It would be a great project car to learn car repair on, I mean the buyer wouldn't make back any money spent on it, but they'd have gained skills and experience, and hopefully have a useable vehicle afterward.

[@joshsmith1507]

Half that rocking is probably an engine Mount, that would also cause the knock when you pulled away and the jumping out on gear, I expect 3rd and 5th would also have done it from pulling away

[@Alan-lv9rw]

It doesn’t look too far gone. I have two old Nissans I’m trying to get back to showroom condition. They’re already in very good shape. It’s a fun hobby. The car just needs to find the right owner.

[@AshRowland]

I've never owned one of these because of the million common faults they have, but I've driven loads and I love how much personality they have on the road, the rattles just make me smile as I'm chucking them round a roundabout! It's a shame to see one in such a state. If I had the space I'd buy it off you and do something with it on my channel. Oh, and I checked out Car UK, you have 6k more subscribers, I only have 50 lol

[@owensteele1645]

Another amazing video from Berrow Motors. Without looking up on MOT checks etc. and reading other peoples' comments, I'm guessing the mileage on this Indi Blue Mini Cooper is 134,000.

[@eddiedonaldson6505]

Personally that would get scrapped with the amount of things wrong with it

[@ramblingman8992]

It's the kind of car that would do me as a run around. Nothing too much to fix. Top up brake fluid and coolant, polish the crap off the headlights and stick a new window winder motor out of a scrapper in.

[@stuartbrooks5734]

would be a shame to scrap it although with the price of Mini spares unless you can get good used parts the cost will be quite high

[@HenryScott-d7g]

That sinking feeling when you realise you should NOT have lowered the window!…..

[@EvilEndz]

The shocker is that the engine still seems good after so long, they're not known for their longevity, much like the suspension issues. I still want one just to apply all the fixes for known issues before they kill it, be a fun little run around again then.

[@Marc-io6pv]

Engines are good for this gen. It's the 5 speed gearboxes that were the big issue. 2nd Gen Peugeot engines... yes trash.

[@lemzeu]

​@@Marc-io6pvhence why most people r53 6speed swap it 🤣

[@Marc-io6pv]

@@lemzeu I had 2 rebuilds on my 2 so yeah maybe. Problem is now the cars aren't worth the 500 rebuild huh.

[@lemzeu]

@@Marc-io6pv some are but that's if they already cost a heavy penny, I'm thinking of doing it on mine but my gearbox is still mint

[@taxus750]

7:26 - self-closing doors mate, all the rage on upmarket cars :)

[@johnorchin8567]

I think that little car has got character, needs to be loved. 🚘

[@nataliebarlow7385]

I have a 55 plate Mini Cooper and it has done me well , she passed her Mot in April . If they are looked after they are good cars. Plus all of the 2014 mini coopers are being recalled right now so not all the new cars are good to have.

[@nigelfarley814]

That’s actually not a bad car for the price and mileage. Having had 14 the early ones were far better cars than anything Mini make now. The power steering loss is a very common problem and BMW we’re at one time replacing the motor free of charge. Trouble though was that the power steering would stop working while you were driving!The rattles are most likely bushes on the sub frames etc. That gearbox was not the best as it start to get a bit crunchy over time. The six speed box fitted from I think 2008 was much better. I took one of these to 279000 and it quite likely it would still be going now had it not been redesigned by a container lorry travelling at 60 mph. Expensive things will be the headlining, the brakes and that key. The engines are pretty good but if anything goes it drops a valve on no3 piston. I had that several times and it is an expensive repair. The local garage did one under warranty and moaned like hell. Incidentally I needed an estate car quick a few years ago to help moving house. I bought an Audi A4 for £100. It was brilliant but just about every warning light was on. Still it served its purpose and I sold it for £200! Good luck with the mini.

[@markf4720]

I had a couple of these as company cars around 20 years ago, really fun to drive but I can remember the steering rack going on one of them with about 5,000 miles on it! Fair play to Jordan if he can save it, but there's no profit in it if you take into account man hours!

[@byronmills5952]

I'd fix it up. Parts are cheap and readily available and the running gear appears to be relatively sound. 164k over 20 years isn't a massively high mileage, and if you can do the work yourself you won't be spunking a huge amount of cash away sorting it.

[@gibso]

My same r50 has 165k miles still goes well

[@davidberry7985]

I'd fix it up plenty of decent spares at the scrap dealer to sort it out. 30 years from now it will be a classic and be worth a mint again as long as the body work is good the rest is just basic stuff to fix

[@precool]

Thanks mate. That was fun. I've got an R56. So fun to drive, but not without the effort to get ahead of the maintenance.

[@JGV_IX]

That driver’s door has the same auto close feature as the new BMW 7 series! 👏🏻

[@bostonbikebits6539]

I bought a John Cooper Works one recently, there was absolutely loads wrong with it. Just about finished fixing it now, just got an intermittent fault on the boot release, I know where the problem is just need to sort it. The thing is so much fun it's ridiculous. All the common faults have been addressed and I hope to keep it maintained so I get a couple of years fun out of it. It's tuned to nearly 230bhp and 318nm so it doesn't hang about.

[@jonathandewar4707]

Hope it gets saved Great little cars for people to learn how to fix up Cheap parts Lots info on the net on advice and help Early 2001/2006 on the way to become classics Some early JCW coopers and GP1 minis selling for well over 15k. Now

[@Maurice5wright]

Glad the brakes still worked.

[@charleshepplewhite7384]

Looks like a well used motor, everything on it is tiny compared to my Disco. Shouldn't be a problem fitting some reclaimed parts to keep the pride down. Looks like a first car for someone who's just passed there test. I call them 'A bumper car'! Nice show. I just found it on utube and subscribed.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

At the end of the day it's a 20 year old R51 Cooper - soon to become collectable so I would get the apprentice to give a quick wash/hoover and stuff it away for 5 years and then sell it as a resto project for £500/£1k. I guessed 150k miles. Jordan should make a few quid on it if he doesn't go greenlaning in it.

[@garyclements2821]

That mini has more rattles clunks and squeaks than a milk float full of empties but would still be a great fun to throw round those roads

[@chrisaris8756]

I am a hopeless sentimentalist and always feel sorry for cars like this all neglected and sad so I would be tempted to at least give it a good clean, scrape that hideous black off the chrome and fix the worst faults. The bizarre thing is I feel sorry for it yet I hate minis!!! My wife had a new cooper s convertible last year and it was garbage. We only kept it a few months - mind you the local BMW dealers were so arrogant and spoke to my wife as if she were trash so we’ll never go there again.

[@babbingtondavid]

Such a shame to sell it for scrap it would make a great first car for someone who may want a project of restoring it. I live in Australia and i have owned my Ford Focus Zetec from new since 2005. It is only worth $3000 aud but i love my car. I spent $ 9000 on a total dent extration and respray 2 years ago and my car looks brand new now. People say why do you not buy a new car. I do not want to but a car like everyone else's standard kia or hyundhai plastic suv. I like my car it is an extention of me when i drive it.

[@Mickyfinn84]

I'd fix it up. Love to see a video if he restores it, the key had me in stitches.

[@ShiftingMetal]

I couldn’t believe it when it crumbled to pieces! 😅

[@Mickyfinn84]

@@ShiftingMetal was funny. Should make more videos like that, 😁

[@AshRowland]

3 min in and my guess is 187k 😊

[@Mattlawton-ft6ew]

One hundred and fifty thousand miles 😁👍

[@agnosticevolutionist3567]

These are great cars a bit of care and a change of wheels ,come up lovely

[@rye3120]

Out of a guess after 2:21 seconds, I reckon about 160k mark from going off the dirt and looks quite rough

[@stephenwilletts2293]

183,000

[@artfulc0dger]

You just know some less than reputable dealers would have this straight on Autotrader, “ideal 1st car, looks and drives superb”😂

[@ShiftingMetal]

100%

[@eamoneejit]

“First to see will buy”

[@artfulc0dger]

@@eamoneejit 😂😂👍 definitely!

[@claudesalazar6214]

Looks like you still have a good motor, though the poor thing has seen better days. Lots of cosmetic repairs that could be a bit costly but overall fun project. It does need lots of TLC. I don't know if this post has gone any further since the lasts comments. I'd love to hear how it turned out. Good luck.

[@MrThegazzagy]

Good luck to anyone involved with that Joe! Jaws of the crusher awaiting, surely. Another good video 🤙

[@EnverC-yp7tr]

Too good a car to crush. Its 20 years old. Fix it with a parted car. New cars are stupid money expensive. If you're gonna crush it, just give it to a Mini guy instead.

[@k1er4n544]

Honestly i think it would be a good csr to learn basic mechanical skills by fixing etc

[@alanthomson1227]

£150 was what my first car cost a 1961 Triumph TR3A . Loved it , perfect student car . Sold it 6 years later for £400, couldn’t afford to get it restored . Probably £25000 now .

[@andyhillhouse9813]

I'm guessing the extended gearstick is to try and replicate the original, which is also unnecessary long. I don't why you would want to, tho

[@johnlaws3904]

fully agree with your assessment, not even a real mini cooper, I wouldn't give 150 pence for it.

[@rob_lightbody]

Definitely saveable, and R50s are already future classics.... at some point they'll start getting rare, then rocket in value.

[@peterhall8572]

That looks like Brake Dust on the front wheels, so discs and pads will be negligible & the window mech probably has a tooth missing

[@acra89]

Not worth fixing to sell, but for someone to have a cheap bit of fun who likes a tinker? Why not - parts are easy to find and cheap, Bentley manual is free and there are a tonne of good resources online.

[@scotty6346]

If the Mini has no structural corrosion issues it is worth sorting out IMO.

[@MrFunkia]

If you think that old car is rough, you should see the old nail that I'm currently driving, which has one advantage over your old banger, in that it has a VW 1.9 diesel engine.

[@flippingcarsrepairs]

Pd engines are awesome 👍👍👍

[@stuartcraigon2003]

I had a car once that jumped out of gear at 70 on the motorway. Garage failed to diag it. Turned out the box needed oil and it was eating each gear in turn. Eventually only had 4th left

[@andymcnab2.0]

That looks an absolute bargain at £150, you couldn't even get a set of tyres for that price. I'm interested to see what happens in this video "Roll VT"

[@sleepwalker6825]

Hi ... I'm not a Car Person by any stretch ( Can't even Drive ) BUT I have watched a few Vids of Yours and Enjoy Your Content ... Reason I looked to start with because You did a Mini Paceman Video ( which My Wife owns JCW version ) ... Cheers

[@davidkent5144]

Air con was a added extra on the Cooper in those days if I remember correctly.

[@paullawrence8572]

Think the only person who would buy that now would have been Trigger!

[@visionsinblue7093]

Good luck to Jordan - I'd try and get it on the road again tbh, I love the colour of it 😁 Great video Joe! 😬

[@ShiftingMetal]

Thanks! 👍

[@rthorley2023]

What's the car-buying website name please I can't find it?

[@ShiftingMetal]

@@rthorley2023 carsboughtformore.com

[@danielthomas9259]

Your channel is a much better watch than car uk imho!

[@JM-pu6cj]

Hi SM, I have a mini same-year same engine, air-con works, starts on the button even in minus 9, just clicked over 211.000

[@ShiftingMetal]

Nice, much better cared for I’m sure!

[@LeTushie]

I often joke that my 2002 mini cooper S is worth only $300. Thanks for the confirmation 😂 Visually, your mini looks to be in better shape than mine, mechanically, I believe mine is in better shape than yours. But mileage wise, I’ve got just short of 312,000 miles or 502,115 kilometers so I guess you’re winning there haha

[@craigfayers6735]

When I started at Cowley, the this was the new model with the R53! Strange to see them old and worn out!!

[@andrewmalyon5699]

I had an 02 reg Cooper, done 189,000m, still ran well and immaculate original condition, this one's a scrapper,should get £200-£250 at the moment.

[@skyll4141]

sounds like the engine mounts are shot. knocking and jumping out of gear. could be engine subframe mountings too. mileage I guess 223k. probably worth fixing with cheap used parts

[@skyll4141]

165k is just run in for cars up north. mines done 198k

[@richardstamper5630]

I've had two of these R53's and to be fair they are fairly bullet proof. The Chrysler engines are strong, the gearboxes weak and they rattle everywhere, that aside, everything is fixable and there's still a strong market for them. This car however seems unloved almost everywhere and it's very doubtful there's any kind of profit in it, especially if it's started rusting underneath.

[@matthewduffin-wp2rz]

Lee your passenger side urgently needs to be sorted out the left hand side of the car is starting to come loose and theirs something hanging down from underneath the car l would pull the car into a lay by and call for a recovery vehicle

[@davewhittles]

you cant go wrong at £150 even scrap value should be at least £200 or more

[@andrewf7822]

Only mini on the road with a soft close drivers door 😀😀

[@ShiftingMetal]

Not so soft in a breeze 😂

[@SuperScania1974]

That's proper entertainment, thanks Joe 😂😂

[@davidking9707]

I have a Mini One and it has 172000 miles on the clock and still a very good car. I do look after it.

[@jpwolf1701]

Considering it's value is £150 and due to the amount of things that need sorting on the car, it is not worth it, better for scrap value. If it was just cosmetic it would be worth it but combined with the mechanical and suspension issues, it is just another run of the mill Mini R53 Cooper.

[@EnverC-yp7tr]

A Mini guy can sort that car out quite nicely for cheap. Don't scrap it. Give it to a Mini kid instead. What an absolute waste to crush that

[@user-Another-collecter21]

I just discovered this channel its awsome so far My guess is 34,421 miles 😅😁

[@ShiftingMetal]

Thanks!

[@rugby86]

Mileage considering the game rules, I am going for, 130,000 Miles. I’m quite a new follower of your channel. Loving the content mate 😊

[@ShiftingMetal]

Thanks, welcome aboard!

[@Alan-lv9rw]

I could never get used to the steering wheel on the right and driving in the left. And shifting with my left hand wouldn’t be easy.

[@rich_rich90]

"Reminds me of strawberry shisha". 100% that's what's been going in inside that car!

[@bantamNeil12]

Not even a Superhero like u Joe could save that mini!!!...😂😂 Scrapper Defo!!!...Great video as ever buddy 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ShiftingMetal]

Haha, thanks

[@Oyvind88]

Great video and subscribed😀🇧🇻

[@chriscuthbertson]

Self closing doors, that gotta be a feature. ;)

[@pizzalover3]

Had exactly the same problem with my old MG ZT key. The car looks like a scrapper to me...too much money to put it right and it'll never be worth more than £800+ anyway.

[@EnverC-yp7tr]

Buying a 20 yr old car and fixing it up to make profit never works out. Buying a car like that for pennies that you paid for and fixing it up for fun and driving it for fun makes more sense. Scrapper? Lol!

[@johnbrown3471]

Let him have it at cost if you must. There will only be one bad guy if/when his 1st endeavour fails and it wont be the original seller, it will be you.

[@MrFlazz99]

Some people love these Minis (but not me - thought they were overrated even back in 2001). I'd guessed the mileage at 170k so wasn't a huge way out. Some cars aren't built to last - Best Motorised Wheelbarrows speciality.

[@theart8039]

That actuator on my Mini window just cost me 400 quid for one!

[@nickwillobey2205]

I've got an 09 Cooper... Excellent car!

[@alanhoward6553]

That’s what Lee would call a Ripper Lol !

[@Songbird.9591]

Joe stop being so Picky .... Give it a Wash and Ship it out ! 🤣😂🚗🚘🇬🇧👍

[@ShiftingMetal]

😂 That’s what all us traders do, so why not 🤷‍♂️

[@sarahrobinson410]

I feel you got yourself a bargain, given the poor owner had put 2 new rear tyres at £100.. In my Mats he basically got £50 for a car that if he held out could easily make £450. Back 20 odd years ago I bought an old 1981 mini on metric tyres in post box red with a noisy exhaust for... Drum roll £3.25 amazing I set to giving a tee cut n polish hoover the interior and paid £20 for new exhaust I sold that car on for £60 crazy, I then added a few quid on top had a MG Montego 2.0EFIfor £150.. used it a bit and sold that for £270. So wish I had kept it. British Racing green with a grey bottom.. Only a few weeks back I was looking at Mini convertibles Either I have lost my mind but £1495 with full mot and a bumper different colour to the car yeah I walked away and sourced more mini convertibles at various prices. Sadly Before Christmas 2022 I bought what I thought was a nice Vauxhall Astra Twin Top in reasonable condition with a full service history private seller £1300 in the hope I'd make money back in June 2023 I put new MOT and had car fully valeted its sadly broke down and I basically dumped it. I bought the 2nd hand part a door switch and I hope this will work and the car returns to how I bought I put new battery on it with all the bits I paid its slowly costing me around £1600 But these cars I feel are worthless as I've seen people selling them beyond base price.. I am lucky because I still own my 52 plate Astra Bertone 2.2 its far from immaculate but still tidy old car.. I will probably keep this car forever along with my 52 plate Mercedes CLK 320 oh did I say I also have a Audi A6 2.7 TDI estate 07 plate I just love this car so much too.. As for the mini Id let someone have the pleasure of restoring the car to its former glory.. Cool video

[@UnusSedLeo-w5l]

Ouch, she is very, very tired. How many miles? 150K? No power steering? At least you don't have a whining pump.

[@TVtwarn]

If you get a good r50 they’re great fun and cheap to keep ! I drive a 2001 cooper everyday (I might have four of them though😂)

[@unclekevin5094]

All the things you found wrong with your Mini we would expect to find when they came out, new, from the factory when they were made by British Leyland back in the day.

[@Ricky26uk]

What’s the saying another man’s junk is another man’s treasure, I say fair play to him 👍

[@spacebound1522]

Bit cheeky to sell it to your mate for double what you paid for it when you were perfectly happy to get £50 extra from the scrap man.

[@ShiftingMetal]

The scrap man offered £250 which is what I sold it to him for… cheeky would be if I forced him to buy it 🙄🙄

[@spacebound1522]

@@ShiftingMetal 0:22 - Bought for £150. 26:12 Sold for £300. Also, at no point did I say that you forced him to buy it. Like you said he's an adult and it's his choice, but don't misrepresent my comment. My main takeaway was that I don't know how ethical it is to sell a car that you stated at 25:42 was "fit for nowhere other than the scrapyard" to a friend.

[@owensteele1645]

The headlining is prone to sagging which could have necessitated its removal.

[@Dee_J_T-n-B]

Fine vehicle :-) lol it right suits ya that motor joe 😂 good vid bud

[@ShiftingMetal]

Haha, thanks 👍

[@robk1003]

What a mess! I had a Vauxhall Astra in far better condition with quarter of a million miles on it. Mind you, I drove that to the scrapyard 😊

[@alisonjones9089]

Joe you've got a different gentler west country style than Arthur Daley from the North

[@owensteele1645]

I thought the Mini Cooper's popular Chilli Pack included air-con.

[@claudiojunior9618]

They would have to pay me 250 to take that junk away.

[@doozeruk2000]

I love my wife's Mini... Fortunately it's not a loosey goosey 😂

[@neilwharton720]

Bit of a shed but for 150quid can you complain 🙈

[@andrewbeer4715]

Ok,so I was a bit high at 190K. It would have been interesting to see underneath ,because one would expect a high mileage car to have some rust issues from all the road salt it would have encountered. When I saw that it had no headlining I felt that it wasn't worth doing at that point and that was before we saw it jumping out of gear. There is no cure for high mileage and yes it could be improved ,but I pity the next person that buys it after it has been "improved ". BTW, I know mechanically it's unrelated, but my 1st girlfriend bought a cheap early mini which was a bit lively at the back. It turned out that the rear subframe wasn't really attached to anything! She had definitely been had 😮

[@Ro32da72]

I am a terrible person 🤣😂 - was waaaaay ahead of your 'guess the mileage' challenge. A mate bought one cheaply with 154k on, he ended up replacing or rebuilding lots of it; drove nicely in the end but he did put some money and some sweat into it. I like them, but not big enough for all my work stuff. edit at the end: I'd scrap it too, even fixing that yourself would be nothing more than a labour of love.

[@2spoons]

Oh come on dirt just washes off… head lights buff up… and the light trim clips on and off and is replaceabe what’s the motor like ?

[@HowardLeVert]

That's done half the mileage of my same-age BMW 530i, yet how has that Mini managed to deteriorate so badly?

[@adams7405]

Obviously not built to that standard...E38 E39 golden era of over engineered cars

[@adams7405]

Slight difference in build quality....

[@julienwill3284]

Need a follow up on the little Mini Joe.

[@neildean7515]

Great video, How much was the scrap value?