I have one just like this one, 2002, blue with white roof, cooper s, JCW. Drove it for 20 years! Love it!

I have two minis, a 2002 R 50 and a 2003 R53 , identical to the car in the video, i love them both. Great little cars.

I was at the launch event of these at the 2000 Birmingham motor show. They had the biggest marquee, if I recall. I got loads of Mini-branded stuff, and it was a fond memory for a seven year old into cars.

Prices are shooting up now, I'm keeping mine. 2003 R53 only 60000 miles. In the glove box there is a switch on the right side, when aircon is on it cools the glove box. Very good

2005 R52 S We love it!

Another brilliant video by JJ of the iconic Mini

Your the best car reviewer you cover everything very unbiased

Had two R50’s and they were great, at the moment have an R58 coupe but am looking to change to an R53 as a rolling project and getting another R50 for the lad as his first car. Love the Mini’s!!!!

Great video. Had one of these about 15 years ago & loved every second of it (until it blew up). Took me right back - particularly the DIY “launch control” you could use with the buttons on the back of the steering wheel…. 😃👍

Having an 07 Cooper s, i can confirm that the n14 engines are fraught with issues. Timing chain, oil consumption, valve guides, turbos, oil feed lines etc. Gets expensive. The R53 was the better engine unfortnuately.

My girlfriend has one great little fun car, and has great room as well love driving it fast around town and corners it handles great and the 5 speed manual is satisfying

I just purchased a 2004 Mini Cooper S with 15K miles so the car is practically like brand new. I have owed two Toyota MR2's, two Honda Civic SI's, and a 2003 Mitsubishi EVO VIII. I haven't logged a lot of miles on the Mini yet but what I will say is that driving-wise the Mini makes an incredible first impression. It's unbelievably fun to drive. Of all the cars I've owned this Mini will no doubt provide more smiles per mile. The "go-kart" handling isn't marketing hype. It actually delivers an exhilarating driving experience as it goes around corners like a gnat. Adding to that insane handling is the linear quickness you get from a supercharged engine as it whines up the rev counter. All while the driver's cockpit makes no mistakes in ambiance. You know your driving a Mini because no other dashboard in automotive history looks like a Mini Cooper. The ride is firm and athletic with a bit of sports car stiffness reminiscent of my MR2s but with a nimbleness even better than the AWD EVO. The suspension is more than adequate as it defty absorbs the bumps and jumps of undulating American interstate pavement. Given the short wheelbase of the Mini the BMW engineers did a remarkable job designing the car to stay planted in order to send continuous feedback to the driver through the seat and the steering wheel. I too have the same two-tone leather seats shown in this video which are both comfortable and supportive as you would expect from the quintessential driver's car. I'm very excited to be a new Mini owner. But I'm not delusional. Already I have experienced a niggle with the window regulator having a problem negotiating those large panes of glass up and down and suspect upon research that repairs are forthcoming for both doors....an outlay of around $400 for parts alone. Since I don't have a garage this fix could be a bit wallet draining with the addition of labor costs. Lastly...the elephant in the room is the rising cost of 91-93 octane petrol required by a supercharged power plant. I wouldn't ordinarily bring this up. If you buy a sports car such operational costs aren't normally a consideration. They go with the territory. But we're living in a new era where cost of ownership must be calculated. In my case, the Mini will be used sparingly so it's not a big issue. For others it should be factored in. Cheers!

I have a 2004 R50 auto, even 18 years on it goes like the clappers - have had some minor issues with cooling and cat converter, but worth it as they're such a unique drive.

Nice to see you back 😀 . Hope you good 👍

Nice vid. Nearly got the beer can story right but not applicable for the JCW which has a different exhaust. It's actually in relation to the standard Cooper S which has 2 exhaust tips that look exactly like 2 beer cans! I have BEP R53 with nearly exactly same mileage as this one. Absolutely love it.

Got to get one of them, when the mk5 gti goes.

Haha loving the double roles 😁👍🏾

Just bought 2002 Cooper S same sort of colour as this with sunroof and its white wheels and also white roof with aero aero kit really set it off Upgraded full exhaust Supercharger pully Bigger intercooler Spark plugs Fuel injectors Air cone intake with cold air feed Remapped On first drive love the handling and the supercharger whine its addictive rapid car for not a lot of money my kids love it

Well done. The R50 and R53 are awesome cars if you know how and enjoy working on cars, and can get a low-mileage 2005 or 2006 with a manual transmission (an automatic in these cars is oxymoronic). Once sorted (getting rid of squeaks and rattles, making the usual upgrades for power, suspension, etc.), they are reliable and a delight to drive; every bit as engaging and fun as a late-60s or 70s Porsche, but for a fraction of the price, much safer, and more practical thanks to the hatch. I've had the same 2005 R50 since new; it's barely the same car it was when I bought it, but upgrading it and learning how to work on it over the years has been part of the joy of owning it. I live in North America and have had mine from coast-to-coast in Canada several times (both in summer and winter) and have had it everywhere in the States from Chicago to Los Angeles. Approaching 150K miles and the car still feels and looks like new; I can set the cruise and drive comfortably at 70-90 mph all day on a road trip, and I can take corners at an alarming rate of speed.

February this year i bought a mini cooper S R53 supercharger, identical to this one in this video, belter car to drive, really quick too, i intend upgrading the engine to about 250bhp, great car to own, i do not intend selling it.

Hi JJ. I must have missed this vid first time round and have just had it pop up on KZfaq. They are a great little car and my wife used to have the base spec One which, even with its low power output was still fun to drive. But oh my goodness, it was quite costly to maintain. Not necessarily unreliable but when it did need work, the Shaw bank vault was drained of a fair few quid. Cheers and I will try to keep up a bit better...promise.

I - or rather my wife has a 2005 Cooper with 220.000 kilometers on the clock, we love it enough to forgive all its problems 🙂

I've got an R53 JCW 210 with a few extra tweaks. It's actually better on fuel than a standard one if you don't hammer it

2004 JCW here---replaced steering rack and steering pump at 120,000 k---can't justify changing cars yet as it's just the most enjoyable little go-kart and more speed isn't needed.

Love the 2 spoke steering wheel. I wish they had kept that.

I’ve had a couple of first gen coopers, two things of note. At the face lift, some things were changed including the gearbox from a midland box to a Getrag, also the suspension was softened. I believe the overall gearing was reduced to give the basic models a bit more pep.? All this resulted in a softer car and (for me) a car that isn’t quite as satisfying to drive quickly.

I have an original R52 Cabrio Cooper S built October 2004...at 116,000 miles and 25 mpg. It is the rocket in my 3 MINI garage and gets treated to two different wheel sets with Pirelli PZero summer and Cinturato P7s all season

Cracking video JJ 👌👍

i have an 05 facelift (1st gen) cooper s convertible. Love it to bits, but never had a car ive spent so much ££ on maintaining/reparing. had mine for 10 years and have replaced nearly everything in it. (only has 75k miles :0) Buy one of these if you dont mind looking after it and replacing mulitple parts haha. The whine is so addictive though ;)

First I got a R50 Cooper, change it to a R53 Coooer S and now I got a R53 Cooper S Works with low mileage. Strictly stock! :)

Great review, I own a 2006 r53. I've had if for ages and love it so much I spent the money for a new car fixing it back up. I can't bare to part with it. Your friends is in such nice condition. Is it starting to get to the age where it needs a lot of work doing? I've never found a cup that fits into the front cup holder 🤣

I have a 2002 cooper s with 135k on the clock. Still pulls like a train. 15% pulley, full sportex exhaust and induction kit and uprated plugs and leads with a map done by previous owners. Should be pushing about 200bhp. Love the way it drives and hugs the road. Point and go. Adult sized go kart. I'll also add is 6ft2 and fit in it no problem.

I have a 2006 park lane Cooper S JCW with only 63k on the clock have owned it since 2012 love it , just concerned that parts are getting hard to find especially if something goes wrong with the super charger

iv got the r53 cooper s keep thinking whether to have coil overs on but not sure, i like the r53 mines black iv had it for 6 yrs

As usual, another excellent review. You must spend some considerable time in researching each vehicle, as well as the time taken to put your reviews together (filming and editing etc). I still don't like the spotlights (tacked on to the grill?) but the blue bodywork colour is great. The roof would be better in white, though! 🙂

Frameless doors are ok until winter time and they won't drop, my clk was a pain for that.

I have a 2005 cooper s 😄

Just got a jcw vert. Why a vert? It was a JCW! Not too many here in the states.

I just put sparco seats in my R53

I think we are Gen 1 mini mad, I have a park lane and cooper s convertible, wife has park lane and son has a cooper convertible, they just got it right, have had Gen 2 but too unreliable and Gen 3 too big

I don't own one but my son does. Maybe it is because I am middle aged but the ride is awful and the interior plastics are nasty. However it handles brilliantly, the engine whilst is a bit raw does suit the character of the car. The gearchange is superb and the car looks great. My son is grumbling about fuel economy and it is starting to rust, which is a worry. Avoid the R56 version like the plague; I had a Peugeot 308 GT with the same engine used in the Cooper S and it was an unreliable piece of dog poop. The Peugeot bits were great but that BMW engine was junk. Rattling cam change, low speed pre-ignition and a huge thirst for oil - a litre of synthetic every 900 miles or so which apparently was better than usual.

Chrysler are reliable?

Bmw/rover actually

Bought my first Mini today. 2003 R53 Cooper S Hyper Blue. 123k miles and there is not a squeak or rattle anywhere. Bodywork is almost perfect. Somebody has looked after this car. I'm in love with it already.