DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Perhaps more than with any other classic, the prospective Mini Cooper buyer needs to do his or her research, not just on the differences between the models but on chassis numbers and other minutiae because there is endless scope for producing fakes. This is the main problem in buying a Cooper: fakes might come in the form of a Cooper dressed up to look like an 'S', a standard Mini built up into a Cooper or Cooper S, or an expertly-faked car using the V5 of a scrapped Cooper as its identity. Assuming that you'll establish that all the right bits of trim are correct and that the car's chassis numbers correspond to what it purports to be, we can offer a few pointers to checking out a Cooper.
Firstly, these cars rot like little else. Sills, subframe mountings, door hinge mountings, inner wings, floors, seat mountings... the list is virtually endless but the good news is that you can get all the necessary authentic Cooper-specific panels easily, thanks to the efforts of specialists. In any case, there are very few truly original cars out there. If you are looking at a well-restored car with genuine provenance, you really need to establish how well any restoration work has been carried out.
Mechanically, the cars are robust and reliable but are likely to have spent their lives being thrashed. The A-Series powerplant was used across such a wide range of cars right up to the Metro so there is a huge potential for dodgy engine transplants; it's all about authenticity, so you must do your homework on those engine numbers. Gearboxes generally last well but will suffer worn synchromesh and noisy bearings; note that all Cooper and Cooper S Minis had a remote gear lever with a proper cut-out in the shell.
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