For my sins I picked up a 52 plate Cooper brand new many moons ago, and despite it being crap in plenty of ways I still haven’t felt the need to get rid. Not just yet anyway…
Things to be aware of:
1st generation BMW Mini’s give very poor MPG for a 1.6 (32MPG average is good out of town in my experience).
The pre-facelift 1st gen (which that is) have a Rover baser gearbox which sometimes fails with bearing or diff issues at lower mileages than that even if driven carefully.
The 1st gen engine consumes oil. Mine doesn’t leak or smoke but I still put in at least a litre every 5000 miles or so. Owners often neglect this and let them run almost dry.
The electric power steering pump can also cause problems.
If the front seat passengers have long legs, then it helps if the rear passengers have none.
Good fun to drive though!