Generally the newer the car, the better. However, after looking around for a while I actually ended up with a 2001 Cooper. The main thing is it's history. Mine belonged to a family friend, so I knew it had been looked after and had not long had both it's gearbox and clutch done. I just hit 113,000km yesterday and going well.
Also, the newest isn't always the best. When looking for a MINI we went and had a look at a 2006 Park Lane R50 Cooper, but it had been very neglected. Trim falling off, cracked bumper, bald tyres, clutch beginning to slip, no wiper blades, etc. Also, check oil and water. Almost every MINI we looked at was very low on oil and water.
$12-20,000 sounds reasonable to me for a decent car. Earlier, high km cars have been starting to drop below $10k more recently and others will soon follow I imagine. I would say anything around 100,000km or less is generally better.
Just adding to Harley's comment, I think it's more earlier 5 speed gearboxes in the pre-upgrade model that people advise to avoid. The MY05 upgrade model with different bumpers had a different gearbox, although still five speed I think.
Despite what some people say, MINIs are still fun to drive and own, and my family is much happier with me driving around in it rather than my old 850. In my personal experience, people still stop and look at them like the old Minis, although not always to the same extent. Perhaps it's because they're quite uncommon out in the country?
Evan.
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