The Mini is an iconic small car brand that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. MINI is one the most popular cars made in Britain. This model was replaced by the New MINI, which was launched in 2001.

The Mini Cooper is an e-ticket carnival ride that can dry out the wet pavement with its excellent handling. The shortest car on the road, it can be parked in even the smallest of places. Yet it is able to seat four, with surprisingly roomy back seats, and it can carry a generous amount of cargo. Its bulldog like stance still generates smiles, four years after its introduction as a 2002 model. Engineered by BMW, the Mini Cooper is a great piece of equipment, as solid as any German sedan and it boasts a multitude of passive and active safety systems.

At the same time, all the models were enhanced with new interior lighting, storage space and trim options, plus revised headlamps and tail lamps and a new grille. The new manual gearboxes with revised gearing delivered improved acceleration for both the Cooper and Cooper S, and the S received a slight bump in horsepower

Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) has awarded Mini a top spot in its annual "Residual Value Awards" for the fourth year consecutively. With the highest projected resale value in the compact car segment, the 2006 Mini Cooper is predicted to retain about 62% percent of its value at the end of a 36-month lease according to the ALG November/December 2005 Residuals Percentage Guide.

Tips for buying used MINI cars

There are more than eight million used car sales each year in the UK. Many of those vehicles have some history, so you need to ensure that you don't buy one that is worn out or has been plagued with problems or one, which has outstanding finance on it. If you buy a used car privately then maybe you are not in a strong as position as you would be incase you buy the car from a trader, but there are still methods that you can use to address this problem. The key point to remember is that if something appears too good to be true than 9/10 it certainly is.

• Check the monthly payments and any additional payments that you need to make at the end or start of the deal.
• Check the interest rate that you are paying and the repayment period.
• Check for any penalties that you might incur if you pay off the loan early.

You can buy a used mini car or find out car details from http://www.usedcarx.com.