Founded in 1969, Mini is a UK-based automotive marque, owned by BMW, a German automotive company to produces a wide range of small vehicles. BMW acquired Mini in 1994 around the same period the company bought Rover Group and other major automotive brands.
If you don't have the money to buy a new Mini car, you can still buy a second-hand car with good value. However, to avoid falling prey to buying a damaged or stolen vehicle, it is important to use a Mini Cooper VIN Decoder to check the history of the vehicle before signing papers.
The VIN decoder is a tool that every car buyer should use to verify the status of a vehicle before making a buying decision. Other uses of the VIN decoder include listing inventory, quoting insurance policies, tracing stolen vehicles by the police department, and to order the matching parts of your vehicle in the event of major repairs, and much more.
What Can I Do with a Mini Cooper VIN Lookup?
A Mini Cooper VIN lookup can provide you with the following benefits:
- To identify Mini Cooper recall checks;
- To determine the vehicle's history so that you don't buy a damaged or faulty vehicle;
- To determine the match parts of your faulty Mini vehicle for replacement;
- Your insurance company will need the VIN number to ensure your vehicle;
- To eliminate the doubt of buying a damaged vehicle.
Where and How to Find the Mini Cooper VIN?
You can find the VIN number of a Mini Cooper vehicle in the following three locations:
- On the driver's side door jam
- Under the windshield on the driver's side
- On the steering column or near the firewall of the vehicle.
Other locations to find the Mini Cooper VIN number is:
- On your vehicle registration or car title.
- In your vehicle's maintenance records from your dealer.
How to Read a Mini Cooper VIN?
The Mini Cooper VIN number comes in 17 characters printed on three strategic locations in all Mini vehicles.
We will use this sample Mini Cooper VIN number - WMWRC33596TK64426 to show how to read a Mini Cooper VIN.
- The 1st character (W) represents Mini Cooper’s origin. In this case, the UK;
- The 2nd character (M) represents the manufacturer, in this case, Mini;
- The 3rd character (W) stands for the vehicle type (passenger car);
- The 4th-8th characters (RC335) represent the description of the vehicle, such as 2DR, Hatchback, and Mini Cooper;
- The 9th character (9) stands for the vehicle check digit;
- The 10th character (6) stands for the vehicle's model year. In this case, 2006;
- The 11th character (T) represents the vehicle assembly plant. In this case, Oxford England;
- The 12th-17th characters (K64426) represent the vehicle's production sequence number. Each Mini Cooper vehicle on the market has a sequence number.
Before making a buying decision, you can use a Mini Cooper VIN number to determine the history of your Mini vehicle and whether the vehicle is faulty or damaged.
Why Should I Use a Mini Cooper VIN Decoder?
There are so many benefits of using a Mini Cooper VIN Decoder, some of which include:
- To determine whether or not a Mini vehicle has been illegally modified prior to purchase.
- To check for cloned VIN or fake VIN. This is very important so that you don't buy a stolen Mini car.
- To check for your vehicle's build to know the matching parts in the event of repair or replacement.
- To check the basic data of a Mini Cooper car prior to purchase.
Conclusion
As you can see the Mini Cooper VIN number contains important information about your Mini Cooper vehicle. If you enter this number in a VIN decoder, you will see vital information (such as engine type, year manufactured, model, and matching parts) at a glance.
Whether you want to buy a used or new Mini Cooper vehicle, it is important to use the VIN check tool to be sure you are not buying a stolen or damaged vehicle.