THE Mini Cooper was BMW Great Britain's second best selling used car of 2003. 4874 Mini Coopers were sold as part of the used car programme, Mini Cherished. The Mini Cooper was pipped at the post by BMW's best selling model the 318im. 4929 'Approved Used' 318's were sold in 2003, just 55 more than the Mini Cooper. A total of 10,212 Mini's (One, Cooper, Cooper S and Mini One D) were sold through Mini Cherished in 2003.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, General Manager for Mini UK said: "Mini has made a fantastic contribution to used car sales within the group. With new car demand for Mini outstripping supply, customers are looking at used cars as a quick way of becoming a Mini owner. A buoyant used car market is good news for Mini customers, Mini UK and its dealer network. There is no doubt in my mind that keeping residual values strong is a great way of keeping Mini owners happy!"

Mini Cooper also adored by fleet buyers Mini Cooper held its 2003 title of best Supermini in the 2004 Fleet Excellence Awards. A massive 40 per cent of the category vote went in Mini Cooper's direction, giving it more votes than any car in any other category of the awards. Low running costs and Mini innovative tlc servicing package were cited as the winning factors.