First off I am new on this forum and new to MCers.

I am a BMW enthusiast and currently own a 1990 BMW 325i that is undergoing a 3.5L swap and a 1985 BMW 535i which is my current daily driver.

In short I am looking at getting a new daily that is much more reliable then a 23 year old car. I have set my sight on a Mini Cooper S hardtop. From what I researched so far the MCS seems like a great little car with good gas mileage while still fun to drive.

So here is a few newbie questions for you:

Should I start off with a brand new 08 MCS turbo'ed, or get a 07 MCS sc?
what are the benefits/downfalls of each?

Questions if I were to invest in a 08 MCS:

Secondly the JCW engine tuning kit, what does it include and is it worth $2,100 for under 20hp gain?

Thirdly, the sport package suspension - what does it come with as far as upgrade over non-sport

Thirdly and a half, JCW suspension package, what does it include? if I get this do I still need the sport package? Does the JCW strut brace make a big difference?

Forthly, paddle shifters vs manual... I guess I am going to have to drive both to see which I like better, but what are you opinions?

Question for the 07 MCS- things I should look for in a used car, I understand its only a year old, but is there anything I should watch out for?

keep in mind I am spirited driver but I don't want something that rides real rough, it is going to primarily used as a daily with the occasional trip to the track. Plus I need to learn how to drive a FWD as all of the cars I've ever owned are RWD.

 

Welcome to NAM.

If you can get a new 07 S, you'll probably get a great deal.

If you think about the size of the car, 20hp is a pretty big gain.

I can't address the other questions, as I have an '06 JCW, a whole different beast. BUT: Get a manual tranny. Your fun factor goes way up, unless you spend most of your driving in heavy traffic.

 

Yep! you're gonna love it!

IIRC, only the very earliest 07 MCS's were supercharged, the majority of them will be turbo'd and essentially the same as the 08's. (Plus a USB port, and an auto-up window)

You'll find the pros/cons between supercharged and turbos discussed to death if you search around here a bit, but in general (all other specs being equal) the opinion of differences seem to be:

Supercharged: SC whine, slightly sharper steering, stiffer ride, better pull at the high end of RPM, slightly sharper throttle response, and exhaust burble.
Turbo: Better torque at lower RPM and in general, more 'refined' handling/stifness, a touch more body roll in the back, bigger speedometer dial, more BMW'ish, nicer seats, improved fuel economy.

I think most would say yes, although you'd lose some fuel efficientcy. The JCW should include an intake, a reprogrammed ECU, and exhaust.

You might find the MotoringFile review helpful: http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/08/...-at-the-track/

I drove both and definately prefer the manual. The auto was nice, especially compared to my past automatic cars, but I prefered the manual after the test drive and am really glad I made the choice I did. (Would have been a different story if there was a DSG available though... )

I can't remember any widespread and serious outstanding issues on the R56's, outside of some people using up a clutch pretty quickly. I'm sure that there's others who will remember things though.

It might be a good idea to steer clear of the supension upgrades in that case, or stick with a smaller rim size. I did the same because of my communte (75mi one way). Smooth road is fantastic, and the average road in our area is fine, but the ride tends to worsen exponentially as the road gets worse.

I don't think you'll have much problems getting used to the FWD in a Mini compared to RWD. The biggest surprise is probably tourqe steer, and a lack of throttle-induced power slides.

 

Just noticed you're in Sammamish- check out PSMini.org, if you haven't yet

 

thanks nicknbecka! I haven't seen PSMini yet, but I will in a few minutes lol.