Well....

I did it!

Thanks so much to all of you who answered my last handful of questions! Today I dropped by MINI of Nashville with my JCW spec in hand. Richie Shaffer almost immediately got me set up with a demo JCW to take for a spin. I knew it would be even more fun to drive than the S was, but wow! :D Those gigantic brakes are something else, too!

So when I reluctantly handed the keys to that one back over (great car, but a little too light on the options I want for about the same price as mine), we sat down and started working on my custom model. There weren't any JCW models currently available with the packages I want, so Richie tried to convert an in-production S to a JCW. But it turns out that all of the Chili Red 09s currently in production were too far along to shift from S models to JCW models, so we had to go with a '10. And then I learned that the premium package now included the HK stereo system, in place of the multi-function steering wheel that is now part of the standard package. That is a very, very nice upgrade! Richie also tossed in my floor mats and chrome bonnet scoop upgrade for free, to help ease some of the price difference from my selected '09.

So because it will be a '10 model, the true price specs are still unknown, though Richie estimated no more than a $750 increase, since that's been typical for each model year in the past. So I got my order in and have a pretty fair estimate (plus a few extra weeks to save even more on my down payment). Put down my deposit and now I'm just (im)patiently waiting to be able to enter my production number in the Owners' Lounge so that I can begin obsessively tracking my baby's progress.

Now I just need a name!

Final specs:

- 2010 JCW HT, Chili Red/Black, Black Bonnet Stripes, Chrome Mirror Caps and Bonnet Scoop
- Grey/Carbon Black Leatherette
- Convenience Package
- Premium Package (With H/K stereo upgrade)
- Cold Weather Package

 

Congrats. Good choice in packages !