Hello!

I'm new to this forum and I am thinking about purchasing either a new or used mini cooper S. I was thinking about buying a used mini S (2009) and just doing some modifications, hopefully increasing the HP to 250 and maybe a few other things related. As much fun as it is to do modifications, I was worried that this will end up being way more expensive then just buying a new mini. Has anyone carried out modifications like this on their car? Is it worth the costs or in the end a better choice to just purchase a new mini?

 

new car wit JCW carry warranty....used doesn't

unless u buy from dealership a used JCW and it comes with warranty.. its cheaper than new.. thta how i got my car..

 

A new JCW gets you well on the way to 250 HP and it's new with warranty, no worrying about some of the things that can go wrong with a used car. As to whether or not it would be cheaper depends on the mods and who does the work.

 

IMHO buy a Cooper S over the JCW... here's why...

Cooper S base = 22,300
JCW Base = 28,800

with the extra 6500 you save you can build an S that will destroy a stock JCW

 

The sharp car buyer's advice has long been that a well-cared-for, late-model used car is always a better value than a brand new one.Used cars are a smart buy because of depreciation, which is greatest in the first year or two, which means someone else gets stuck with the biggest value-drop. And you aren't giving up very much in return - these days, cars last a lot longer, so a car with 20,000 or 30,000 miles can still have plenty of life.
But weak sales have led to heavy incentives on new cars. While a used car is still cheaper than a new one, in some cases the price difference will be surprisingly small, according to researchers.

"Certified pre-owned" cars are another option. CPOs are selected low-mileage used cars that have been inspected, refurbished as needed and certified as being in top-notch condition, according to criteria laid out by the car's original manufacturer. Most importantly, they have added warranty coverage. CPOs cost more than non-certified used cars, but the quality can make the extra cost more than worth it.


Here are some examples of new, used and certified pre-owned costs for various cars. With new car sales so slow, there are still some 2008 model year cars left on dealer lots, so we've included prices for those as well. All prices reflect Edmunds.com's estimated real customer costs, not manufacturer's suggested retail prices

 

Turbo 10 explained it very well.

After seeing a car I knew, transformed to a CPO in just two days , I vote for new.

 

Thanks for the advice.

C-lop have you done this? and if so did you find the modifications really hard to do? (I have some experience in this but not much).

I was trying to look into the costs of doing just that-buying an S and then building up to a JCW-but wasn't sure if the costs of all the parts be that much less/more/or even higher then they would be if I had just bought new.

 

A word of caution: What he said about getting an S and modding it to "destroy" a factory JCW-- many dealers are getting very militant about the effects of modifications and what they may have upon your car should a warranty issue arise. If U go this route, talk to your dealer and get it, in writing, what kind of mods U can put on w/o affecting your warranty. good luck