Hello guys and gals, my name is John and I am a new 2010 JCW owner. I drove 3 hrs. to MINI of San Antonio on Aug. 31 (last Tues.). I knew it was the last day for 1.9 apr. and the package promo. The question was could I withstand the urge to just browse and test drive? Probably not.

I wasn't in the market for a Clubbie or drop top, so I knew that a hardtop was the first and only choice. My salesman asked what options I was looking for, so I blurted out sport/prem/punch leather. Oddly enough there was not a single hardtop MINI with all of these options. However the closest one was a Chili Red 2010 JCW.

- hk prem stereo
- punch leather
- center armrest
- xeon hl's
- auto air
- rear fog
- sirius
- bluetooth/ipod
- white turn signals

It had 8 mi. on the od, and plastic was still covering the seats. I took it for a spin around the interstate but didn't floor it since I knew it really needed a proper break-in. None the less I knew I was going to take it home after some negotiations. It was after closing before I even made it to financing, and I ended up purchasing a pretty comprehensive warranty package (7yr, full maint, tire and wheel) for a piece of mind.

It was close to 9 by the time I started motoring home, and I swear I had a grin the entire time. The car is obviously well-built and has plenty of get up and go. I haven't driven a manual tranny in 8 years, so it took a little bit to get used to the clutch. Fortunately the warranty covers a new one in the event I ever need it.

I didn't learn about the lack of a spare tire until I got home and found this forum. I then hit the local Walmart for a Slime safety spair kit. I have the Dynaplug kit on order from Amazon as well. Hopefully I never have to use them.

I ended up driving back to San Antonio on Saturday to pick up the carpet floor mats, sun visor, and spare key fob. I then headed to the Clear Lake area to see my folks. The MINI handled like it was on rails the entire time. Gas mileage is twice as good as my 2002 SVT Lightning. Along the way I had an 18 wheeler cut me off, ran over part of a tire tread that appeared out of nowhere, and got two free (albeit small mind you but still annoying) rock chips. Other than that I had a blast and now that I've got 1200mi. behind me I can romp on it.

Next up is a JCW strut tower brace and window tint. Happy motoring and I look forward to reading all of the old discussions on this forum to get up to speed.

 

Congrats & Welcome! You picked up a beautiful JCW and have already gotten the break-in and the first ding/dink out of the way. It should be smooth motoring from here on out. Here's wishing you years and miles of MINI motorinig smiles. Perma-grin applied...

 

Congrats! De-badged already? Or did you get it before they had a chance to even put those on?

 

I noticed that part of the adhesive holding the badge on was no longer sticking before I signed the papers. It was also put on crooked which I found highly annoying. I pointed this out to both the salesman and the sales mgr. who offered to have a new badge shipped to me. The sales mgr. suggested I use thin fishing line to remove it. I still have the badge on the lower front grille, but I doubt that I will reapply the new badge to the rear. I've never been a big fan of decals or badges on vehicles.

 

[quote=devicemanager;3125790]Along the way I had an 18 wheeler cut me off, ran over part of a tire tread that appeared out of nowhere, and got two free (albeit small mind you but still annoying) rock chips. [quote]

Welcome to the asylum for miniacs! I think you'll love your JCW, as it's a true driver's car. BTW: To prevent future rock chips (Minis are good at that), you might consider a clear bra. I had a clear bra applied to my car after repainting the front end and it still looks great after many nasty, dirty drives.

 

Don't get a JCW strut tower brace. Get this. Its much better.

http://www.nm-eng.com/358856.html

Here it is on my JCW. It comes in blue or black. The blue matches my car perfectly.

 

Congrats on the new car.

Also that NM bar looks absolutely perfect, I may have to steal that pic for my site, ha ha.

 

I found the JCW on eBay for $220 shipped. After further research it does appear that the NM offers more reinforcement.

 

Welcome to the forum, good looking MINI, enjoy.!

 

Sweet JCW!

6 speed trans I suppose?
Not having proper oem badging would bother/annoy me.

 

Thanks again to everyone for the warm welcome.

Yes, it's a 6 speed. I was under the impression that an auto trans was not an option on the JCW.

 

Congrats on the JCW! Great color combo!

 

Just a thought. Beings as Mini has seen to it NOT to put anything on the engine signifying it as being anything other than a regular MCS engine, do like my friend did, put the new JCW badge on the engine. Works for me, and this is what I am going to do when mine comes in October.

 

Speaking about that brace. The N/M has a plate that reinforces the shock/strut tower, whereas the JCW does not. Many think that the brace is more for looks than practicality, but the plates do keep the towers from mushrooming. something to consider.

 

Congrats on the JCW!

Did the saleman bother to mention that your car has runflat tires, and therefore no need for a slime repair kit?

 

Welcome to the club.

Great looking car, but I'm biased to Chili Red/Black

 

Great looking JCW, more pics soon please!

 

You've done well lad, good looking machine. Welcome and congrats!

 

Not really all that odd. You have to remember that you are picking up your MINI at the tail end of the model year as the 2011s will be arriving any time now. Also, from my experiences shopping earlier this year, the sport package does not seem to be one that the dealers order much for their lot inventory. Premium and Cold Weather (at least here in the northeast) seemed to be the most common packages on the cars at the dealer.

No matter... you've got a fine specimen of a MINI now.

 

Sa~weet!

 

Congrats. Your story brings back fond memories when I discovered my JCW cab. It was Love at first site. My only regret is that I wish it came with the sports suspension. It's a little to bouncy for my taste and seems a little dangerous; like mister toads wild ride sometimes. I too love the get up and go.

 

Ditton on the sports suspension... But welcome to the JCW and MINI club!

 

Nice looking mini buddy!

Welcome to the forum John.

Mini Nre.