Not new to automotive forums. I have been a member of the corvetteforum for over 10 years. I am a car guy through and through.

I just bought a 09 JCW Clubman. I bought it at Otto's Mini in West Chester, PA. I have not even driven it. It only has 12K miles on it. I can never seem to find the car I want local. Oh well it will be a great way to learn the car during a 1500 mile road trip back to Houston. My last car was an 06 Volvo S60 R that I also got over the internet and picked up in Kansas City. It was a blast and I would have kept it but I was laid off from my job just as my lease expired and I let it go. I picked up my current Corvette from the assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky after I ordered it through a dealer in Michigan. I am very particular about what I want and I don't mind traveling to get it.

Details:

Options
0917 JCWClubman
850 Pepper White paint
T8E1 Leather Punch Carbon Black
ZCW Cold Weather Package
313 Power folding mirrors
314 Heated mirrors and washer jets
494 Heated front seats
ZPP Premium Package
249 Multi-function steering wheel
403 Dual pane panoramic sunroof
534 Automatic climate control
1CA CO2 relevant vehicles
345 Chrome line interior
383 Roof and mirror caps in black
413 Cargo net
473 Center armrest
4A7 Color Line Dark Grey
522 Xenon headlights
6FD MINI HiFi sound system
6ND Bluetooth and USB/iPod adapter
785 White turn-signal lights

 

Welcome Domestic Muscle!

 

congrats... looks like a good option cart.. any pics? welcome ot forum too

 

Welcome and congrats. Post pics when you get it (him/her?).
Annette

 

 

what is your car on?

 

The dealership has a turntable to take photos of the cars they sell on the internet. I don't have any pics of my own yet as I have not taken delivery of the car yet. I am in Houston and the car is in Philly.

 

When are you picking it up?

 

March 18th or 19th.

 

Y so far away?

 

Well I work, I have a family and it is damned expensive to buy a plane ticket on short notice. I could ship the car for less than what it would cost to pay full fair one way. I want to drive it back so I will wait.

 

How longs the drive

 

I plan to check it out in June driving from NYC to Houston Two days maybe?

 

Wow long drive.. Y not getting it shipped?

 

1,500 miles!

Will do it over two days. Why not get it shipped? Well it will cost less to fly up there and drive it back. Second, I like to drive.

I picked up my Corvette from the plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky then drove to see friends in South Carolina then drove it to Houston. I put almost 2,000 miles on the first week I had it. I bought my Volvo S60 R on Ebay and flew up to Kansas City, Missouri to pick it up and drive it back to Houston. Like I said above I want what I want and I don't mind traveling to get it.

This is the first time though that I have bought a used car well since I bought a 1972 454 Corvette in 1984. So I am a little more on edge about this purchase since it is a used car that I have not seen nor have I driven. However, I am purchasing it from a MINI dealership which has been very accommodating and was very easy to negotiate with in regards to this purchase. I plan on driving the car before I accept delivery of and pay for the car. If there is any problems, which I don't expect, they will have to be addressed immediately which I expect will be their reaction as well.

Since it is used and I couldn't order it just how I wanted it or pick it off a dealer's lot, I have accepted a few trade offs with this car. I was originally looking at Clubman S's but found few of them with manual transmissions. I wanted the premium, convenience and cold climate package. I found one locally that was a manual, only had the sunrooof and heated seats and leather/cloth interior. That was to much of a compromise for me to take so I didn't purchase it. I then found a JCW Clubman that had the premium package, lounge leather but no cold climate or convenience packages. I really needed the cold climate as I am moving to Connecticut later this year. Now after driving a JCW I started only looking for one of those. I tend to buy the highest performing versions of cars I own. This car fit the bill nicely but doesn't have the convenience package. The part of that package I really need is the universal garage door opener. I know I can just go and buy a home-link but I want a factory look. So I will go and find a auto-dim mirror with the universal garage opener and wire it into the car No biggie. White was not my first pick for a color but I don't dislike it either. The black wheels are not my thing. Those will likely become my Connecticut winter wheels after I find suitable after-market wheels for the car. Overall I am very pleased with my purchase and look forward to picking the car up and having a nice, safe, no ticket drive back. The first mod will be having the window's tinted after that who knows.

 

Picking it up March 19th. Can't wait. 1500 mile drive to bring it home to Katy, TX then it will get shipped to CT with my other cars when we move this summer.

 

4 more days!!!!

 

lol your almost as excited to me

 

That will be a fun road trip back. I never tired of driving El Kabong. Last summer my book club did a beach trip. It was an 8+ hour drive so everyone flew, except me. I had to drive, plus I wanted my own car with me at the beach. Hope you enjoy your new PW JCW just as much!
Annette

 

3 more days!!!

I know what my first mod is!!! Everytime I see the photos from the dealer that I have posted on here I think god that car needs it's windows tinted bad.

 

2 more days!!!

I pick up the check from the bank tomorrow

 

1 more day!!!!! I leave for Philly Friday evening and pick up the car at Otto's Mini on Saturday morning.

 

Picked it up about 8 hours ago. It has been a mostly uneventful drive. Car has been great. Really like it so far. I have about 3 more hours of driving tonight to get to chattanooga tn. I am sitting in a cracker barrel eating dinner right now. I have averaged just over 70 mph and 31 mpg. The mountains kill the mpg.

 

Congrats. I picked up mine today at noon, too!
My drive home was only 40 minutes, well, I stretched it to an hour .
Annette

 

I got home Sunday evening at 7:00 after another 13 hours of driving. All told it was 1,578 miles. No problems and no tickets!!!! I used the cruise control quite a bit which I almost never do. Found myself excessively speeding if I didn't. The little beast really likes to be at about 90 mph.

I averaged 71 mph and 31 mpg. Quite a bit of the drive through Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama are quite hilly with many steep grades. I think that is why my mpg where not quite what I had hoped for.

Couple of observations:

The visors on this car are next to useless. They leave big gaps in the corner next to the A-pillar and gaps next to the mirrors. Not such a big problem but the windshield doesn't have any gradient tint at the top.

My feet are a bit big for the foot well. I kept catching the dead pedal or brake pedal with my foot when trying to use the clutch. I just have to get used to it and be a bit more precise about it.

This car/suspension/tires hate expansion joints. I hit a stretch of I-59 that has a real bad problem with the expansion joints as it is concrete. It was like a loud boom in the car every time I hit one. This went on for miles. I thought my Corvette was bad about tire slap but this was unreal. I currently have the 18in wheels with 205/40 Michelin Pilots on them. I may rethink that next time I need tires.

All in all in a very good trip.

I just finished it washing it. I will take some pictures and post those up in a new thread.