Hello NAM! I am a new Mini owner here in North Carolina. My current cars are a 1987 Porsche 930 and a 1967 Beetle and a 2012 Tiguan. My 930 has been my baby for quite a while. The 67 is basically a race car now and isn't practical to drive on the street anymore. The Tiguan was my daily driver. My daughter is turning 16 and I figured she would drive the Tig. However, she told me she "hates" the Tiguan and wanted a Mini Cooper. I was a little surprised, all we have ever owned were VWs and Porsches! Anyway, we looked around for a Mini for her. I already knew the S models were supercharged, so I figured those would be the ones to look at for driving in the mountains. After looking for months, we finally found a low mileage one she actually liked. Whoever had owned it before had de-badged it. I just thought it was a stock S. Looking under the hood at the dealership, I noticed the John Cooper Works decals, but didn't have any idea what I was looking at. We took it for a test drive and I was blown away! I couldn't believe how snappy the little car was. And the handling was superb. It ate up the winding mountain road we were on. So, we bought it. As my daughter was learning to drive it, she discovered that she actually "hated" it! I am not kidding! She bitched about how stiff the suspension was, how much she hated that it wasn't an automatic and (believe it or not) how slick the leather seats are! She was apparently "sliding all around". My wife and I talked about it and decided that Haven would drive the Tig after all and I would drive the Mini as my new daily driver. Since the Mini was now my car, the first thing I wanted to do was start working on it. That is when I decided to see what John Cooper Works was. That is what led me to this awesome site! I unknowingly purchased a 2006 JCW R53 with only 65,000. The guy at the dealership had no idea what it was. They just thought it was a regular old R53. Their loss, my awesome gain! I am really looking forward to getting into the car and personalizing it.
I can't get the info off of www.mdecoder.com to format to this forum, but the codes I was excited about are these two:
S2TAA - Differential Lock 25
S3ALA - John Cooper Works Kit
I am really hoping that all my previous performance experience will translate over to the Mini. My plan is to work my way from the ground up on it and do engine mods last. The average speed limit here is 45...so you can't do too much spirited driving! But there is a local group that does autocross and I have been wanting to hook up with them for a while, and the Mini seems like a good excuse!

 

Hi and welcome to the NAM family, Jaughn!
I am excited with you, to find what an 06 MCS JCW means! They are fast, they drive like a go-cart on rails and the supercharger delivers smooth power, so you can really dice it up with the twisties!
I am kind of a old world guy, so the new stuff with all the newer models, does nothing for me, but my 06 MCS JCW is my daily driver and I live in the mountains, of southern Oregon. Every time, I drive it, I smile at the way it goes. The ride is a bit stiff and I see why your daughter might not like it, but it is an essential trait of a handling monster! The power is even, so it is not scary going into a turn, with the throttle powering up smoothly and quickly! You have a 930, so you know what I am talking about and I also know you know how to work it!
2006 was the best year of the gen 1 Mini and to date, I feel it is the most enjoyable.
Show us some pics and look in the gen 1 area for more information, than you could possibly believe!
Congrats on your buy!

 

Wow. Kids these days. When I was her age,.........

Ok. I am back.

Congratulations on your find and your luck that it is now yours to drive. Post some pictures. Welcome to the forum and the MINI experience. Driving in the mountains will be great in the MINI.

 

 

Chrono package too! Great!
You will need to change the coolant expansion tank, they harden and split at the seam and ruin a wonderful day! Many of us use an aluminum one, with the original cap (so watch witch one you buy! they all go bad!)
Run flats make it drive like a rolling rock!
It looks great!

 

Coolant tank you say? I will jump right on that! I'm looking on ECSTuning right now. They have an aluminum one for $175. But Way Motor Works has one in black for $10 cheaper... I see that both companies are sponsors to the site, so I'm not sure who to go with. Guess it boils down to whether I want shiny aluminum or black!

 

 

Its up to what color you want. But we are here to help if you need anything else.

 

Welcome
We have a few options as we have a polished or black one that uses the stock cap.
Then we have the Canton version that you use a standard radiator cap on.

I just run the standard polished silver with stock cap on my personal R53. But it's a personal choice as they are all better than the stock plastic tank.