Hello and thanks for having me! I'm trying to officially become one of you all and purchase a used JCW, to become our 3rd car, as our son is about to start driving and take my pick-up away. We are school teachers, so we've got a limited budget, but I do hope to get the most bang for our bucks. From reading around on your posts, it would see like finding a factory JCW would be a wiser and more economical way to get the maximum fun factor that these cars are built to provide? I know that going aftermarket can be intriguing and I do love the idea of customizing, but with limited time and budget, and not being able to do the most complicated part of the work myself, would you all agree to try and find one that way from the factory?

Is there a noticeable driving different between a nice S and the JCW? Our insurance quotes are much lower when I plug in an S, but I don't want to be disappointed cause The Man made me get a lesser car. We won't be taking it to track, but I do like to be able to pass a few people when needed.

I'm in the Texas Gulf Coast area, and I've been searching pretty thoroughly for the past couple months, and finding a lower mileage 2005-2012 or so JCW 2-door in our area has proven next to impossible. We like to find a car that we love and then keep it forever, so we are hoping for lower mileage so we can drive it for years and years. Also, I've had a convertible car before, and was thinking it would be great to find a JCW ragtop, but that seems even more unicorn-ish.

I'm trying not to buy a car without checking it out in person, seeing it and driving it, but it seems like that might not be possible to get what I want otherwise. Would you buy a JCW sight unseen other than pics on the Web?

Thanks so much for having me, and I'm super stoked to figure this out and hopefully find the Mini I'm looking for, and become one of the chosen!
Matt

 

Welcome to the forum. Don't rule out an "S" before you drive one. Mine is stock and while I have not driven a JCW, the S is everything I need. Your age range 2005-2012 spans 2 generations. The first generation with a supercharger runs to 2006 (2008 for the convertible) and the second generation with a turbo starts in 2007/2009. The first generation is said to be more reliable than the early second generation, so if you are looking for the most reliable car, I would focus on the last years of either generation.

MINI is unique in the amount of modifications possible. For any other brand, I would agree 100% with your conclusions, with MINI, I would not be afraid to do some customization to make it what you want when you can afford to upgrade.

If you plan to keep it forever, make sure you are ready to stay on top of maintenance. MINIs require more care than many other brands but it is worth the extra effort.

I recommend you test drive as many combinations as you can to decide what you want. Convertible / Hardtop, First Generation / Second Generation, S / JCW, Manual / Automatic ?

If it is going to be your primary vehicle, make sure you are ready to make the commitment to a convertible before you buy one. The viability out of a hardtop MINI is great. In the convertible, the view out the back is poor, even with the top down. I have learned to always back into a parking space. You know there is nothing in the space, however, you have no clue what you are backing into if you have to back out of a space.

My final advice is to buy the best maintained MINI you can find. Buying a well maintained MINI and paying a little extra in the beginning will be money well spent.

 

I had no problem passing others on the highway with my 2004 Cooper S, even when it was stock. I will admit that I'm biased to the earlier models with the supercharger though, particularly if you're not going to mod the car, simply for the great sound it makes when accelerating. However, I think the best advice is to buy as late a Cooper as your budget can stand. MINI made improvements each year so the later the model, the more features they include. I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and there are plenty of good buys in this part of the state. Good luck.

 

Welcome, Having JCWs and MCS in the past I would go see that car, there are too many people posting its a JCW when its not or its Tuning Kit and such. I have gone far and wide to find mine, but i would drive them and see it in person. Good luck.

 

Thanks so much for your time, and experienced words!! Means a ton. Had a convertible Mustang GT. It is a different experience in a 'vert, with pros and cons, as I think you are alluding to. But if I can find the right car, and can afford the insurance, I'll be very stoked to be able to get some extra sun in my slowly disappearing hair.
Thanks again!
Matt

 

This New guy should have thanked all 3 of you at once. Sorry for that. Thanks so much to cooper48 and ECSTuning as well for the advice!
Matt