My New Years resolution is to start doing the things I always just dreamed of. I want to join a car club and get a car I can use on the track. Currently I have a 79 MG but I am not interested in the needed restoration. I would like to get a new Mini. I am not sure if I sould go with an "S" or the "works package". The works package is pretty pricey and I don't want to pay for things that I might end up replacing anyway.

Any advise for a rookie?

Thanks,

Greg

 

Greg-

Aloha from Honolulu and Happy New Year!

Get the Works Kit brother you'll be happy you did.

I bought my '04 MCS Works in July after test driving the standard MCS vs. the Works at MINI of Hawaii. It added about $70/month more to the payments. Worth every penny!

I wanted upgraded performance and I also wanted to keep the waranty intact. I got both with the kit.

I feel that in the long run the MINI will retain it's collector value longer with the JCW parts vs. after market.

I am currently planning on upgrading to the '05 kit. Price here in Honolulu is $525.00 + $212.00 for labor. I'll gain the '05 JCW airbox, injectors, ECU zap, and factory spec'd 10 hp to bring the '04 kit up to '05 specs.

Gotta go find a dyno before I do to ground truth the factory specs.

You can't loose with a MINI!

Aloha!

JCW04

 

Whats your goal and finances? If you want the fastest, quickest then aftermarket, just get the S. If you don't have th coin or just want well integrated without any real work hunting down who puts it on or repairs itgo with the works.


JCW can be financed in the car loan. I don't know of any third party stuff that can be. If you wait till after you boughgt your var JCW loses that pro.


There are a huge amount of threads that go over this and many that have wandered to this question. Do a search.


Paul

 

I had this mental battle as well. Unfortunately it was before I discovered this site:( Anyway, I was sure I wanted an MCS with the works package, and I was also sure that in order to afford it, that was going to have to be basically the only option I got. I decided all of this before driving the car...

I drove the 05 MCS twice and did not find it lacking in performance for me. I do intend on adding a JCW kit eventually, but driving the car really made the decision much easier. So go drive it before you make any decisions!

If you're used to, say, an e46 M3, then you will probably not be too impressed with the performance. My car was a 1986 325es, so the MCS felt a lot faster, not tighter, though.

mb

 

Welcome to NAM You just joined the greatest club of all (on line that is ).

Where are you located? We have some great clubs here in Southern California. http://clubscmm.com/ and www.westcoastminiclub.org

Check them out and if your in SoCA join up, or if your'e out for a visit let us know.

We do the back roads a lot and there are some good ones here.


Earl

 

Test drive.

It may be hard to find a JCW to test drive, but my dealer had a used one on the lot recently. FWIW, I drove an S and realized that I wasn't interested in 40 more HP. The S has plenty to keep me grinning all the way from home to work and back!

You've got an MG, so this may be a helpful comparison. My wife had a 67 Austin Healey 3000. This was a monster of a car! Oh, man, was it fun to drive! But I was astonished when I looked at the numbers and discovered that my little ole MCS is anywhere from 0.5 to 1.0 sec faster 0-60 and has a higher top speed!

You say you're interested in "the track." That could mean a lot of things. Are you looking for a daily driver you can take to the track on weekends, ie, a stock racer? I'm not an expert in the following subject, so if I got any of this wrong, someone please correct me. But here's what I understand about the three models' race classifications:

As far as SCCA classifications go, the 02-04 MCS is probably the most competitive in its class, G Stock. (The 05s have been put in G Stock on a provisional basis - the SCCA is waiting to see how the new LSD affects the car's competitiveness. So an '05 MCS may end up in a tougher class at some later date.) The MCs have to deal with Honda Civics in H Stock, and the JCW cars are in a really tough class. (Don't remember which one.) I think a lot of autocross organizations use these same categorizations, too.

So if you're looking for an out-of-the-box Stock class racer that will be very competitive, a pre-05 MCS is probably the way to go.

Check out the race forums on this board. There's plenty of info... and lots of people who are much more knowledgeable than me!

 

If I am reading your original post correctly, you appear o be trying to decide between an "S" and a JCW package. The JCW package is added to an "S". I don't believe you can get it on a standard Cooper. If I mis-read your post, please ignore.

 

Being a fairly new owner of a 04 MCS, I understand the way to go is with the MCS and modify at your own pace. According to several people, including my great salesman, the JCW can be a bit limiting...

On the upside, the JCW is covered by the maintenance plan as it is a factory-added modification. I have hestitations about after-market additions and any potential voiding of the warranty. I am waiting for the four years to run out (purchased the fourth year option). My MCS is entertaining enough for now...