I finally got around to putting a video together showing the car with the aero skirts installed . . JCW sill plates might go on tomorrow!

 

JCW sill plates installed

 

I now have my R53 for sale locally here in Seattle. I would prefer that it goes to an enthusiast, and that it not go on BaT.

If anyone is still on here and is interested, please let me know, or if you know someone who wants to get into a very well sorted R53, which still has less than 30k miles on it.

I've had it up for about 4 days already - and every single inquiry has been from someone who needs to get financing (no chance of a bank valuing this high enough for them to get a loan) or who needs me to wait until they get their tax refund. So I'll probably only leave it up on CL through the end of the week. EDIT: Now removed from Craigslist

Thanks!

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/c...814136159.html

 

So I said to goodbye to my 2002 today - its been passed on to another locally based R53 enthusiast, someone that I know will take care of it. Its the end of the road in terms of R53 ownership for me - but its been a good 15 years!!

The R53 has been replaced with an F54 JCW.

 

Thats a big jump in years. Nice choice.

 

A lot of people have asked me about the 1st gens versus the 3rd gens, and how I can possibly give up a mint R53 in favor of a huge F54!!

A fair point.

I will try and get some video's together and upload them.

Honestly, a number of cars have come and gone since I bought the 2002 back in 2021 (including an Audi S3 and 2 BMW M3's), and I thought the F54 JCW would be destined for a similar fate .. but it is incredibly nice, and incredibly fun to drive .. and the R53 barely moved since the day I picked up the F54.

So the R53 was the one to go!!

 

Hi, I just got a 2003 R53 JCW, (200 Kit) question did you put Koni's on your blue MINI?

My car has 55,000 miles, and the ride is "old truck" rough,

Thank you in advance, KD

 

yeah, I put on Koni Special Active Shocks, which used to be called FSD’s. I had the FSD’s on a previous R53 too. I would not go for them again. They were noisy from day 1. I got the strut mounts changed a couple of times in an attempt to solve the problem - but it didn’t work.