All,
I have a '04 MCS and am ready to get my new Mini. I was thinking of another S but was at the dealer and drove a used car that had 18 inch wheels, JCR aero kit with painted arches and other things ( I am still trying to understand if it was an S with mods (think so ) or a JCW. I really enjoyed the ride. Started spec-ing my S and found myself adding things that are standard on the JCW.
Totally new to JCW and would love some advice. SHould I start with the base JCW and build my car? I really don't know much about what all I gain and if I do go with JCW, what all I really need to add along those lines. I am not going to take the car on track, am a mostly intown driver on rough Atlanta roads but love an fun, aggressive car. (I had a Boxter S prior to my '04 mini)
And if I went with the JCW aero over the factory, are the arches painted at dealer?
Thanks in advance and sorry to come to the forum so uneducated about JCW (but excited to expore the possibilites!)

 

The JCW gets you a bigger turbo, beefier clutch, brakes, tranny?, engine parts, exhaust, different stock wheels, DSC/ELDC/DTC/whatever. I probably forgot a few things.

The JCW Aero Kit is dealer painted and installed. The arches are NOT painted, unless you get the Factory Aero kit, which comes with the car and is installed at the factory.

 

Depends on what you're looking for...I have an '06 justacooper and went by yesterday and drove a JCW and S back to back...to be honest I wouldn't trade my car for an "S", but the JCW is another story...The "S" felt a lot like my car (brakes, clutch, handling, etc) with just more top end. The JCW was another story, all I can say is WOW, the torque was amazing for a 4 banger, the clutch, shifter, brakes were amazing, if you get the opportunity to drive one don't pass it up. I was questioning whether, the +$7,500 in base price was justified, but now I'm sold...Pretty sure I'm putting in an order tomorrow for a jCW MINI

 

If you're going to mod it, get the JCW. If you get the S, you'll wind up getting bigger brakes, engine work, bigger turbo, etc.... any way so you might as well start with a car already done for you.

Then, all you have to worry about are the stupid stuff like stripes, dechroming, etc.

 

Well, went and drove a JCW at the dealer today. WOW! Almost scary. And I drove a Boxter S for several years. Got to have it.
Found myself still undecided about color (after leaning heavily towards Pepper White with JCW aero) Wavering back to silver or black.
Another dilemma-was going leaning towards the punch leather but the leatherette is nice. But I had leatherette in a BMW and live it ATL and found it not breathable-sweaty legs.
And then, the interior. I would have spec-ed the brushed alum but not an option on the JCW. Not a big fan of the silver or black (maybe I am too picky) but adding carbon across the board is way expensive.
Another question. I have sirius now and do enjoy it. Is HD radio worth it?
Help, all. I am getting close to configuring a 40K Mini!!

 

Have you thought about the carbon fiber dash?.

 

Absolutely, but 600 bucks is alot. I am really adding a lot already-leather, HD, sirius, aero kit, all packages. Then I thnk I need the shifter and steering wheel....

 

Heh, 40k is pretty hardcore. Mine was 33 and pretty well equipped IMO.

 

Welcome to the club! Likely you won't be sorry regardless.

I liked reading through the "what options did you wish you didn't/did buy" thread to help me decide what I wanted. A lot of what you ask is subjective so I won't subject you to my opinion, and what isn't, I can't answer.

 

Are you kidding me with HD radio? RADIO?! Get the Sirius.
I would suggest the color line option for the seats. You get the best of both worlds. Some pieces are leather, most is cloth. You don't get get sweaty legs. It makes the interior interesting and very functional. A 40K MINI, that's a lot for this car. My car was 34k and that was borderline worth it for me. several more thousand and a slightly used Porsche Cayman would be in striking range.

There's very few creature comforts you really need. There's a lot that will cause you headaches down the road when they start to break. Consider what happens at resell to guide your options list.

 

As far as resale goes - we all know that you don't get the money back for your options - so I always recommend keep the options only to the bare minimum of what you will actually use and enjoy.

BTW - when people got Sirius, did they get a 1 year activation or lifetime?

 

I was thinking of getting Nav and the Convenience package with my JCW, but after a lot of thinking (and a test drive) I realized I don't want all this extra crap that I either won't use or will take away from the driving experience. Plus, in my current car I've listened to the radio less than an hour in the 18 months I've had it. Screw the radio, I wanna hear the car!

 

agree with the above.

I have ordered two cars to spec (2001 A4 1.8T and 2009 JCW Mini) because the dealer likes to add options to cars that make them money but don't add much real value to the car. That's why cars on the lot are often "loaded" - because there is more margin built into cars w/ options. Also people get carried away with all the bells & whistles.

When you're on the fence the best guide is: if it doesn't make it more driveable then you can almost certainly do without it.

For example, the Xenon headlights are a good option: they make a big difference in nighttime visibility. Less good: the aero kit - looks nice but purely cosmetic. Also, navigation? Get a garmin if you have to. Or a map.

Another variable is how long you intend to keep the car. Some stuff is bound to break (it's a mini!) so you have to either avoid it or plan on getting into a new car before that happens.

i don't recommend satellite radio because they are losing money like crazy and will probably be out of business before you are out of the car.

Good luck w/ your purchase.