I put down a deposit for a Clubman S months ago. I was out of the country last week so I missed going to the dealer last Monday to place my order. I spent everyday in an internet cafe in Costa Rica looking for the miniusa.com info. Now that the time is here and I am going to the dealer tomorrow, I am going to tell them to hold my de posit in that I want another at least 38hp and am willing to wait until June for the Stage II JCW. Any imput from fellow Clubman(s)?

 

I'm not planning on a Clubman, but I am going to be waiting until I can order the factory JCW kit.

As much as I want the new car now, I know I will kick myself this summer when the factory kits start showing up.

 

Is there a hard date when the JCW kits will be available from the factory and approx. how much they will cost?

If I order the car I really want the extra hp.

 

I couldn't wait!! I ordered in 10/o7 If the JCW is for real and not so exxcessive in price, I can always move up and sell my Hot Choc S!

 

OK but Alta mods for the R56 would work for the R55... It seems to me that all of their goodies would work fine except for the cat back exhaust.

 

Well, on the hardtop S the price is $2100 for the JCW sans suspension kit and offers 200+ hp at 1,750 rpms. I would wait for the JCW factory kit.

 

I will readily admit that I love the performance of my JCW. There is a mileage hit though not dramatic (recently got 25.8 MPG on a long highway trip and it gets steady 22MPG around town) which is certainly not bad considering you get a 200+HP pushing a go-cart for the little extra it costs at the gas pump. That said, I don't think I would have ordered the JCW had it not already been there on the showroom floor with everything else I wanted. The test drive also was a deal-maker for me...would've hated living with less once I knew what the JCW power felt like. It really does make a difference. Finally, there is also a bit of a "novelty" or "collector" factor with the JCW...at least when combined with the Sidewalk package. My Cabrio Sidewalk (pepper white) JCW package seems to be fairly rare. In Boston last month at the Mini Takes the States rally, I didn't see any others with over 800 cars in attendance.

Choices...choices...decisions...decisions!