Well, I had a 2005 MINI S and sold it after a year and 8,000 miles (long story). I have a new 2008 Z4 M Coupe which I don't want to commute in, so I'm thinking of buying another MINI S (new) so I can keep the Z4 M in the garage during the week, but still have a fun car to drive.

The military buying program saves about $2000 under MSRP and no tax. Not sure if US dealers are offering anything like that these days?

I'll drive the 09 tomorrow for the 1st time. I'm interested to compare. My 05 had factory LSD, H&R rear sway, and Koni FSDs. It also had R99s for summer and v spokes for winter.

Only questions I have at this point is whether the JCW body kit can be ordered as a factory option, and are the drilled discs worth the $200? I plan to stay with the 16" wheels and mount 16" BBS RG-Fs in place.

My spec on the configurator comes out at about $30,000, so my price would be roughly $28,000 out the door.

 

I believe the JCW body kit is an addon, and must be painted by the dealership. I'd personally opt for the sport kit, since it comes with painted fenders. But that is personal preference.

The slotted rotors will only be cosmetic at this point, and will also be an add-on that will need to be installed. Slotted can help dissipate gases at the track to reduce fade, but will do nothing on the street, except wear a little harder on the pads.

 

Don't think. Do it. DO IT NAOOOUGHW!

Personally, I don't care for the "factory" aero kit, the JCW kit is pretty sweet though.

+1 on everything else that whoapower said though.

 

Now I'm thinking about going for the JCS. Seems a lot more for just a few thousand...Brembos and more power!

Drove the MCS today. Drove so much better than my '05, but the cool sound is gone (supercharger whine and burble on deceleration). I like the sport button.

 

Wat? For reals? That'd be awesome.

 

Yeah, the JCW is pretty sweet.

If you want to hear the turbo, just get a CAI (Alta or DDM or something).

 

The JCW aero kit is still way better than the factory, even if they are finally painting the arches now so it isn't quite so nasty. Going full-out JCW with the military discount doesn't sound like a bad idea either.

 

Yup. it's a whole new deal, isnt it? god how I hated those dash downtubes...

go with yr military program. that's a great discount.

and get the xenons. they're much better than on the 05 (no wobble), bi-directional, very bright, and one of the only options that's cheaper than a few years ago. NAM is full of woe and regret from those who opted for the halogens....

 

So there actually IS a military discount?

 

I don't regret halogens

 

Go with a nice JCW with a few options, you get the JCW goodness, you get burble. Then do a DDM RAS for the intake or DDM street, to get sound back from the engine.

If you don't go crazy with the options, you can get a JCW for a reasonable price and with your miltary discount it would be great.

I bet you sell the Z4.

 

Seems like the best plan. I can get a well equipped model for 31K out the door.

Sell the Z4M Coupe? No way! It's the last pure BMW ever. It also is the most fun car to drive I've ever driven. Steering is flawless and the power and stability is fantastic. It also looks so freakin' cool. Mine is black metallic with imola red leather (carbon leather dash). 300 hp is perfect for this car.

My original thought was to buy a used E46 M3 as a daily driver. But I'm concerned about reliability, no warranty, and just as poor fuel economy as my Z4 M.

A new MINI S or JCW gives me 4 seats, much better fuel economy, and a fun every day car with fantastic resale. I sold my '05 after 1 year and only lost $1,000.

 

See this post.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2571858


Also i have talked with a few dealers for military sales. They are currently unable to ship a brand new Mini directly to USA yet, I have heard in the Spring... There is another nice option of http://www.pentagoncarsales.com/mini/demo.php They are able to ship you a Demo model and there is currently a JCW with 500 miles? You can get one of these alot cheaper,, well maybe $2000 cheaper then what you could for the same Demo in USA. You also may have to worry about import tax.. you can email Antony Jones Antony.Jones@pentagoncarsales.com


And once again I can get a screaming good deal on a Volvo C30-R, $1256 below dealer invoice, I think its $3000 under MSRP... too bad it feels slow and boring. Nice stereo and int though.. great visability..
FRom Volvo Military Sales in Bahrain... Mini bettter hurry up I am almost finished with my deployment...


Bob

 

There is for those stationed outside the US and away from the MINIUSA mark-up. My fully loaded '04 MCS was $4000 less than what it would have been in the US, plus my home state doesn't charge sales tax to Military who buy cars while on orders out of state, so all told I saved about $6000 off buying in the US.

Back to the original question... You may want to look at the local Dealers that PCS go through (I'm assuming you're looking through PCS). If you're stationed in Europe or Asia, the Dealers will often get a loaded JCW or similar for a Floor model for people to 'ooh and ahh', but the locals end up buying the One, Se7en, or Cooper, very rarely an S, and hardly ever a JCW. The JCW tends to be most popular in (suprise) the US, UK and Germany.

So sometimes the PCS guys will find an 'already built' S or JCW that usually is loaded with everything available in the EU, which usually means you'll get it with everything except SIRIUS and LoJack. And if you find a dealer who's trying to move the "last of the '08's", you may find one who'll knock an extra €1,000 off the sticker to move an S or JCW.

 

I have got to stop posting before I read the whole thread...

Yes, PCS is the way to go, and just like the BMW Euro Delivery Program, all you need to do is use (or buy 'used') a Car in/from Europe and you skip all the Tariffs and Import fees, as well as the MINIUSA Mark-Up and Dealer Mark-Up.

 

Pentagon Car Sales is my local dealer. Antony is my sales guy. We order them the way we want them. We get a hefty discount on MSRP and then pay normal price for all options and packages. We also get free shipping back to the US and pay no sales tax.

 

Curse my stateside assignment.

 

You may be able to get a used DEMO,,, but not a new model.
Whether you are overseas or not