Hey all; stepping into a possible new venture outside of my heavy VW/Audi experience.
Located a 2009 Clubman John Cooper Works edition (6-speed, 17K miles) that I'm interested in trying to make a deal for.

My question, with the 2009 production for stock JCW parts, what's the not-so-obvious things over the standard "S"?
I see the wheels, brake package, higher output of the engine, the wrapped steering... but what else?

Shots of the looked-at car:









Thanks a bunch for the help!

- Erik

 

I believe the suspension is improved and there are stainless steal pedals, badging obviously and the aforementioned speed improvements. if you can get a deal around 27/28k then id go for the JCW if its 30 or more i dont think its worth it

 

The price (as stands) is less than $26.5K, but still trying to work that down even more.
There's some little mechanical and exterior issues that need to be addressed on a car that has so little mileage.

- Erik

 

HAVE A MINI DEALER CK THE VIN NUMBER FOR OPTIONS
AND REPAIR RECORD ALSO SERVICE DONE ON CAR.

 

So little mileage? I thought it was kind of on the high (17K) side for an 09? No?

 

Will do; thanks for the reminder.

Not around the Denver area; 17K on a 1+ year old car is on the lower average(production date 02/2009).
That's because the commuter distance in our area is very long; usually 30-50+ miles one-way to the office.

- Erik

 

If the issues are not major then id jump at that. Its a great deal (assuming the issues arnt to bad) I dont think the extra 3k your saving for a clubman S is enough to not splurge especially if its within your range and your not reaching too much

 

If there are issues on the car already, I'd see if they will Certify it, if not than I'd ask for a better deal, say around 24K-25K. Also have them do a complete Check over, giving you the list and details of what needs to be done, along with the expected cost of having those repairs done, either now or later on, if they can wait.

 

I flippin' hate your GUTS man, that JCW is frikkin' AWESOME and now I want to beat you up and take your car. I mean, dude, just BUY it!

 

Go for it!! I love the JCW spoiler!

 

I like!

Get the service records and see what was done to it in the past.

 

Who was the previous owner? Walter Mitty or Speed Racer?

Oh and all factory JCW's are 6-speed manuals. They didn't do an uprated automatic.

 

Is it the pic or is there something wrong with the driver's seat? It looks like it's from a car with 170k not 17k. If you purchase the car make sure they take care of those funky stains and wrinkles. Also, don't forget to carfax the VIN just in case.

 

What you're seeing is some sort of stain on the driver seat.
If the purchase goes through, will be doing a full cleaning and detail work on it.

- Erik

 

The consequence of too much spirited driving, I'm sure.

 

You've hit the main differences: the engine, drivetrain, wheels, and brakes. The factory JCW has little else that is different from a regular S. It does include EDLC (electronic differential) standard, which is optional on the S, but it comes standard with the base (not even the sports) suspension. Otherwise, the only other differences are some minor cosmetics like badging and red lettering on the shift ****. The JCW steering wheel on that car is actually not standard; the previous owner must have added it.

 

Yeah, that was foundout later.
It's the dealer-option anthracite wrapped steering wheel.

- Erik

 

OP is that car for sale at Ralph Schomp (the local MINI dealer)? If so, it'd already be certified as a "Mini Next" pre-owned. If not, I would try to arrange for Schomp service dept. to go over that car's mechanics before U commit big bucks, or put something in the sales contract stating yr desire to do this.

Not a lot of worries tho, you still have yr balance of the transferable factory warranty and mtce reamining here, and Schomp service dept is very motorer-friendly with great customer service. They are one reason why I decided to get an 09 after all the mechanical and build problems with my 05 S.

And despite yr rationale, 17K is still high mileage for a car barely 8 mos out of production. Even with two long road trips, I only managed 8600 my first year, but then I also have a p/u and my commute is only 12 miles r/t.

Taco Bell feast on the seat aside, that's a nice car with the most truly awesome color combo available, IMHO! If had ordered a Clubby it'd be that color. Still, buyer beware: 17K in 8 months with minor mehcanical issues and a front seat that looks worse that my friend's Camry with 300K raises a red flag to me, and I used to sell cars. I smell possible hard driving and maybe some abuse.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

That is the one true travesty of the JCW factory car. I mean, not even a the SS as standard, for a car that (new) can push over $30K and prides itself on being some kind a new performance parameter?