Well I finally pulled the trigger today. I did test drive a Roadster and I must say it's funny, it felt smaller than inside than a coupe they had on the showroom floor but any car inside a building I believe feels bigger. Now I was not overly impressed with the power but I have to get out of my head that this is not a muscle car but a real nice, great handling, fun commuter for me. Now on the other hand I do compare this car to my old Subaru WRX boxer 4 banger and the Dodge Caliber SRT4. Now this car has no where near that power or torque. And I actually thought the WRX was a great car. But it is pretty nice.

Now I set out to purchase a fun, strong commuter car and was contemplating purchasing a top of line Ford Focus so this car is heads and above. I didnt drive a JCW because I knew I would probably of purchased one. BUT! The dealer told me they have a $2,500 package of JCW tune, and exhaust and I thought something else but can't remember. So I might do that later.

I tried to get the 5 star rims but couldn't get the deal. Now I do have a chance of purchasing a set of 5 stars with 10 months on them for a decent price. I'm thinking of purchasing them and then sell my stocks or just hold them for enticement later when and if I decide to sell.

So my build date projects at around mid April. And I want to track it and I know someone posted the number here. The dealer told me he would show me but I had to run out. So if anyone could show what I should do in the next several weeks I would appreciate it. And I thank all on here for giving me thier opinions on all the questions I had for them. Here's the order...

2012 Pepper White Roadster
JCW Package
Chrome line interior
Black Stripes
Black Mirrors
Black Headlights
White turns
Xenon lamps
Cloth Interior (don't want wrinkles)
Center Armrest
Rubber Mats

$30,250

Now already I want to purchase the 5 stars but have to make sure the rims don't have road rash or anything. Looking forward to alot of mods and talk around here.

 

Gonna be a very nice ride for you. Congrats!

 

Congratulation!

I'm sure you'll love it and now the long painful wait begins.

Mine is finished production, waiting on a boat, and still probably 6 weeks out from getting into my hot little hands.

I don't understand the wrinkles part. I have always owned leather interiors and mine don't have wrinkles. You just have to take care of leather, keep it clean, and use leather treatment to soften and it endures beautifully.

 

Very Nice, Lucky you guys only have a 9 day wait on shipping, Congrats

 

Well in my experience. Leather, especially on the drivers side left side (getting out) just wrinkles and looks bad. I have purchased over 20 new cars in the last 10 yrs and some were used but with less than 5k on the ticker and would always look at the drivers seat and many prospect cars have been passed by me. But i'm just too ocd on the subject. I dont want to turn this thread into "leather or cloth" because today is a happy day. But here is a picture of a couple week old JCW Roadsters seats......not too tight!

 

Yeah, those do look bad. Mine won't look like that I guarantee it!

I just sold a 10 year old King Ranch Crew cab with cowboy leather. Looked like new. No wrinkles.

But I understand why people want cloth too.

I wanted the Recaros for the longer seat bottom and better cushioning. I have the regular sport seats in a Countryman and I hate them. They lack cushioning and are too short.

I sat in a Roadster with the cloth seats and they did seem a little better than the Countryman Sport seats but I still wanted the better quality recaros.

 

NY Yankee, you got the info on how to track your car?

 

Congrats on your order, your Roadster is going to be sweet! I was told by my dealer that once in production, you get a VIN number. Then your car can be tracked through production. My order has been in for a week and a half and I am still waiting on a production slot

-Steven

 

Yes Blue Toy as soon as you get your production number you can log into the Owners lounge and get your VIN# then after it reaches the docks you can track it on board ship.

 

Congrats on taking the leap!

You're going to have a lot of fun with your new toy, believe me.

The JCW Tune should add 16hp, give you nicer looking exhaust tips, and a bit more exhaust sound.

Don

 

Hi Don,

How you doing with your new Roadster? Any Pros or Cons that you want to share?

 

OK, so I just recieved an e-mail from my dealer. He states that the challenge rims are on backorder and only available right now on the JCW. He thinks they will be availabale for May so I would not get the car at least until end of May/June. But he can order the conical spoke instead. Well, now I'm thinking this is a sign from God. I had a small doubt today but not much. But now I'm thinking of cancelling!

 

I don't understand.

I thought you wanted the 5 star channel spokes, so what difference does it make what wheels you get if you are just going to change them.

 

because if I have a spare or ones to sell why should I settle for anything less. You dont get that!

 

I like the challenge wheels as do other people proof of which why I cannot get them. So maybe I get the 5 star and I dont like them. Then I can go back to my original wheel that was my second favorite. So maybe you can purchase the conical wheels they want to give me and then I can purchase the 5 star.

So by your logic I should "PAY" for an inferior part, or wheel that I completely dont like on my car so I can spend more money on something else. Or lets say when I get the car I love the challenge rims or dont have the money for the 5 star. Why should I say to them "ok give me
whatever you want to put on there, I'll just buy other rims".

I still may purchase others but I can always fall back on the wheel I originally wanted. If it wasnt the case then the JCW package would have wheel options.

 

OK, I see. I didn't realize that you wanted the challenge spoke as well. I thought you had your heart set on the 5 star channel spokes.

If you knew that you were going to buy the channel spokes later, I figured you might as well get the cheapest steel wheels possible to keep the price down from the dealer.

Sorry, you can't trade with me. I don't want the channel spokes and my JCW is already built and waiting on a ship. Mine must be one of the JCW's that used up the extra supply of silver challenge spokes.

 

Unfortunately those wheels dont keep the price down. If they knocked down the price then maybe I would think about it. They are closed now and I will give them one more chance to make good on the 5 star wheels or I'm going back to the stock 412HP Coyote Motor Mustang GT that gets 26 mpg.

 

It seems reasonable that if the challenge spokes are unavailable then they could at least substitute with the 5 star channel spokes. But who knows how they are set up in production. You would at least think the dealer could order a set of 5 stars to swap out on your vehicle post production.

I am sure that Mustang is a nice vehicle also. Is it a convertible?

I would have ordered a Shelby GT convertible instead of the JCW Roadster if it were FWD. But living at 8000 feet and dealing with snow packed roads 4 months out of the year requires FWD and snow tires.

 

Yeah, thats why I purchased a 2000 Jeep Cherokee sport, for the winters. I will have to call the Ford dealer tomorrow. I didnt mean to be arrogant but I'm just pissed now. Problem is the convertible stang is the same money as the JCW. Might be worth it now that I am faced with this.

 

I'd be upset as well. It is always a pain when you go to spend hard earned cash on a big ticket item and then you can't get what you want because of supply issues.

On the other hand, it might be a sign that you need to order a JCW Roadster. It's much better than the S in my opinion. It has 12% more horsepower, much better brakes, comes standard with the Aero kit, plus a few nice interior features and badges that only come on the JCW. The JCW engine and exhaust sound much beefier than the S as well.

 

I know, your right. I was also thinking that maybe the dealer is playing hard ball because he and the manager knew I wasn't overwhelmed with the "S". Now on the other hand I can get the 2012 Mustang coupe for less money with 1.9 financing for 72 months. I know its not a vert but it does have 412 HP and 3:73 gears. Now my theory on purchasing this vehicle was that when the all-new 2015 Mustang comes out, they are competing with the M3. They are making it smaller, faster, and finally exporting the vehicle, so (if I like it) I was going to get that anyway. This has thrown me into a whirlwind. I like convertibles and have had a couple but this as I stated has made me think now.

 

That stinks!! My VIN showed up this past week :-)

 

Good luck!

I hope you are happy with whatever you get. But then again you can always trade down the road, it's only money after all.

Life is too short not to experience that which makes you happy. In fact, it's written into the US declaration of independence that you have the right to pursue happiness. So go for it!

 

Really enjoying it! Driving hadn't been much fun for a while now, but being back in a MINI is great - I keep looking for excuses to go somewhere.
Just having a blast.

Enjoying the big (for a MINI) boot. And I like the looks of the car more every time I see it.

Chassis seems plenty stiff - stiffer than our convertible was for sure.

A bit windier than our convertible was, but not too bad.

Suspension is the one area that needs improvement. For those viewers just tuning in, I have the base suspension and was really spoiled by the JCW Suspension I had added to my previous car.

Had a great chat with Way yesterday, and I think I have a good aftermarket suspension plan now. Only problem is not sure I can manage to get down to Atlanta too implement that plan.

To sum up - great car and we are really happy with it.

Don

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying the car. I can hardly wait for mine.

What is it about the stock suspension that you don't like?

I am going with the stock suspension on my JCW but was possibly thinking of adding an anti-sway bar and non-run flats at a later date if the suspension and ride needs it.