Well.. the unimaginable happened tuesday night. Travelling home from work on the freeway, some little old lady in a hyundai decided she wanted to share lanes. Unfortunately she had not looked, nor signalled until she was already on the move and made contact at over 100km/h and around and around we went. I havent spun like that since flight school! through amazing skill, incredible hands and feet and sheer cunning amazingness or lets be honest, complete and total fluke, I was able to avoid the cable barriers and the lamp posts lining this stretch. The hyundai however bounced off the cable barriers before sliding to a stop a few feet away.

The difference in damage was actually quite amazing. The cooper looked like it had been hit, the hyundai was a total mess. Bonus points for Mini and BMW!

Anyways, Had a look at the body shop on thursday.. from my eyes, it looks like a write off, rad support, hood, front RH quarter and door, Grille and front valance are thrashed. All four tires toast, both front wheels bent, suspension damage on both sides. Not to mention the cowl area looks nice and tweaked, actually the whole front end looks twisted.. both headlight assemblies are smashed and theres some damage to the RH strut and mount. Regardless.. I dont want to own a car thats been hit this hard and 'fixed'.

I do credit the DSC and the design of the car.. as well as my beautiful new tires for keeping me safer.

Now.. I've been down the cooper road and loved mine to bits.. but I'm considering other options. Like an A3, or a 135i or maybe one of those new subaru brzs.. Any thoughts or opinions? A new JCW is also in the back of my mind.. but it just wouldnt be the same. So anyways.. When they write him off, I'll be sure to have a garage sale for a bunch of the spares and parts I've had waiting or pulled off.

Its been great being a part of this community.

Michael

 

First of all, glad you are ok.

From your description, the car sounds like a write off. Just the body work and paint would already be expensive not including the suspension, rims and what else they could find.

If it were me and I got a check, I would look at the subarus BRZ/scion frs, and the Audi a3 as well as the mini which is I think getting quite close to a model change since it is the seven year of gen2.

 

That was my thoughts, the parts alone, sans labour would almost dictate a write off. Sad, because its seen a lot of mods and a lot of love from me over the past 3 years.

I do really like the look of the BRZ/FRS.. to bad it's not boosted or I think it would be more of a contender. So far the A3 quattro and 135i are at the top of the list ..

 

I am not much of an Audi fan but some of their cars do look interesting. I prefer cars that are not boosted as they are less trouble.

I looked at the BMW x1 and found that interesting. But that is an SUV.

I think the 135i may be due for a model change shortly as well.

 

JCW Coupe for the win! Mod it up with an Accessport and dang, you're in business!

 

Sorry for your loss.

Lots of cars out there, some pretty interesting coupes out there. I agree that the Audi has reliability issues and for BMW kind of money you have many choices, not the least of which would be a JCW Roadster.

 

Thanks Guys! Man is my upper back ever sore. Mild concussion too.. but thankfully no broken bones to report! I'm still not sure how the old lady faired.. but I did see her walking at the hospital.. so her injuries must have been similar/minor.

I have to be honest, the look of all the other mini models, beside the original(like my r56 and the 53 before it) are not my cup of tea. The Countryman is heinous and IMHO drastically underpowered. Although I dont 'mind' the clubman The coupe and roadster are lacking in seats and trunk space. I may be convinced to go for a JCW.. but I'd have to find the perfect deal

Ive driven the x1, and while it rides like a champ... I couldnt get over the looks. Whereas I'm a huge fan of the 1 series coupes. I'd consider the 128, but would end up kicking myself for choosing the lesser of the two and not having those two screws that the 135i has. Again.. optioned the way I want its right at the top of the my price range

I still havent driven the audis.. but that is a very very common drivetrain and there are seemingly endless aftermarket and performance options for the 2.0T ! I did however sit in the new s4 at this years auto show and liked the fit of the seats and the overall finish.. even though it would be reaching just out of my price range.. I'd have to opt for an A4

What else is there? The Infiniti g37 sedan and coupe are priced high.. but sound and look great..

I wasnt enthralled with any of the offerings from Nissan, 'Yota, Mazda, Acura/Honda, Lexus or any of the North American rides. Plus was told by the lady that the WRX and EVO are both emasculated boys cars...

 

Good luck, and condolences on the mini that gave its life to save you. Cant't really ask anymorr from any plane/car! I hsve seen a few minis that looked barely scratched from a bit of front-end dammage, almost 0 body dammage get totaled out....so safe to say it is gone...
All the mentioned cars seem decent, but the 3series coupemight be a more viable alternative than the 1 for a few reasons....i'd look at it just to copare..does have a bit more size, but usable space...the 1 series seems tiny on the inside imo even compared to the mini...handing is divine...but beyond the small hardcore enthuthist crowd, it will be a pretty rare car...i'd check to see if a roller bag will fit in the back..on the gen1 mini, one fit perfectly in the trunk.....and the FWD was nice to have to get out of parking spaces after a week of getting plowed in....

 

Too true! i'm gonna post up a few pics I snagged with the phone at the body shop. They dont show it, but my flamespoke wheels are ALL bent, all four tires have gashes needing replacement and the bi-xenon headlight assemblies are smashed up.

It truly amazes me how well these cars are put together though.

I may check out a 3 series as well. Anyone have any experience with the Xdrive in the sedans??

edited to add a few pics..

 

First off - I am glad you are okay. Looking at the pictures the car looks less damaged than I had imagined. It still is most likely a total given the repair costs today.

As for where to go from here the first question I would ask is will you buy new or used. This make a difference as the not all cars depreciate at the same rate. I for one don't think the JCW's hold there value all that well despite the upgrade being a fairly major. If you are going to buy a used car you can likely pick up a 2 or 3 year old used JCW for maybe 2K above what you might spend on a MCS.

I admit some people like a change of venue each time they buy a car but I seem to stick to one car for a while. When I do switch however my auto pendulum swings a long way. After almost 10 years of driving a Porsche Cayenne S I switched to a MINI Clubman JWC. I loved the Cayenne but I was bored and wanted a change. I am very happy with the Clubman.

In any case I am glad you are okay and good luck in whatever you decide.