So i'm in the market for a car with better gas mileage than my mazdaspeed3. I love the power in my baby, and she is a torque monster, butttt at 21 mpg average and gas prices continually on the rise, i was strongly considering a mini. I was origially aiming for an r53 with not too high of miles, but am considering some cheaper used r56's i've seen. Ideally I'd like to find something around 14k or less. I am likely gonna trade my mazda in, hoping to get about 13k, owe 8 on it. I still have my eye on a few r53 jcw's that are 11.9 and 12.9k for decent mileage (74 and 60k). I just cant decided if it's worth the increase in price to try and find a newer mini, with around similar miles, possibly slightly less.
Any advice/input would be appreciated. I also considered a clubman s if the price is right but they seem very hard to find in my price range.

 

Where are you at?

 

I know of about 3 or 4 07 r56 MCS for between $13k and $14k here in the Oceanside, Ca area

 

sorry, i'm on the east coast. delaware to be specific. I guess i just gotta get out and drive a few to find out what I really prefer. My main reason for trading in my car is mpg and also cheaper car insurance wouldn't hurt, but i hear a lotta people on here complaining about how many problems these cars have as mileage wears on, especially because of how costly out of warranty repairs are, and so i'm wondering if it's worth it to trade in my mazda that has 49k miles and seemingly no issues and not known to run into many down the road.

 

Don't know where in DE you are but here is a few low mileage ones

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=3&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=7&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=13&Log=0

 

Thanks Bram, yeah it's gonna have to be a stick. can't drive an auto, just no fun it that. I've see a few I like that I would be willing to travel for the right price. I'm not afraid to go about 2 hours 1 way but obviously if I can find a good option closer that would be ideal. Mainly right now I have my eye on 2 jcw's, 1 is an 03, with about 73k, under 12,000, also there is one pretty far that is an 06 jcw with about 60k for pretty close to the same price, also there is an 08 mcs with 70k miles, that from the pics has a strut tower brace as well as aftermarket intake, they want about 13.9k, i just don't know if getting an r53 jcw will really net much gain in the mpg dept tho, as now i'm averaging about 22.3 based on my obc. I know the newer ones are rated much higher so that's why i was leaning towards a newer one. keep in mind my car now is a torque monster, 263 hp, but 280 lb/ft and i have a feeling even the jcw might leave me missing a little of that pull i'm used to

 

I average around town 28mpg and when crusiing the highway around 33.1mpg on my OBC. If I drive it hard I see 26-27mpg. So no worries there. Go for a 05-06 as most of the problems with the older ones were worked out.
Trust me you will see the fun and you won't think twice about the Mazda3speed. Throw the MINI into some twisties and say bye bye to the 3.

 

thanks

can anyone tell if this is a true jcw
http://www.jonathanmotorcars.com/200...160840446.veh#

after reading on here, it seems like someone could have just bought the jcw intercooler diverter and not actually had a true jcw. also i see the red calipers, but aren't they bigger on a jcw?

 

It only has the jcw intercooler diverter, the calipers are painted and the exhaust tips are the regular S tips. So I doubt it is a JCW.
Only on the front. I dont see any emblems anywhere either. The valve cover does not have the JCW serial number plate. So chances are it is not.

 

Nope not a JCW,

Brake calipers seem anodized red, aka pinkish, not painted like the regular JCW brake kit, the JCW's also say JCW on them, these are conveniently covered, and yes the JCW ones are slightly bigger than the regular MCS ones.
Exhaust is a regular MCS exhaust, not the JCW, also, if I remember correctly, the intake on the JCW is a slightly different shape than on the stock MINI, and where it says MINI on the valve cover it should say something about JCW with the kit number.

 

If you were any closer, i'd definitely consider buying that mazdaspeed off of you btw :P
But alas, my Mini is way older/has way too many miles..

 

yeah, i still can't decide if i wanna get rid of it lol. I will surely have to test drive a few minis soon to find out if i truly am done with her. I like the extra cargo space to throw a few bikes or snowboards in and still be able to have 3 people in my car, that won't be happening in a mini lol

 

I have a new JCW and am averaging 29 mpg. Had an 07 Speed3 w/ 300/300 at the wheels and can say I prefer the MINI. IMO theres a limit on power that a FWD car should have and can handle And like said already it's more fun in the twistys!.

 

Im a little out of your price range possibly,,, but buy mine , Ill drive up there .I have some friends up that way,,, I miss those Amish market sandwiches too.....

 

I would encourage you to look farther away to find the "right" car, whatever that might mean to you. I bought my 2006 MCS JCW from a NAM member in Miami, and I live in Maine. The car had 23k miles on it when I bought it and was immaculate and the color, options and mileage I wanted. Plus I had the benefit of a 1600+ mile get acquainted drive.

But first drive the first and second generation cars and see which, if either you prefer. I have not driven a R56 but people who have driven both say they drive quite differently.

And if you do decide to buy out of state and you would like some pointers then let me know.

Good luck.

 

Just to give you food for thought before you make the plunge, don't forget it's not just the "Problems" that are expensive that you have to deal with. You will also have some normal maintenance items on a higher mileage vehicle and they also tend to be a bit more expensive on the MINI. Check into clutch maintenance for starters since you are looking for a manual transmission.

It's something to take into consideration when looking for a replacement vehicle, especially in your situation looking for better mpgs. What you save on gas, you might end up spending elsewhere. And depending on how far off you are from being paid off on your present vehicle should come into consideration as well. It's way easier to drive a paid off vehicle that gets poor gas mileage than to bump up to marginally better mpg's and pick up a payment.

In my situation I had an F150 and with my 60 mile round trip commute I figured I had to do at least 2x the mpg to make it worth while. Considering I was getting about 16mpg on it, the MINI fit the bill perfectly.

However, if you are just itching for something new and looking for a fun car and are willing to deal with whatever financial issues come along, you couldn't ask for a better car. A Miata would be a good one too but I see you considering cargo space, so like me, who needed a back seat for my kiddo, the MINI is the car to have I think. And as said, once you hit some back road curves, you'll grin from ear to ear in your new MINI.

 

Thanks for the input, and yeah I've def considered the maintenance factor because after all, it is a bmw product. I owe about 8k on my car and so i am ok with picking up a similar payment, my insurance will actually be about 50-100 bucks cheaper/mo, so i will save some money on that and that will kinda offset if i have to take a little larger payment/mo. I have considered spending a tad more to get a certified preowned to help with those "issues" getting a used car.