I'm in the market for a CM.


I'm considering two options...


1) a used 11/12 model with under 30k miles and then mod it for some suspension and speed


2) new jcw 14 CM, nothing needed to be added


If you were starting from scratch, which would you do? Personal preference for sure, but just help!

 

The '11 & '12 had some bugs (clutch was a big one) that were worked out by the time you get to '13 & '14's and a JCW will be easier to sell than a modded MINI down the road. My vote would be for going with a '14.

 

You can make a case either way , I agree a JCW will be easier to sell down the road , on the other hand if the Mods are not too extreme or you can put it back , it may also be sellable , I have a manual and I expect to have a rough time selling vs automatic. A new JCW will cost $$$ and there will always be the temptation to Mod.Also new version is coming , in a few years and that may impact resale as well. I've decided to keep mine for a while make a few simple Mods and see where things are in a few years

 

I've got an 11/ALL4 manual that has the clutch upgrade (hopefully they all are done by now). I've driven the JCW since, and it has more power, stiffer ride, and less ground clearance. For me, that's not where I'm going. I had the chance to change versions a while back and decided to keep this one (I'm at 40+K now).

You might want to get a response from Kyle Conner who has done a lot with a similar car and can speak from experience (Facebook).

 

hmmmm. several things to consider here:

*as others have said. some of the 11 /12 owners were unfortunate enough to have issues that were worked out in production by 2013, thanks in part to their persistence in dealing with Mini to get the issues resolved. So you would want to make sure a used one had these items taken care of.

*Someone mentioned Kyle. The dude has a seriously modified and fantastic CMS. If you are planning to take your CM to that level, I would suggest you bypass a factory JCW as that will not satisfy your needs. You will, at a minimum, be putting in numerous upgrades since, for example, the JCW factory sport suspension can't hang with what Kyle has

*We chose the JCW for a few reasons:
- heavy duty clutch
-brake upgrades
-numerous motor upgrades (more power, peak power achieved higher in the rev band, overboost feature, modified cylinder head, strengthened piston side faces, etc). The power delivery with the JCW is different than the "S", and I prefer it, but that's just a preference, neither is right or wrong.
-a minor consideration was the aero package. We really like the "minimalist" approach they took to it. Not overdone, no spoilers or sideskirts hanging off the body. Everything is tucked in nice and tight, providing an aggressive stance to the car.
-sport suspension was included in the package.

Now, having said that, I did add a couple of very inexpensive pieces to get that last bit of suspension stiffness we wanted: front tower brace/bar and a thicker rear ASB (22mm thick vs. the stock JCW 19mm)