Hello,

I am on the verge of buying a used 2012 jcw n14 manual with no harman kardon sound system or visual boost.

I would like to ask if hk is superior to have over regular sound system And does having screen actually gives any benefit like checking fault codes and stuff.

Car has fairly low mileage (15k) and is very clean. So i don't want to miss it if those things doesn't matter that much.

It's going to be my first mini, hopefully.

Thank you

 

My 2 cents - if you listen to any music I'd recommend the HK over the base stereo, it would cost much more to upgrade later down the line. Sure it's not a Burmeister or anything but it's good for what it is and I don't feel the need to upgrade.

Re: visual boost, I would get it because I think you can't get bluetooth audio without it. For fault codes I think the same info you can find in the tach computer generally (won't have the nice UI).

Car looks very clean, but if you can find a 2013 with the updated N18 engine that is more likely to last you much longer than the problematic N14.

 

I agree with you on the HK - my 2011 JCW has it, and it's pretty good. You don't need the visual boost for bluetooth, though. There are a bunch of aftermarket plug-in adapters you can get for under $100. I have the Bovee Bluetooth Car Kit and it works great.

 

I would love to get n18 also but we only received like 2 pieces Nation wide with n18 manual and I really want the stick :D except gp2 but their price range doesn't make any sense nowadays. Next best thing I can get is n18 auto

 

I prefer upgraded stereo over HK any day.

 

Thank you thank you. HK is a good selling point but there are very nice boutique aftermarket systems which will make HK sound like standart and they do it without chopping car in half.