UPDATE: Bought the car. Thanks NAM!

Hello all. Great forum. I have been lurking for awhile. Anyone up for a few newbie questions today?

I have been considering a Mini cabrio for some time as a summer 3rd car for my family (me, my wife, two boys ages 6 and 8.) I am going to check out a 2005 MCS JCW in Hot Orange this weekend that is for sale locally. It is a private sale car. It has 15k miles on it.


Here are the specs:

Hot Orange Metallic paint, black leatherette w/ Black interior
Combo Sport #2
DSC
Front Fog Lamps
17" alloys
Black and Silver custom bonnet strips
Xenon headlamps w/ power wash
PDC
Harmon Cardon Sound


The "firm" asking price is $25k.

Firstly, is that a reasonable price for a clean one-owner car? I thought it was either reasonable considering it is the only MCSC JCW for sale locally but possibly $2k too high.

Secondly, is there anything about those specs that should concern me? Are they desired? I know the JCW is. I wondered about the rest.

Thirdly, does anyone have pics of a Hot Orange cabrio with black after-market rims on it? I checked recent threads and did a search but could not find one.

If all has gone well I have attached a pic of the car.

Thank you in advance.

Grant in NH.

 

It certainly looks nice.

PDC is standard on a Cabrio, and I'd put it on a tin top just because I like mine.

Looking at the car in the photo I see:

An optional Driving Light assembly and chrome line interior (or at least on the rollbar. I'm not sure what the JCW package cost, but I'm pretty sure it's around 3-4K.
The seats are sport seats, but the leatherette? (I've got the Sunrise Orange seats that kinda match the car.)

The Harmon Kardon sound system is nice (but, I didn't get it).

Does it have MFSW (Multi Function Steering wheel)? I like cruise control on long freeway drives.

Look Below for what KBB says about the car if you lived near me...

Remember this is without the JCW kit...





More Photos
Condition Value Excellent $28,480 Good $26,985 Fair $24,965

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Vehicle Highlights

Mileage: 15,000 Engine: 4-Cyl. Supercharged Transmission: 6 Speed Manual Drivetrain: FWD
Selected Equipment
Change Equipment


Standard
Air ConditioningTilt WheelFront Side Air Bags Power SteeringAM/FM StereoABS (4-Wheel) Power WindowsParking SensorsTraction Control Power Door LocksDual Front Air BagsAlloy Wheels
Optional
Sport PkgMP3 (Single CD)Premium Sound


Blue Book Private Party Value

Private Party Value is what a buyer can expect to pay when buying a used car from a private party. The Private Party Value assumes the vehicle is sold "As Is" and carries no warranty (other than the continuing factory warranty). The final sale price may vary depending on the vehicle's actual condition and local market conditions. This value may also be used to derive Fair Market Value for insurance and vehicle donation purposes.

Vehicle Condition Ratings
Check Vehicle Title History
Excellent
$28,480
"Excellent" condition means that the vehicle looks new, is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. This vehicle has never had any paint or body work and is free of rust. The vehicle has a clean title history and will pass a smog and safety inspection. The engine compartment is clean, with no fluid leaks and is free of any wear or visible defects. The vehicle also has complete and verifiable service records. Less than 5% of all used vehicles fall into this category.
Good
$26,985
"Good" condition means that the vehicle is free of any major defects. This vehicle has a clean title history, the paint, body and interior have only minor (if any) blemishes, and there are no major mechanical problems. There should be little or no rust on this vehicle. The tires match and have substantial tread wear left. A "good" vehicle will need some reconditioning to be sold at retail. Most consumer owned vehicles fall into this category.
Fair
$24,965
"Fair" condition means that the vehicle has some mechanical or cosmetic defects and needs servicing but is still in reasonable running condition. This vehicle has a clean title history, the paint, body and/or interior need work performed by a professional. The tires may need to be replaced. There may be some repairable rust damage.

 

Man, if that thing were anywhere near me, I'd fight you for it. That's the exact car I'm thinking about ordering.

 

THOMB, Thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful post.

FelixFH40, Good thing you do not live near me then. I am old and brittle.

 

You bought it right?

Side note, My Non-S (let alone JCW) was $25k and change new in May of 2005. If I had the chance now to do it over again, you bet your a$$ I'd have a supercharger under the hood (err. I mean bonnet). I think I'd go with this car if I could...

If the planets align for you, welcome to the mix...

 

Actually I am going to see it tomorrow. I will post up after I get back from viewing it and driving it.

 

Looks pretty good to me, but I'm not an expert on used car prices/values. As another comparison: my MC Cabrio was $27k (August 2005) with premium/sport/cold weather pkgs, and CVT transmission.

If you buy this car, be sure to place yourself on our Hot Orange Frappr Map. Click the link in my sig (or ThomB's sig) to get there.

 

Then a MINI may be too much fun for you.

 

Quite possibly. Luckily I am not quite that old nor that brittle yet. I just would not want to have to fight anyone for the right to buy a car. J/k

All kidding aside, I am looking forward to my first ride in a MINI and I am hoping to be impressed.

- Grant

 

OK, I went and saw the MINI today. The car is in excellent condition. I was unable to find any blemishes in the paint. I have to say that Hot Orange looks far better in person than it does in most pics. The color is a lot richer and deeper when you see it live.

The car drove well. It was my first drive in a MINI and I was impressed wth the power and the handling (not that I really pushed it on a test drive with the owner present of course.) You spend a little too much time looking at the tach and the next thing you know you are doing 80 in a 35.

What was surpising to me was how "busy" the top is while driving with it up. There were a lot of squeeks and rattles. Now the roads we were on were not the best quality (lots of uneven pavement and undulations) but I was surpised by this.

Any comments? Is it possible that the top assembly has loosened up over time or is this just to be expected from such a stiff car?

I have driven a few other cabrios but not enough to get a feeling whether the MINI is above or below par in terms of the tightness of the top assembly.

Thanks in advance.

Grant

 

This is my first cabrio, it's louder than my Jetta was, but doesn't bother me.

When I heard a strange sound in my car that I could'nt explain my uncle always told me "Turn up the stereo it'll go away"

Make it a done-deal already...

 

Gotcha, that is the reason for the Harmon Kardon stereo then.

I am going to buy it. It is just too fun a car and it is meant for top down driving anyway. I will post pics once I have it in my driveway.

- Grant

 

Earlier someone said the JCW was about $3-4K, in reality newly installed is around $6K. So the numbers from the KBB look good. Go buy it!!!!

 

I am.

 

exactly why was the top up, anyway? Seriously though, a cabrio's going to be noisier than a tin top, but you'll soon see it's a very worthy trade off!

 

Unfortunately it was 38 degrees and drizzling. I still probably would have put it down for a stretch if I had been alone in the car so I could have a comparison. Unfortunately the owner was not wearing a jacket.

 

Well there's wind noise, and then there's squeaks and rattles. Both my wife's and my 2006 cabrios have the expected wind noise, but no squeaks or rattles, even over fairly rough roads. Of course, our cars only have 5,000-9,000 miles on them, so it may be that the squeaks and rattles haven't started yet.

Regardless, I wouldn't let the noises stop you from buying the car, if you like everything else. Keep it in the back of your mind, though, in case you get the chance to ride in someone else's convertible with the top up so you can compare the two. If yours truly is noiser-than-normal, or you start to develop wear marks on the top fabric, you should mention it to the service advisor and see if they can check/adjust the top's alignment before any damage is done to the fabric.

 

My 2005 has been through 40,000+ miles of Northeast Ohio roads (after winter, they're really bad) and it does have some squeeks. I just live with it (after 6 years in a Ford Probe GT, car noises just blend into the music).

I probably have the white marks everyone talks about, but I live with that too. I'd bet I could get a new top installed if I pushed the issue. Maybe I should just complain this summer, just before the factory warranty runs out, but who knows...

I love my HO cabrio, and my wife is happy we have a car for US. When we need to take the 3 (older) kids, we drive the Chevy Trailblazer (talk about noises and problems you cannot diagnose). We opted for the Mini as our honeymoon rather than a trip to Europe, so it has special meaning to us. (not so much that I'd pass up a great deal on an "S" cabrio to replace it...)

 

I agree with all above. Great car, great price and tons of fun!

Of course we're all assuming that this is a factory install JCW and not post-production partial add-on's by the current owner. However, even if it's a 2005 MCSC and NOT JCW, the price is still within a reasonable range.

Have fun motoring!

 

Well, I bought the MINI and picked it up this past weekend. So far I have put about 300 miles on it between driving it home and using it for two days. It really is a fun car to drive (as if none of you knew that. )

It handles like a go cart and it has enough go power to really take advantage of gaps in traffic. Plus, it has this sort of "I am far too cute to be speeding" thing that seems to keeps cops from noticing as it zips by at 90mph.

I also found that the top is very quiet at high speeds and all the squeeks stopped after I got away from the horrid roads up where I first test drove it. As well the heater comes on like a champion so the car is very cozy even in the cold weather.

I am going to try and not go nuts on the mods (as-if ) but I am going to purchase a set of 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels in all black. I think they will give it a racy look and set off the black bonnet stripes and top very well. Plus, I have been totally unable to find pics yet of a Hot Orange Cabrio with black wheels so I might be a pioneer.

 

that car was well bought. nice work.

RR

 

Thank you.

 

Def. a good buy,
F.Y.I. mine is set up almost exactly the same, purchased brand new, in the midwest, $39,000 and change. 53,000 miles on it right now, no problems what so ever, th only mod so far is the instalation of the Dinan large bore throttle body, which made the throttle response crisper, and the car pull very hard all the way to redline, in all gears (without it I felt that the car would fall off slightly in 3/4/5 at the top-end of the RPM...Not any more)

 

You have a JCW car as well? I am going to look into the throttle body.

I am also considering getting a new head and cam. As well I am going to do the suspension over after I receive my new wheels and tires from Edge (Black Flik 5 spoke 17" wheels with Falkens - never seen black on a Hot Orange car. I think it will look great.)

 

Damn, Haven't even owned it a month and already BIG plans...