2004 MINI Cooper S JCW, CR/W/W. NEW PRICE - $19,300 this is firm and I am not planning on going any lower. If it doesn't sell I will simply continue to enjoy it for several more years. Only selling because my GP will be arriving in about 3 to 4 weeks!!!!!!

******Pictures below********

The Basics: Includes H/K upgrade, Sport package No2, and the multi-function steering wheel (can't live without now!!). Anthracite dash and space cloth seats on the inside. Aux input installed in the glove compartment (I preferred the discrete location). Currently riding on Kosei K1s (white) with Bridgestone Potenzas (about 40-50% tread left); these will be included with the car. A second set of white Kosei K1s loaded with Falken Azenis is also available for an additional $400. One of the Azenis has a small leak (about 2 lbs a day). Both sets of Kosei’s also have a few small scuffs here and there; they look great but are not perfect. Both sets ride fantastic (well balanced).

Maintenance: The car has been well maintained. The oil is changed every 3,000 to 5,000 miles; always with the recommended weight/viscosity. I have used Mobile 1, AMSOIL, and Castrol full synthetic. OEM filters are replaced with every oil change. I did replace the spark plugs with Iridiums at about 70k miles. No reason, I just prefer changing before there is a problem.

The only wear is from the inevitable (but hated) rock chips and one small scuff mark on the rear bumper (never figured that one out). There are no door dings (and darn proud of that)!!!!! I Zaino’d the car several times and it still has a great (showroom) shine.

Mods: The only mods I ever performed were a BMP intake, a BMP front strut brace, an H-sport rear sway bar, and a rear-seat delete. I decided to remove them and sell them separately. I’m only sharing this so the potential buyer knows exactly what I’ve done.

Other: I did autocross the car about 6 or 7 times. Each time it was done carefully, but I wouldn’t try to pretend I wasn’t trying to go fast. I wasn’t (and don’t any other time) drop the clutch or ride/feather it on take off. Shifts were clean and I don’t grind ‘em. I would consider the autocross time as less abusive then many people out on the street.

The MINI does have 75k miles on it. If you look back at my early posts, you’ll see that when I first bought the MINI I lived in Arkansas and commuted to work in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The commute was highway/tollroad and about 180 miles roundtrip. So, the high miles are all highway and not the harsher city miles. Since moving to Tulsa late last year I have only put on about 10,000 miles.

Finally: I think that’s about everything. I have tried to provide every detail that would be useful, but please ask any questions you want. I can also provide high res pictures of anything you’re interested in.

Thanks for looking!!!
Tim

 

Okay, I admit, it has not been raining for two weeks. But that's how the past few weeks has been. It was nice out today so I got the MINI shined up and finally took a few pictures.

One thing I didn't previously mention was the nice window tint. Not certain on the percent, but it's legal here in Oklahoma.



....and one from the other side.


A typical wheel/rim condition picture......


The scuff mark on the rear bumber .....


The interior.....


I nice front end picture.....


.....and one of my all time favorites when coming back from 2 day drive through NW Arkansas .


So, please make an offer or send some opinions or ideas my way. I love this darn car but with the GP coming it has to go.

A few other small details that I have thought.
- The car is always garaged at home and at work.
- New windshield 5 days ago. It had a crack and I just wanted to be sure everything was perfect.
- The only 'repair' work ever done was under warranty and included:
(a) replaced shift linkage due to rattling;
(b) new fuel pump diagnosed because of poor morning starts (long cranking).
- The car has never had any cold morning start problems, stumble, yo-yo, etc. It runs fantastic!!!!
- I get 26 to 29 mpg no matter on every tank. I did a test once and never went over 3,000 rpm and never accelarated quickly for an entire tank of gas (never again!!!!) and I got 31 mpg.

Please buy my car. My GP is only 3 weeks away!!!!!!

 

...tap...tap....tap....Hello?....Is this thing on? Anyone?

 

Hmmmmm.......200+ reads and not even one response. I did check through the last three pages of car ads and it seems that I have an appropriate starting price considering this is higher miles than others. Any thoughts or suggestions?? Sadly, if my MCS doesn't sell for a reasonable price I will have to pass on my incoming GP .

 

This is a super-nice car. I can personally vouch for Tim and the meticulous care he gives his vehicles. Great way to get into a JCW!!!

If my MINI wasn't so darn famous and everything, I would buy it!!!

 

The problem I'll bet is the 75K miles, I'd guess you'll have to drop asking price to under 20K to get any interest even with the JCW. What's the dealer offerring in trade, about 15 or 16? I'd spin the numbers and see if you could make those figures work for you if you really want the GP. I'd never give up my back seat, but I am a family man.

 

They offerred $14,500. I really like my MA and she had nothing to do with deciding the trade-in value, but I felt like I seriously wasted my time going in there with a low-ball offer like that. I know the miles hurt, but it only proves this car runs great and I don't know of any high milage issues/problems with the MINI. They typically have issues from the start (stumble, yoyo, burning to the ground) or just run great with no problems.

Thanks for the input though, as the date gets closer I may consider updating with a final, firm, low cost price.

 

Yep - it's definitely the miles. I ran the car through Edmunds.com with the options I could see and in "outstanding" condition and got a trade-in value of $14.8K; private sale price: $16.4K; and dealer price: $17.9K. The mileage alone is a $2000 hit. Unfortunately, they do not have an option for the JCW package, which I think is wrong.

KBB.com is similar, although the option choices are not as clear. Again - no JCW.

At least it's not leased... :impatient

Seriously... it seems like MINI's are not exactly moving right now... So if you have a "final" price in mind, you may be better off getting it out there now.

 

Thanks a lot!! I do think this shows that the starting price is reasonable if you consider the JCW at about half-off the original cost. I guess it just comes down to the waiting game now. Expect a few more bumps for this one!

 

You may feel that way, but if no one is calling, then no one is calling...

 

New FIRM price listed in first post! I am not planning on negotiating any lower, as this is what it is worth to me. I realize this doesn't garauntee a sale, but it does garauntee I wont kick my own butt for two or three years, dissapointed that I sold it for too little. A new car would be nice, but I do love this car and will be happy with it even if it means giving up the GP.

I am willing to work with someone on delivery within 5 to 6 hours. I can always turn it into a short vacation.

I also realized last night that I have the original set of white S-lites packed in boxes in the garage. I know the tires on it are shot but I need to look again to see the condition of the rims, as my son had them on his Honda for a while (and they looked pretty cool there!). They will be included if wanted.

Thanks for looking again!!!

 

I'll bet you start getting inquires now with the 19.3K price. Stand firm @19K. GOOD LUCK.

 

I wish you luck in selling but dont expect one penny for the JCW.

Average Joe Smoe could care less.

Mileage is a killer.

 

Well, the dealer made it clear yesterday that when the GP arrives I either get it then or I'm out of luck. There will be no 1-week holding times while I try to sell my car. So, contact me now if you're remotely interested, otherwise this MINI will be off the market soon.

As for the dealer not even giving me a few extra days to sell my car and get the GP........well, that may be for another thread sometime. For now I'll just chalk it up to 'It wasn't meant to be'.

 

Take the trade-in price if you are getting the GP @MSRP, they already have appreciated in value by at least $4K.

 

Either that or sell your GP spot? [Stands back and looks at opened can of worms . . . ]

 

Yeah, I've been reading that thread also! I haven't added on opinion, because it's just that, an opinion. But for me, I thought about it (some know I considered it!!!) and decided it's not appropriate or worth the effort. If I can't afford it then it's not mine to sell. Not looking for any new off-shoots of the other thread, this only applies to my slot and my personal opinion.

 

Well, it's not that I can't afford to get the GP. But with every purchase (ok, maybe not a can of soup or anything like that) I determine what the value is to me. I also balance the benefits (intangible or not) and decide if dropping X dollars each month is worth it. In this case, I have decided what my limit is. Between the low trade-in value of only $14,500 and the dealer mark-up of $2,500 over MSRP, that's too large a gap for me to be comfortable with. I simply wont enjoy the GP enough (versus my JCW) to balance out the cost.

It's starting to look like someone will fall into a good deal with GP0491. But, there's still a little time.......hopefully.....please!!!!!!!

 

Weekend bump!!! Ready to sell!!!! Contact me for more pictures, any questions, etc.

Thanks for looking!!!
Tim

 

With the market as it is, and 75K miles on the old one, my advice is to dump the old car. Suck it up and get the GP. $14.5K is actually a fair tradein value. JCW is worth nothing.

Just think ... which one would you rather have

Old car ... 75K miles. New car .... 0 miles, more HP?

 

Now on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...QQcmdZViewItem

Time is short!!

 

Similar to other sentiments expressed here, I would like to share a recent post on the OKMIMI.com site where I also have this car for sale:

Below is the response I provided which I thought also addressed several of the comments in this post.

Buying a used car is a difficult proposition and you are faced with trusting information from people you don't know. Often the factual information wins out, such as fewest miles, but these days cars last a long time assuming they are well cared for. A car with 20,000 miles that has been thrashed and trashed will never last as long for a second owner as a very well cared for car with 75,000 miles.

There is little more that I can offer to provide you or anyone else the confidence that this car has been well cared for and has been 100% trouble free. In the end it is your own level of comfort that will guide you to a final decision.

Let me know if you are interested in looking at the car and give yourself a chance to compare it to anything else you've driven.

Thanks!

 

I've been watching this car because it is nearly identical to "dream" MINI's I have built on MINIUSA in the past... so I'm curious to see how much it eventually sells for.
However, there is one big problem with a car like this that hasn't been touched on.

Financing.

Simply put, very few of us have $19K in cash sitting around to buy a new car. And those that do, tend to actually have more and will simply order a new car rather than looking at used ones. So, what's left is those of us who have to finance their car purchase. And there is the problem. You call your bank and give them the VIN of the car you want. They say, "we think the car is worth $X so we'll lend you $Y to buy it," or something like that, and the buyer has to come up with the rest. And therein lies the problem. And a tough one.

Unfortunately, a car like this would be a "toy" for me and I refuse to finance "toys" anymore and it will be a long time before I can have $19K saved up. And as much as I love the MINIs, if I did have $19K sitting around to buy a toy car, I'm not sure I'd chose an MCS.

In a way, I know how you feel. I have over 102K miles on my current '03 VW TDI. I've maintained it to the letter and it is in excellent condition. More than a few times, I've considered trading it in on a new/used MCS. However, with the amount of miles I drive, the TDI is worth more to me than I'd ever get for it in trade - despite the car actually having better value retention than even MINIs (nice part about getting a good deal for a "hot" car just before they get "hot' - I've never been upside-down on the loan despite a minimal down payment). So... for better or worse I'm stuck with it... Not always so bad... I still enjoy the car's 45-50 mpg.

I do wish you luck and hope you can find a buyer and get the GP, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking the $14.5K the dealer is offering on trade may be your best bet.

...and try not to put so many miles on the GP.

 

The GP has arrived at the dealer and this will be the last chance!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Top 10 reasons I'm glad my MINI didn't sell:
10) I will never be worried about having spent too much on the GP.:impatient
9) Can't wait to add that $1,000 deposit back into my checking account!!!
8) When another car I can't live without shows up in 1 year, I wont feel locked into another car.
7) My MINI already has that dreaded first (and second, and third,....) rock chip . No fretting over the first one again!
6) I KNOW my car has no problems. I don't have to worry about any new issues!
5) More money left for the Spec Miata that's waiting to be built from my '97.
4) My wife feels bad about it......there's got to be some value for that!!!
3) Chili Red is the fastest color anyway!
2) NO CAR PAYMENTS!!!
1) Who needs a GP anyway. Way too fast and fun for my needs!!

My MINI is now off the market. I will go back to enjoying the heck out of it, driving it in the rain and not worrying about having to detail it right away, and I can take that ugly "For Sale" sign off it!!!!

Thanks for everyone's comments, questions, etc. It didn't turn out as I would have liked. But it's hard to complain when I get to drive home this evening in a very cool MINI MCS JCW!!!!