Hey all, haven't posted on NAM for such a long time.

I have a 05 MCS that I bought new, the car that went along my side through my college years, grad school years and a couple more years while I began my career.

Between then and now, a NA Miata (Gone), Fiat Abarth (Gone) and 128i (Still here) happened to take up the daily duty.

Since I decided to retire MINI from daily duty, I began my stripping & refresh of the car to turn her into a track toy.

Picked up new DSS axles, all new front bushing related pieces, Meister R Coilover shipped over from UK, oil pan gasket, ported & refinished M45 S/C, A/C removal properly done with OEM delete kit, Mishimoto radiator, Recaro SPG driver seat and a few other pieces.

Putting all those pieces took me about 1.5 years of being lazy, avoiding any winter works, etc...

Now everything that I purchased has been put together but a few other things are still due (At least, I would like to get to it)

I would say it is driveable / trackable as is but would like to wrap up the rear bushings, some engine gasket refresh... SO I would say about 80% done.

But as time went on, it is hard to be motivated to work on the car. I keep on pushing back to a point where MINI would sit around for a few months, each push back.

Soooooooooo maybe I just need a little motivational words from you guys or financially wise word of "Get rid of it".

The car has 148k miles on it so I believe engine still has some life in it.

Sorry for rambling on about the case but just want to rant & hear your thoughts on keep walking with it or say goodbye to it for good.

Thanks all!

 

you can track a bone stock car fwiw, I have and it's still fun you just wear out tires a little bit faster on the front

put track brake pads in and go to the track

 

Finish it and take it out . I went thru this with a rebuild of a 1990 celica alltrac. I finished it, drove it and decided to sell it. But it was satisfying to finish it up even if I didnt keep it.

 

If is just a track toy, take it to the track to see what you think. If you have a blast in the car as it is, keep it and finish up the other refresh stuff as time and money permits. Strip out the interior to save weight and sell off the stuff that's sellable.

 

I guess its smart to keep it.

I already have a few events with it but not stripped to this point!

i will pick up the pace and put her back on the back road/track

altho my daily 128i with a few goodies done, is funnnn funnn car, I just cannot replicate the feeling of MINI LOL

 

What is the game if you get rid of it?

 

Here on NAM I've seen lots of people say they regret getting rid of their R53. I've only had mine for 2 years, and I recently bought a WRX, so sometimes I think "why keep the R53?"

I guess I'm still enamored with it. I still have a couple more mods planned, and I want to see how it goes. Plus, it's just so damn fun to drive!

I don't want to affect the warranty on the WRX, so I've only done cosmetic mods. The MINI is my outlet for modding.

In conclusion, even though I don't really need the MINI, it's just a gem to have around, to look at and drive. Good conversation starter sometimes, too.

So yeah! My vote is to keep her and have fun until there is a real compelling reason to part ways.

 

It's a fairly simple car and relatively cheap to maintain. If you need a small influx of cash then sell it, but it's not going to depreciate at this point. I bought mine for ~$3k after I subtract the clutch that came with it and it's the same big stats as yours - 05 with 145k on it.

Otherwise I'd actually say take a little break from it. Give it a rest for 6 months and just go start it to keep the battery good. Take it for a drive after 6 months. That'll push you to either finish it or sell it.

 

If you heart is genuinely into enjoying your MCS on the track, you can do that even in the all bone stock form. It should not be all about all the upgrades you have on your car, but rather the challenge on your skill and desire to improve with the car. The first gen Minis are one of the few great and yet extremely affordable modern performance, and drivers' cars.

 

Drive it and evaluate what you've done before doing another mod. So many times, folks do everything at once and then can't put their finger on what's wrong with the set-up. Don't go so radical that it's not reliable.