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I kinda like the yellow roof, and it's nicely done. I suspect not a jcw cylinder head, and maybe not even an S? Had it been presented as a Justa with neat mods I would say the price is a bargain, but the misleading claims just leave me with a bad taste. But it sure looks clean and well cared for.
I kinda like the yellow roof, and it's nicely done. I suspect not a jcw cylinder head, and maybe not even an S? Had it been presented as a Justa with neat mods I would say the price is a bargain, but the misleading claims just leave me with a bad taste. But it sure looks clean and well cared for.
Wow you don't think it's even an S? Ouch... Ya we thought it looked like a super clean car but the..."Oh and I should tell you's" just started stacking too high.
Disagree on not being S-spec W11 due to engine bay clues (intercooler plus s-charger horns visible, battery relocated, etc) plus centered exhaust tips vs passenger side outlet on justa. Regardless, agreed on passing due to distance and the unknown history and modification details. Good luck on your continued search!
Couple more shots of the car. Whoever had it did a few things to it. I don't think the current owner has had it long. Asking price is $5900
Judging off what you said that the owner hasn't had the car for long yet still dumped money into the vehicle in the exhaust and strut brace and stuff, I would personally stay away from this one. There is a lot of question marks on it and it is a little too much risk for me personally. Maybe as a track build all this wouldn't matter except whether there had been an accident cause you obv dont want a crooked cooper.
Judging off what you said that the owner hasn't had the car for long yet still dumped money into the vehicle in the exhaust and strut brace and stuff, I would personally stay away from this one. There is a lot of question marks on it and it is a little too much risk for me personally. Maybe as a track build all this wouldn't matter except whether there had been an accident cause you obv dont want a crooked cooper.
I'm not sure when the parts came into play. Could have been the previous owner, who sounds like he was the original owner.
I think this guy may just be a hobbyist car trader honestly...
Wow you don't think it's even an S? Ouch... Ya we thought it looked like a super clean car but the..."Oh and I should tell you's" just started stacking too high.
Really appreciate everyone's input!! Thank you!
Let me back up on that one, I agree with MCS4, would be an awful lot of trouble to put a supercharger and head on a justa motor. Prob an S but I do question the head being jcw. Funny, if it had been advertised as an S I'd be all over it for the price. As it is, let it simmer a week or so and offer $3500. The current owner might've paid even less and may take the money and run. Check compression and for coolant leaks and evidence of running hot before making an offer.
Let me back up on that one, I agree with MCS4, would be an awful lot of trouble to put a supercharger and head on a justa motor. Prob an S but I do question the head being jcw. Funny, if it had been advertised as an S I'd be all over it for the price. As it is, let it simmer a week or so and offer $3500. The current owner might've paid even less and may take the money and run. Check compression and for coolant leaks and evidence of running hot before making an offer.
Definitely advertised as a JCW. And the current owner took in on on trade for something else. He got it for his son who apparently wanted a truck. I dunno...lots to unpack here.
I used bimmer.work to run the vin. It is not a JCW and started life with a white roof and side mirrors. I had contacted the seller because I was extremely suspect of the JCW claim. They pretty much ignored my questions and said I should drive the 3+ hours to see it.
I used bimmer.work to run the vin. It is not a JCW and started life with a white roof and side mirrors. I had contacted the seller because I was extremely suspect of the JCW claim. They pretty much ignored my questions and said I should drive the 3+ hours to see it.
Hard pass.
Oh my gosh thank you so much for posting that! It always pays to follow your gut on these things, doesn't it?
It was the "special edition" claims he was making that was the most suspect for me. Then it just kinda snowballed from there.
I My 2 cents…. It’s an S. Some mods, yellow painted roof. It’s a fair price - I think a bit high. I’d start at 5K. Rear seat delete was a thing. Kits were sold to do the floor nice. It does not look like a hack job.
I used bimmer.work to run the vin. It is not a JCW and started life with a white roof and side mirrors. I had contacted the seller because I was extremely suspect of the JCW claim. They pretty much ignored my questions and said I should drive the 3+ hours to see it.
Hard pass.
Would the vin search reflect a dealer installed JCW kit? I think all the r53 jcw's were dealer installed or could be installed by the owner? Maybe the dealer could amend the vin info? I have no idea but I'd like to know...
The car did look clean and I'm sure it's a hoot, but I just don't like it when people misrepresent things. If you don't know, you don't know.
But to literally say it has a yellow roof and no rear seats cause it'd a "special edition car" is a flat out lie. The price is cheap and we could have taken a chance with it. But ultimately, I didn't want to buy from someone like that.
Glad we waited too because we're picking up an R58 JCW next week with 80k miles, from an enthusiast who owns 3 Mini's and is absolutely meticulous! Was able to run carfax, etc and the service history is top notch. Everything happens for a reason...
Nice R58 That R53 could be a legit JCW, I see the rev limiter is just below 7000rpm, it appears to have original JCW exhaust and although the intercooler cover is just a cover, someone cared enough to put a billet aluminum coolant reservoir in there. The lack of a JCW serial number plate could be the result of a new valve cover, they're easier to replace in-full versus swapping the equally expensive bolt set (which is the failure point there) and pulling the thin aluminum placard free from the old cover to mend onto a brand new one, just isn't worth the risk of compromising the new cover. It looks like someone replaced the rear hatch with a yellow one and was either a Rams fan or a Blue Angels fan and had the white roof and spoiler painted to match (without a first-hand look it's hard to say). The wheels and hub are 4-lug and only look like 5-lug because the low resolution image is distorting the empty, second set of 4-lug holes on the wheel. The seller is probably the 3rd or 4th owner and probably received greatly diminished facts about the MINI's real story from someone who flipped the car his way from the original owner. The white-wall tires are interesting, but as it stands, that MINI was probably well cared for and just needs a host of small repairs that add up to a lot and that's probably why the vibe is sketchy. There is a lot to speculate when the facts go missing over time, but without a hands-on inspection, speculation is the best we can do here. Good luck with that new Paceman, looks like a ton of fun!
Last edited by Whisky B; Mar 31, 2024 at 05:07 AM.
Reason: added context
OOOOh! That's too cool! That would be my fav Mini other than the r53. Good job!
Thanks! Looking forward to bringing it home!
Originally Posted by MCS4FUN
Very cool - congrats!
I very much like White Silver as was my former R56. Getrag or Steptronic?
Getrag! 😁
Here's the window sticker options in case anyone is interested... Only "issue" is it's the N14, but we do our own wrenching and can tackle most anything that comes up. Not to mention the maintenance has been impeccable, which we'll continue with of course!
Nice R58 That R53 could be a legit JCW, I see the rev limiter is just below 7000rpm, it appears to have original JCW exhaust and although the intercooler cover is just a cover, someone cared enough to put a billet aluminum coolant reservoir in there. The lack of a JCW serial number plate could be the result of a new valve cover, they're easier to replace in-full versus swapping the equally expensive bolt set (which is the failure point there) and pulling the thin aluminum placard free from the old cover to mend onto a brand new one, just isn't worth the risk of compromising the new cover. It looks like someone replaced the rear hatch with a yellow one and was either a Rams fan or a Blue Angels fan and had the white roof and spoiler painted to match (without a first-hand look it's hard to say). The wheels and hub are 4-lug and only look like 5-lug because the low resolution image is distorting the empty, second set of 4-lug holes on the wheel. The seller is probably the 3rd or 4th owner and probably received greatly diminished facts about the MINI's real story from someone who flipped the car his way from the original owner. The white-wall tires are interesting, but as it stands, that MINI was probably well cared for and just needs a host of small repairs that add up to a lot and that's probably why the vibe is sketchy. There is a lot to speculate when the facts go missing over time, but without a hands-on inspection, speculation is the best we can do here. Good luck with that new Paceman, looks like a ton of fun!
You're probably right on most everything you said..However, the first error was advertising it as a 2005 when he has the title that shows 2004. And don't say it's the yellow roof and rear seat delete is because it's a "special edition." It's just misrepresentation plain and simple. But you're probably right about the car being well cared for. It just didn't give us the confidence to drive 7 hours round trip.
That R53 could be a legit JCW, I see the rev limiter is just below 7000rpm, it appears to have original JCW exhaust and although the intercooler cover is just a cover, someone cared enough to put a billet aluminum coolant reservoir in there. The lack of a JCW serial number plate could be the result of a new valve cover, they're easier to replace in-full versus swapping the equally expensive bolt set (which is the failure point there) and pulling the thin aluminum placard free from the old cover to mend onto a brand new one, just isn't worth the risk of compromising the new cover. It looks like someone replaced the rear hatch with a yellow one and was either a Rams fan or a Blue Angels fan and had the white roof and spoiler painted to match (without a first-hand look it's hard to say). The wheels and hub are 4-lug and only look like 5-lug because the low resolution image is distorting the empty, second set of 4-lug holes on the wheel. The seller is probably the 3rd or 4th owner and probably received greatly diminished facts about the MINI's real story from someone who flipped the car his way from the original owner. The white-wall tires are interesting, but as it stands, that MINI was probably well cared for and just needs a host of small repairs that add up to a lot and that's probably why the vibe is sketchy. There is a lot to speculate when the facts go missing over time, but without a hands-on inspection, speculation is the best we can do here. Good luck with that new Paceman, looks like a ton of fun!
