I can't tell you that you should or shouldn't do it because I don't know your situation, but I will suggest that if you do lower your car, do it right. Spend the money to get good components for your suspension. My last car was an Accord that had been lowered by the previous owner and the springs were just cut. It was a very bouncy ride and I kept bottoming out constantly. I had an abnormally large number of repairs and I suspect much of it was due to the car constantly hitting the ground. The nightmare culminated when one of my rear struts snapped and I had to replace the suspension on all four corners of the car. I had them replace everything with stock components and the car rode a lot better even though it didn't really look as good. So it's just a question of whether you want to worry about every little curb and speed bump you go over and whether you can afford the wear and tear on the car. I learned my lesson, but for some it's worth the trouble. You just gotta do what is best for you.

 

to not buy a used car with cut springs and missing bumpstops?

just get some H-Sports and FSD's on the newer MINI's (04+ with
soft dampers) and you're all set. for the earlier models like
mine, the factory dampers do pretty well.