I've enjoyed my Mini for almost 3 years, and all good things must come to an end. When I got my Clubman, I didn't have time to order it, and my local dealer swapped the only one on the East Coast like it. My car came with options that I didn't care for, but it is what it is. Fast forward almost 36 months, my lease is up in June. Call me selfish, but I don't know if I'm ready to part with her just yet. If I do get another Clubman, I would order it the way I want it. I really had my heart set on a JCW, but at the time, the pricing was a bit more than I wanted it to be, so I settled on an S. I loved driving my Clubman, but was yearning for a little more. I ended up adding the dealer installed stage 1 JCW upgrade to her. It definitely gave me the little more that I was looking for - BUT, it's still not the same as the factory JCW.

Here's where I'm in my predicament. I'm 90% sure that I don't plan on keeping her after the lease. Not because of anything other than I like to have some change, even if it's the most minute of changes. I'm still undecided if I will get another MINI or not, but it is pretty likely that I may end up ordering a JCW Clubman the way I want it. You guys on NAM appreciate a nice car, and my selfish part that comes in is that I gave her that extra power she needed. If I return her to the bank, it'll probably get sent to a dealer auction where some random dealer will buy the car and sell it to someone who doesn't have a clue or the appreciation for what she really is, and that is an S with the JCW upgrade. I would rather see her in someone's hands that I know will enjoy it for what it is, and share the pleasure that I had with my Clubman with a little more juice. The question is, If I bought out this car after the lease, is there anyone here that would be interested in purchasing the car from me? I hate to see her go, but I want her to be in good hands, and you guys would definitely appreciate her more than anyone else.

She's been good to me, with no major problems. All service has been done at the dealer, of course. The few times she's been in service for unscheduled maintenance was to deal with an issue I had with the shock tower mushrooming, which i've taken care of. The alternator went bad about 18 months ago but was replaced. I had the timing chain/tensioner replaced from the issue everyone had with a cold engine sounding like a diesel, but since it was done (2 years ago about), it hasn't happened again since. I've had the headlamp assembly replaced a few times due to pothole impacts breaking the clips in the height adjustment of the units. NY roads suck! That's really it. Everything else has been perfect with her. She has just under 26k miles right now.

Her condition is great. Very little wear to the interior. I don't smoke, no pets, and 99% of the time I'm alone in the car. Exterior is in great shape. No noticeable dents or dings anywhere. Never been in an accident, never had any panels painted on the car. The front bumper and hood have very few rock chips from normal driving. Small scrapes on the underside of the front bumper from those unavoidable more steep driveway curbs. She needs a detail, which I'll do once the weather warms up. She's been washed every week (sometimes more than once a week!), though there were a few times I couldn't do it and had to wait a few weeks.

Specs are in my signature, but here they are again. Like most other Mini's, this one is unique in it's own way. One thing that surprised me was that it has factory LSD, which I can't recall seeing on many other cars out there:

'09 Clubman S 6 Speed
Dark Silver/Black Top & Caps/Black-Grey Leatherette
JCW Stage 1 Upgrade w/ certificate of authenticity
Premium Package
Cold Weather Package
Sport Package
Limited Slip Differential
Rear Spoiler
Aero Kit
Rain/Light Sensor
Bluetooth
Anthracite Headliner
Dark Grey Color Line
Interior Surface Piano Black
35% Tint All Around
Sport Button Override
Euro OEM Armrest
Side Scuttles changed to black mesh ones
I have 2 sets of wheels, the factory R110 Pace wheels with All-Season Continental Run-Flats, and the JCW R112 Challenge wheels with Dunlop Run-Flats - Not sure what I'm doing with both of them yet.
Alta 19mm RSB (I have it in the box, never got around to installing it)
NM Eng Springs (I planned on putting the stock springs back on, unless you tell me otherwise)


The MSRP when new was $31,600, not including any upgrades. The residual is about $21k. I did all the upgrades to the car AFTER I leased it, so the payoff amount doesn't factor in the JCW upgrade costs or any of the other things I added to her, something which I'm willing to sacrifice to get her a good home! I am an independent dealer (used cars), and can buy the car tax free from Mini. I can also sell the car and finance it to anyone that doesn't have the coin to buy it outright.

Let me know what you all think I should do or if someone has an interest in my car when the lease is up (Or sooner, if you are really that anxious for the car).

Thanks!

Some pics:

 

A beautiful car

 

Man if that was an auto I would be all over it. :/

 

I made a mistake on the MSRP, it was $31,600...



Here's a video I took a while back:

 

Great car. When I'm ready to jump to a newer MINI, it's going to look a lot like that, I'm betting.

I like that little yellow number in the background of that one pic too... ha ha!

 

This little thing?




Thanks...that was my girlfriend for the summer...Impulse buys do that to you!

That's how it looks now...The pic above with my Mini was around the time I got it, before the mod bug bit me!

 

Yeah, that's pretty cool. Probably pretty zippy.

 

I also have a 2008 Clubman S that is immaculate and would like to get another automobile. My mistake was putting the Clubman on Autotrader.com. Listed at below NADA price, and looked at 175 times (according to them), I have yet to receive a phone call from an interested party. Absolute silence.

Then I noticed something! All the cars listed on this website are at car dealerships ..... none are listed by individuals and there are ads all over the place for dealerships.

Turns out that this website is a sham for dealerships, not individuals, and I am out $70.

We live and learn.

 

Did you list it on here?

 

Yep! Just now did. I did not know that there was a used auto website available here.

 

Your problem may be that you are about $4k above KBB. For the listings in your area, even though you are the lowest price, you are the highest mileage.

 

The other cars do not have 28,000 miles of warranty and maintenance contract left like I do, nor do they have those **** runflats off and great Continental Extreme Contact tires installed.

Besides, you must be reading different KKB figures than I am. I'll keep the car before I give it away. Every potential buyer wants you to give your vehicle away.

 

I entered the data from your listing into KBB to generate the number. Did I do it wrong? Possible. But I probably did it like most other folks who may have looked at the listing. And if I came up with ~$13k, they probably do to. Then they see your price and probably think there is no way they can reach a deal with someone that appears to be so high so no point in pursuing it.

Several of the other vehicles have plenty of warranty left as far as mileage (maybe not time). For maintenance, that may be less true, but your listing doesn't do anything to help potential buyers understand how that may benefit them (if at all). And as long as the tires on it have tread, I doubt the fact that they are Conti DWS is going to matter.

While there are lots of dealers on Autotrader, I suspect more relevant to your listing is that (my guess) most folks on Autotrader are just looking for transportation. Enthusiasts and other folks who may really appreciate your MINI are probably looking elsewhere (hence, the good advice someone else posted about listing here at NAM).

 

I don't have the time to lurk on this website with over 1200 posts like you do, nor do I make it my business to tell someone what they think their merchandise is worth.

For you information, I did go back to the BlueBook, and the quote is $17,747, not the lowball $13,000 that you quoted. I'm not the expert that you are, but you nor anyone else is going to get my car for $13,000.

That's just the way it is. You charge what you want for your merchandise and I will charge what I want for mine.

 

 

I like that little yellow thing in the background too but um what is it?

 

Jeff.

Took a look at your profile and found how you can lurk on this website all day. You work for the housing authority, which does not exactly qualify you as a Mini expert. You must not be busy enough with your job, so you can give everyone advice on how much their car is worth and how to keep it running.

Using your method of calculations, your 2008 Mini with 100,000 miles might be worth at least $9,000. Would you be willing to sell it for that?

Just my way of saying that maybe you should be concerned about your car and your situation, leaving other people's situations alone.

 

Pretty harsh - perhaps he works hard all day and then spends his evenings helping out other people who have questions about their Mini's . . because his is passionate about his own!

 

You sound like you are seeking advice in the first post. Don't get offended when you get advice from someone. Nobody is forcing you to post here.

 

RELAX GUYS! We are all MINI friends and are here for the same reason. This thread isn't about either of you two, it's the OP who was curious about their car. Why must it be human nature to always argue?? I know my car is worth about 14k on a trade-in but it's invaluable to me.

 

Thanks for your advice. No hard feelings .... just got a little upset with "know it all advice".

I am not about to argue, just got a little peeved when someone that I do not know tells me that I have the wrong price quoted from NADA when I knew that I did not. Even if my quoted price was incorrect, it was my choice to list the Mini at the $17,900 price. It's supposed to be a free market.

I did state that I made a mistake by putting the car on autotrader.com because it is basically a dealer's website. My bad, and I accept responsibility for the error.

I've been a contributor to this website since 2008, and I basically mind my own business, not criticizing other people's ideas and choices

Enough said about this issue.

 

I don't care for autotrader much either. Cars.com is where I often look, though still lots of dealerships. Try Craigslist. I sold my r50 there in less than 2 weeks. Probably be selling some rims there this spring.

 

Thanks for the heads up on Craig's list, but with the bad ruputation that they have developed for wierdos and scams, I try to stay away from sites like that one.

Willl keep it on here for 60 days or so, and if there is no action, I'll probably just take it into a dealer and try for a trade-in.

Looks like money and credit are tight for a majority of our population nowdays.

 

 

Thanks that is what I thought but wasn't sure.