Would you rather pay to upgrade a Cooper S or buy a stock Jcw? I have a 2013 S that is sitting stock outside of non run flats and a jb+. I’m getting ready to drop some money into it but with Carvana prices I’m wondering if it’s better to sell and pay up for a Jcw.

Current car - 2013 MCS, 38k miles,
Upgrade- 2013 Jcw 44k miles
Out of pocket diff- about $5k

I realize $5k is a lot of performance upgrades, but a good tune, brakes, and suspension could easily eat most of that up. Also a jcw will have a better resale value than a modded MCS. How much does it take to make an S comparable to a Jcw in driving performance and experience? And which way would you go?

 

Your MCS is a "known" unit. Buying a used JCW will have you starting over and possibly making repairs. Then once you get familiar with it, you're probably still gonna want a tune, brakes and suspension. Stay with what you got and work with it.

 

Thank you for your input. You hit my 2 main concerns. Less “known” car and my lack of willpower to want to add to the jcw anyway :p

 

I would keep the S, as mentioned, because you already know it’s condition. You can get a bunch of kit for $5k to add to your S…

 

For 5 grand you could do all mods for a stage 2 tune with tune, new brakes, and mostly tackle the suspension.

 

A stock JCW will retain much more value than a moded MCS. Doug DeMuro has a recent youtube video on this - talking about cars in general, not specific to Mini.
Also, now is a terrible time to buy a car. Inventories are super low for both new and used cars and prices have adjust up accordingly.
Keep what you have for now.

 

Well the vote seems clear. Thank you everyone for you input. Time to call Mario!

 

try lou@Prototype-R

 

@Lou@Prototype-R

Lou is "THE" man for tuning

 

looks like I fixed it as you were 😋

 

Another vote for Lou. Mario has been shown to supply questionable parts, and the tunes are all pretty much "canned" tunes --- not for your specific drivetrain.

 

Appreciate all the suggestions and recommendations. Always get great info from this site

 

Well said +1