II Kings,
Thanks for the input.... Much appreciated.... Looking forward to my test drive.

 

although my 12 is a MCS JCW.... I bought a new new 350Z roadster had it for almost 4years, exhaust, CAI, swaybars, coilovers, suspension, tires, tuned and dyno'd.... really liked the car .... but the MINI is more of a drivers car, I could never go back after having a MINI... the Z had more hp, but was also heavier, MINI is more sneaky quick/fast... corners no contest the MINI takes it hands down...... IMO

 

Jonack, you can absolutely have pepper white without stripes. Stripes are totally optional with any color. You should play with the mini website configurator if you haven't already.

 

Fantastic thread. I will add another... I drove the Audi TT Roadster before the R59 test drive. It was a pretty good car but the R59 easily beat it in handling, fit and finish, and sports car good looks. It may be slightly faster (did not drive the RS version) but only comes with the flappy paddle gear box. The MINI had a proper 6 speed standard. Did I mention the handling too?

 

Roadsters in my Past:
1979 Fiat Spider 2000. Scary reliability. Rusty.
1978 Midget. Scary small but fun. Horrible electrical system
1989 Miata. Overpriced the year I bought it.
2006 Black Chrysler Crossfire 3.2L. Reskinned Mercedes SLK 3.2. A little sluggish at low end torque but sweet at 2500 RPM. Favorite so far. Unique looks.
Roadster in my Future:
2014 MINI JCW Roadster as soon as my kid gets out of college.

 

I owned the 225HP version of the Audi TT roadster. I liked that car, but sold it a few years ago. For the last couple of years I've been driving a R56, and the R56 is definitely more fun than the TT (less maintenance issues too). I'm seriously considering buying a Mini roadster in a few years.

 

Had a Nissan 350Z Roadster and while the Mini Roadster doesn't have nearly the power it is every bit as much fun.

 

I had a 2007 Miata befor my JCW. Nice car, ego e and handled nicely. Not bad in Sinters with Winter tires on it. Terrible seat ergonomics, really screwed up my back. It took almost six months with the Mini to fix it. Now for the Roadster: I haven't driven,but like others, I have the coupe. The could can be a little scary with its lack of visibility at first. Especially when comparing it with my JCW. I've driven it, virtually every where, even on a vacation to Galveston. I considered going back to the Miata when I was first thinking about doing a Roadster again. The salesman said that they'd changed the seat. So, I sat in one. WRONG!! The mini dealer was right across the street, do I figured that I would see if they had a Roadster that I could sit in. No comparison. Checked out the boot/trunk, again no comparison. My mind was pretty much made up by then. Lil Raggi will be here ion a couple more days. Yes, I ordered one!!!!

 

Hemi... Did you test drive the mini roadster? If so , how does it compare to Miata?
You're right: mini roadster = more comfortable, more practical ....

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I have driven the Miata and I have a JCW Roadster.

NO comparison whatsoever, the Mini Roadster blows away the Miata in every aspect.

Speed, handling, comfort, appearance, braking and luxury features.

My roadster will do 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds, on the track. Best times for the Miata is in the 7 second range.

 

Nope, never did drive one. The salesman that wanted my business, well he didn't want it that badly as I had to go back to my old MA that I bought the JCW from in Schaumburg. He was suppose to let me take one of their roadsters for a test drive when the weather was better. Never went back for that. My thoughts are that the coupe and the roadster drive about the same, so I'm going on that. I'm going to lose some performance and vision, but I can live with that. I'll get the power back, but in the after market field.

 

You'll love the S Roadster. It has more headroom and better visibility than the coupe even with the top up. Of course with the top down visibility is great.

The Roadster is also a true coupe with a real trunk. The Coupe is really just a modified hatch.

With the top down the Roadster is a blast. The S Roadster will also easily outperform a Mazda Miata.