After looking for about 2 years, I finally bought a 2014 Manual R59S. It was too good a deal to pass up. Had found a few locally (New England local), but most had been used in Winter and had not been treated very well. Amazed how many were beat up, especially at the price these little cars hold you up for when new.

Got just about everything I wanted, except SiriusXM and the rear fog. Otherwise, close to what I would have ordered. Cold Weather Package, 17 in. Black Star Bullet wheels (well, maybe not those), Xenon head lights, HK sound, White Silver paint and Black stripes. Went to see it because my wife insisted and I figured even with low 5,100 miles it was probably another project fixer upper Mini, especially after the price reduction the day before.

Got there and found it in perfect shape. A bit of minor wheel rash in spots along the outer edges of a couple, but otherwise the metal was not dinged or paint scratched. Interior looked new. Engine ultra clean. Didn't have any signs of Winter use here in our really road salt happy Northeast. Not even windshield pits. After I got home, I read the CARFAX to see where it had been previously registered and saw that it had been originally sold just this past May and traded by September. Only 4 months on the road. That explained the clean engine bay and underside of this Mini.

What really shocked me was John Cooper Works badges. Didn't want a JCW, and this one had an S on the Scuppers. Nothing else was Works, exterior or interior, but then I saw the Works tailpipes (sound really sweet) and the works induction, good strong engine, but felt a little deader rolling along than I remembered. Had test driven 2 new ones in July, so had a pretty good reference. Asked the dealership if the tires were lower than recommended pressure and the guy said they checked pressures every two weeks.

Took it back out on the road again and it still felt a little sloppy, so figured it had to be the tires. Got back, talked to them about it, and they lowered the price again, so we bought it. Apparently, they were serious about not keeping it at the dealership over the coming Winter.

When I got it home after a 120 mile drive it still didn't feel quite right. So this morning I grabbed my gauge and compressor and headed out to see what the tires were set at. Between 34 and 37 psi. Bumped them all up to 41, dropped the top and we headed out for a short drive. Felt just like the new ones I drove this Summer. So tire pressure really makes a big difference on this car. Totally changed the feel and response.

Spent the afternoon cleaning it up and reading the Manual. Will wax tomorrow. Then I have to get a Maine inspection sticker so it's all legal. Will post some pics after the wax is buffed.

Hope to learn a lot here on this forum.

 

Hello and welcome, might be a R59 MINI Roadster S w/ JCW Tuning kit or JCW appearance package and some extras, anyway sounds like a great find, post up some pics

 

Thanks for the welcome. This Roadster does have a Works exhaust and a Works intake, plus I believe some engine mapping differences. No appearance package, other than the exhaust tips with the Works logo on them, it looks like a stock White Silver R59 S. I'm still cleaning it up. Got waxed today and will treat the rubber trim in the morning. Also plan sticking it up on stands and having a look at the brakes and suspension while I have the wheels off. Need to clean the inside of the rims to make sure nothing is stuck to them.

Will definitely post pictures when it comes out of the garage. Don't know if I can get a state inspection done on it tomorrow. Our local Mini service will try to work it in if they can sometime in the afternoon. Otherwise it'll be Monday when they open again. That may put a crimp in the driving plans this weekend. Nice Mini weather expected, too.

 

Welcome. Cant wait to see pics,. Sounds like you have the JCW Tuning Kit ( engine and exhaust upgrades) , Comes with a ecu flash also.

 

Not the best picture, but will have to do for now... this R59S will be a slow work in progress.

 

Looks great, like the matt black bullet 5 spoke wheels w/ black headlights. Nice find.

Top down motoring can still be done with this warmer weather than normal. Enjoy and let me know if you need anything I have Coupe' version.

 

Thanks again! The matt wheels are growing on me, some. Was a really tough choice between a Coupe or the ragtop. In this case, the open Mini is small enough to be fairly rigid, so not so much a flexi-flyer. My wife cast a vote for the Roadster, so I channeled my searches in that direction. The coupe is certainly a more rigid platform and I liked the solid feel. Wife liked the open top. One of those compromises we sometimes have to make!

 

Know how that goes.

I have an R52 MINI Convertible also, so I have the convertible covered and love the drop top. The Coupe I wanted in JCW version. Cant beat the top down experience though.

 

Ha! JCW is more reason to have the structure of the coupe! And double Mini ownership... what a deal! The R52 is the size that was still close to "Mini". Nice. That's my favorite sized Mini.

I think BMW is getting away from the Mini concept a little. I've started calling the newer ones Not So (Minis). Guess I started calling them a Not So when I saw my first R60 and then the R61. Of course the F series are now included in that No So category. They've made some great improvements to this third generation, but they now need to make a small Mini again, like their Rocketman concept.

 

Yes, the Rocketman ! Hopefully.

 

Very nice! Congratulations and if you need anything for your work in progress, be sure to let me know. Love the color combination as well. Goes nicely with those beautiful fall leafs.

 

Thanks. Pretty neutral color. Seems not to clash with much! I'm sure I'll be shopping for goodies as time goes on. Our fun, warm, sunny driving weather is gonna be coming to an end within the next few weeks, so the new toy will have to be put away. I'll have to start it up, bring it out of the garage and drive around the driveway once in a while during the Winter.

I wont run it on our car dissolving salt and whatever other evil chemical slurry MDOT loves to dump on Maine roads during the snow season. No one seems to like to drive on snow and ice anymore. It's a lost art. Just takes good snow tires, a little practice and common sense. The stuff they use on roads keeps roads wet down to between zero and 5 degrees above zero at night. No help from the sun needed. Will generally destroy a car in a few years, no matter how much cleaning is done. You can hear the metal burn. Can't imagine what it does to our water supply.

Last picture I have of the "project" below... all of these were take the day I got it home Wednesday. So far it's been washed, waxed and interior spiffed up. Will take the wheels off this weekend and tidy up the underpinnings and inside of wheels and then will clean/treat the rubber/plastic trim.

Today was completely lost, out fighting sudden leaf drop. Lost that fight. All of the trees decided to do a massive leaf dump. Have never seen that happen on a mild day with no wind or rain. I live in the woods and can say it's a really bad thing on certain days in Fall. The driveway, lawn and everything... completely covered in dead leaves. More leaf fun tomorrow.

 

Nice looking R59. ��

Yes, concur your statement on BMW's "big" MINI plans. I had a Countryman as a loaner and it was no where near as enjoyable to drive as the R59.

 

Same here : " Today was completely lost, out fighting sudden leaf drop. " . Late season leaf fall due to warmer weather.

 

Yes, salt is a cars worst enemy. In Colorado, they dumps magcloride all over the roads, which is better than salt honestly, but still get some rust. Just had a heck of a time replacing my rear control arms. Anyways, for the paint be sure to keep a nice coat of wax on it every 6 months! It'll definitely help.

 

I drive mine year round in Massachusetts. I usually go through a touch less wash with the underbody blast a couple of times over the winter to stop the salt from sitting too long.

 

Would love to drive the Roadster year round, but just don't want to sacrifice it to the rust gods. I've been very fortunate to have been able to have an anode car... donor for the salt. An inexpensive car for the abuse. In the last 20 years here in Maine, I've had a Suzuki Swift... that turned out to be a snow machine with snow tires, a Saturn SW2 wagon... another great car in the snow with snow tires, and our current Winter car, a Pontiac Vibe. No rust showing up yet, but give it time.

I don't care how much washing is done, you can't stop the eventual damage that salt and other melt chemicals do. Brake lines and suspension components take the brunt of it. The bodies on the new cars seem to last a bit longer these days, but eventually the paint bubbles show up.

I tend to keep cars a pretty long while this way. I've had a soft spot for Mini for a long time, so this one is going to get babied some, I'm afraid.

 

That's good. A lot of people don't even consider spraying under the car when they wash their cars. It's a good habit to get into especially in states that use salt on the roads.

 

Should always clean the underside of the car once in a while. Sand/dirt and organics can build up under there and stay moist for a bit of time after driving through a rain. That kind of moisture retention can eventually cause rust, even in states that don't ever put salt on their roads.

I lived in Montana some years back, and they didn't use salt on their roads. Plowed the roads and sanded a little in town, but that was about it. Knew a guy that ran an old 1950 Studebaker pickup year round. No damaging rust. Lots of old cars were in great shape out there in those days. Then the city folks started moving in and their suits and lawyering ways brought Winter salt to the roads in the 90s.

Old cars became warm season cars, from what I heard. I'm sure those that kept using them year round had rust eating them up pretty fast.

Roadster goes in for State Inspection check around noon Wednesday. Looks like a showery day, so top up.

 

You can clean it then hit the bolt heads with a waxy grease and connections to keep the rust off them.

 

Great Idea! Will find some waxy grease.

Took the Roadster in for it's State inspection yesterday. Rain and cool, but fun driving to the appointment anyway. A lot of the back roads to Freeport, Maine have been repaved and what a nice ride that was.

Had the shop do a complete check of the car. They went in deep. Car checked out 100%. No abuse, no damage underneath, all looks like a new car would. Brake pads/rotors very little wear, and tires still 9/32nds down only from 10/32nds. They let me take a look. No rust to be found. Relieved that no issues revealed. A great start, and now legal to drive in Maine.

Pretty happy Mini driver. I even like the HK sound system. What a deal. Now just need a little sunshine. Forecasts have that for us starting tomorrow and into the weekend. May try a Mini trip into the mountains of New Hampshire on Saturday. We'll see if Mother Nature allows.

 

Like a P.D.R.P grease, hats what most guy use here. Hit the bolts and such.


HK system on the newer MINI is awesome, love it.

Hope for warm weather and sunshine.