Hello all!

I once had a MINI hardtop, then a cooper s jcw'ed clubby r55 09 (and was active on the forums with that), then went bmw (m235)... but this year I have a little goal of joining in on minis on the dragon (1st time) and/or minis on top (ive done that a lot)... with a mini roadster.

i'm thinking of a manual, S. a JCW would be nice, but maybe unnecessary... and I'd love it to look great, so good color combos... it's probably just for a year to have fun with, my bmw does the great daily driver/fast car job, so...

now the reason for posting - are there any special tips, special things to watch for when picking out a model? Like favoring a certain year over others for some very special reason? In the old days I remember there's a year where the engines switch over to a slightly different model code, for example. Also the manuals, how are they, in terms of watching out for a certain mileage or something?

thanks for any tips, hints, etc.

 

The only real difference for the roadster is the motorized top that did not come until maybe mid 2013 or something like that. For the rest all the roadster are pretty much on part from year to year I think. Most likely because they came late in the Gen2 cycle. So most of the bugs have been covered by the time the roadsters came out I think.

Im happy with our S. I didn't feel the fraction of a second justified the increased mpg. But the JCW has a more aggressive body kit if you like it, and also comes with better brakes, and suspension options. It's really just the same options as other JCW minis.
You might be able to find a S model with a JCW kit. I would assume they are harder to find.

btw, the roadster has the stiffest body from all Gen2 mini from factory (extra pair of braces under the chassis). That was a body rigidity necessity that plays perfection on winding roads :D

Aside from that, I am not aware of any true differences amongst the roadster from 2012-2013 to 2015-2016. Yes, they had a short production life...
Oh yeah they did switch the dial color in the last year or two of production. The color choice got fewer as they tapered off production.

 

Question - can someone tell what's on this fella?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...ngId=442958850

I see a jcw wheel - that's just a cosmetic jcw option?
I see jcw sills - again, cosmetic? The bumpers/skirts, they look normal S don't they?
The shifter has red stitching, which is neat.

Is this an S with the JCW "looks" package that I seem to remember?

 

This is an S model. Not a JCW.

 

The ad has the VIN. Put the last 7 (T566740) into http://bimmer.work to get the spec.

 

Its a Cooper S with a JCW steering wheel and Shifter, plus Nav & MINI connected and a full bank of toggle switches (rear fogs). I think its the JCW interior appearance package or some something.

 

VIN decoder confirms JCW interior package.

 

Yep, see that now. Did not decode. Just went off the top of my head decoder. Which decodes all MINI, BMW, and Rolls Royce.

 

thanks all... keeping an eye on these fellas... i love minis, always have, and i think i want a mini fling in 2017 basically (but mr practical knows that the bmw m235 i have is the real car to have). i figure a roadster for a few months, well taken care of and resell back to another enthusiast should do the trick

 

Welcome.

 

There are a few nice ones on the market... looked on carguru's site and found about 150 R59s for sale, Coopers, S and JCW models total. Use that Vin decoder that Spiney linked.

Sometimes you'll find that some listings have incorrect data on them and the Vin decoder will help confirm. Low miles, especially on 14s and 15s will have some valuable warranty time left on'em.

Great car for Spring, Summer, Fall and sometimes nice days in Winter... like this coming weekend as an example, if our forecast pans out.

Welcome and good luck in your search. Let us know what you find!

 

Nah... it's a great car year long . . .

 

It is a fine daily driver and totally fun in the summer. I live near Lake Tahoe and use the car to commute to San Francisco weekly and have enjoyed it very much.

For the winter months, I added a set of non- runflat snow tires and the car does a nice job in adverse conditions. The low center of gravity and 6-speed make for a fine snowmobile.

I also added the manic stage 2 tune (a nice feature) and originally a quicksilver exhaust. That was pretty nice, but once I added a downpipe, it was a bit loud for top up highway driving. I went back to the stock setup and it really sounds nice.

All in all, a great commuter, total fun for weekend BMW club trips, and if you don't need a backseat, the trunk is FAR superior to the space on a mini convertible.

I have driven mine about 20k in 11 months and have no complaints.