Had some questions and was wondering if a few of you had the answers. I am buying this for a daily driver to soften the blow on gas prices only. I've had the Gallardo, E63, and still own a 10 sec evo. This is just transportation. That being said

1. Is the factory JCW suspension adjustable and/ or does it give it a lower stance?

2. Is the JCW performance package worth it? Or should I just add minor mods later.

3. My wife is more comfortable driving an auto, is buying an auto a mistake for this car?

Any insight would be great. Looking to order one soon and there are so many options its ridiculous. Mine is coming in at 38k Thanks for the help...

 

I have an 09 JCW on the boat and wonder about the $38K price tag as well, I am not convinced it is worth it and wonder if the R32 (with current discount) and DSG isn't a better proposition.

I keep poking around looking for a definitive answer too. I am sure that if I buy the Mini at $38K, it will be hard to resell at a decent price.

I am back and forth like a yo yo.

 

I hear ya. I loaded mine up with all kinds of carbon fiber, etc. I could make it about a 32k car no problem, but what fun would that be. I do think a mid 30k mini would be hard to sell down the road, but all the 05-06 I've looked at are still pulling 25k around me and they hardly have any options. So, its hard to tell. I figure at least I can't lose 30k like I did by selling my E63 LOL....

 

i'll try to answer these for you...
1. the JCW suspension is not adjustable, but it does give it a lower stance. the lower stance should be mandatory on the R56's. aftermarket coilovers might be the same price, but add adjustability.
2. there is a JCW stage 2 car that just arrived at Vista MINI in Coconut Creek. i haven't driven it, but my MINI tech buddy who works there likes it. See Giorgio, master MA, if you go to check it out. the aftermarket isn't as strong for the turbo cars yet. i hear that they have made the ECU much tougher to crack, so tuning options don't yet exist.
3. automatic? if you must, to keep the wife happy. i'm sure that the paddle shifters would make it a little more fun than the average sluch-box.

the prices are starting to get up there. good news is that the residules on these cars have been among the highest since re-introduction in '02. a well-optioned car is certainly in 1 series range.

good luck

 

Auto is very nice and actually one of the few slushboxes faster than its manual counterpart. It just doesn't give you the visceral feel of punching through those gears by hand. But, if it's for the wife then do it.

My 08 MCS was 34,500 and has literally every single option in the book except any JCW options. I leased it for 36 months and they payment is quite reasonable due to my $1K discount, strong residual, and great money factor (.00219).

 

I drove the JCW and it is very impressive. A ticket machine, 80 MPH is like 50MPH.

No torque steer, and better than the R32, which I drove back to back (and I have an R32 bias)

Still not sure if it is the car for me, those SUVs look awfully big!

 

i stopped by Vista MINI today to stop the annoying beeping that has been present since i removed the stock seats, seat belts and added a roll bar....(warranty work!). while there i found out that the JCW performance packages are not available w/ an automatic transmission. Giorgio told me that an earlier memo said that is was available, but it was no go when he tried to order one.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. It is a go, we are ordering one this upcoming week. Auto and lots of options Wife likes carbon fiber We drove one and it was very nice. They offered me a killer deal on one, but it was a manuel So, we'll wait to get exactly what we want.

 

congrats. i'm sure that you'll enjoy it. fill us in on all the details once you get it ordered. you can now wait patiently w/ several others on this forum.

 

I ordered it today I'll try to copy the details sheet on here. Looking forward to egtting great gas mileage.

 

My($39.4K)JCW car came in. I bailed on it (today) as it just didn't fit (I have a World Challenge on the boat). Too small for a DD and for performance there are other cars that smoke it. Since I bought the World Challenge I am not anti-Mini!

Horses for courses!

 

Well I am not buying it for performance and this is one of the best mpg cars out there right now. I have an evo that runs 10's currently on a stock motor and it is getting an 800hp motor in two weeks. It will run low 9's then, possibly 8's. So when I want to go fast I'll get in that When I need space I'll take the TBSS out. But for daily commute, I'm sticking with near 40mpg and my mini

 

If I had a significant daily commute, I would stick with the Mini too.

 

Looking into Mini's myself and the JCW does not get anywhere near the 40mpg you are talking about. You need the standard non-S Mini to get 40mpg. I am 6'5" tall and could not believe how nice I fit in this car.

 

Well, everyone I talk to gets 40-42 in theirs and they are all S's. I'm not even talking about buying a JCW, just an S. Even if I get 35 its far better than 14