Potential F56 Mini Cooper S purchase

[Gruber]

I'm seriously tempted by one of these, probably in the volcanic orange launch colour to stand out from the crowd a little... Manual, black roof and stripes, and black wheels.

Are there any "must have" options? I'm currently erring towards Chilli pack, hi-fi upgrade and perhaps the basic nav system. Anything vital that I'm missing?

What's the view of those of you who've bought one already? Any regrets?

[Gruber]

Thanks chaps.

What I didn't say is that I'm in Switzerland and, believe it or not, the Swiss authorities have a downer on fruity exhausts. So sadly the JCW exhaust pack isn't an option out here. Bummer, by the sounds of it.

I'm not minded to go wild with the options list, but I'm very grateful for the replies and advice.

[Gruber]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'll definitely be sticking to the 17s - just a question of silver or black.

The roads are smooth enough out here that I don't think I'll need the variable dampers.

Time to use my woeful french to try to get a decent test drive...

[Gruber]

SlowStig said:

I have a Challenge 210(tarted up CooperS) and would recommend not bothering with an F56 at all and getting either an R56 JCW/GP or a different car. I found my F56 lacking in pretty much all aspects compared to my old R55 clubman, the only thing which it has better is the JCW Pro exhaust.

It's interesting you say that... I popped into a local dealer today to take a look at a 2012 R56 CS and was reminded that they're (to my eyes) a much better looking car than their successor.

Am I correct in thinking anything manufactured after 2010 will have a later engine that doesn't suffer from the "engines lunching themselves" issues that the R56 CS is renowned for?

There are lots of cars available out here on a 10 year / 100k km free servicing plan, so getting an approved used warranty on a late R56 might be an option worth exploring.

I need back seats, so a GP is probably out of the question. And I owned a 2008 JCW brand new and found it a little uncouth for my tastes - so I think a "plain old" CS will do the job nicely...