Modified Mini - some advice on price please?

[Ffffaster]

I've come across an interesting Mini in the classified which has got my attention. I've been looking for a practical, yet sporty car. I have a Mini One for my every day stuff, which I love. I can imagine a JCW is a real step upwards and 272 BHP sounds a hoot in a little go-kart like this.

It is a JCW but has had a few modifications done to it. It is up at £12,995.

Specification in the snapshot below.



I'm considering it, but I can't tell whether the modification are the "right" ones. For example, the car has a manual gearbox fitted, but the ad refer to the paddle shift?

Would the modifications would be easy to live with and improve the driving experience?

Perhaps most importantly, do we think that this car is priced fairly? I really get quite lost when modifications become involved, because some mean your car is worth less while others have the opposite effect. Very much hope the wiser heads here can help out.

I would very much appreciate some guidance.

Edited by Ffffaster on Saturday 9th September 18:24

[bigandclever]

Ffffaster said:

I'm considering it, but I can't tell whether the modification are the "right" ones. For example, the car has a manual gearbox fitted, but the ad refer to the paddle shift?
.

It says it's got a 6 paddle clutch, not flappy paddle gear changes.

[creepy coupe]

Depends what you want it for.

Pedal clutch is a competition clutch. So will be heavier to operate that OEM

Lightened flywheel, can also make driving in traffic a chore.

Sounds more of a trace day car.

[E-bmw]

Ffffaster said:

Perhaps most importantly, do we think that this car is priced fairly?

I would very much appreciate some guidance.

Perhaps most importantly, we would need to know the price to know the answer to that, you don't show it.

[Roger645]

Lohen have a good reputation with regard to doing stuff to Mini's and the list of parts he has had fitted are decent brands so if you are after a modified JCW it on paper looks like one to consider.

I'd want to see the Lohen receipts for the work before parting with the cash, it's not unusual to fit a paddle clutch to these as OEM clutches tend to slip with higher power outputs.

[steve-5snwi]

That sounds like its had some very nice modifications, you might want to check the insurance first.

[MrC986]

The spec seems about right although I'd agree that you should see all the receipts from Lohen for the work & also see if you can get included in the sale the original exhaust, cat & other parts. You'd also want to know what tyres it's running as it'd need decent track biased ones & also what they've done to uprate the brakes - at a minimum fast road/track pads & racing fluid.

[LukeSi]

That'll be this one.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Looks like a lovely car. I'd happily buy it. It's had a helluva lot of money spent on it.

[mon the fish]

IMO the mods have been done appropriately, in that the owner hasn't just chucked a map on it and left the rest stock - other parts have been upgraded to match the power.

It's always a bit daft IMO to sell a modified car - you get more money selling as stock, and selling the parts separately but some folk don't have the time to part the car out. Akrapovic exhausts aren't cheap.

Nice car, ready to go and have some fun. I wouldn't say it would be too much for the road

[MrC986]

By my quick maths, there's got to be well over £4ks of parts alone before fitting (hence my comment about trying to get the original parts included). Thinks like uprated tyres/spark plugs are consumables IMO, though you need the better plugs for running a remap.

[Ffffaster]

E-bmw said:

Perhaps most importantly, we would need to know the price to know the answer to that, you don't show it.

Apologies, thank you for pointing that out! I have edited my original post to show that it's up at £13,000.

Can anyone comment on how different this might feel in the driving experience?

[mon the fish]

Ffffaster said:

Apologies, thank you for pointing that out! I have edited my original post to show that it's up at £13,000.

Can anyone comment on how different this might feel in the driving experience?

Try and drive a standard one if you can, this should feel better in every way by quite a bit as it's not incremental improvements you would be feeling if you'd modded the car one bit at a time

[Ffffaster]

Another interesting car here. Which of these two would you pick?

Would you be able to attach a child seat to the Cobra seats in this car?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Edited by Ffffaster on Friday 15th September 10:16

[MrC986]

Ffffaster said:

Another interesting car here.

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I can tell you the Cobra seats that are in the latest link aren't a cheap aftermarket option and are a good compromise between a bucket seat & a fixed back GT seat. The car looks quite stealth IMO with the GP2 wheels on it....very nice & with the benefit of switchable maps which is useful.

[eatcustard]

Bet the wheels spin like crazy when wet, 272bhp on a front wheel drive car = new tyres every week :P

[MrC986]

Ffffaster said:

Another interesting car here. Which of these two would you pick?

Would you be able to attach a child seat to this?]

I've asked someone "in the know" though I'd guess it might be dependent on the seat type
/width.

Eat custard - the grip on the Minis is surprisingly good in the wet if you've got the right tyres on as the TC works very effectively from what I've experienced. There's always the option on some of the stage 2 mapped cars to wind the map in slightly if you've set it up properly.

[mon the fish]

Also, the throttle isn't an on/off switch - blend it in...

[Ffffaster]

Guys, what do you think a fair offer on this car would be? https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

It looks like a balanced spec, though the mileage is quite high?

[E-bmw]

IMHO the price is a touch speculative, but then isn't everybody's asking price?

However, you need to remember that without a cat it is not actually road legal, no matter what anyone says, if a car has any part of its emissions control system removed/disabled/bypassed it is not road legal.

[Ffffaster]

Very helpful. Thank you. Dealing with actual figures though, what do you think should be the price limit for this car with sensible hat on?

Link for ease of reference: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...