RE: Mini Cooper S JCW: Spotted

[si_xsi]

the dreaded death rattle should of been mentioned in the article...

R53 JCW all the way!!

[HannahB]

I really fancy a R53 GP or JCW..... They're both reasonable money.

[2strokejunkie]

As an owner of an R56 Cooper S , I would agree there are issues with them, as there are with any other car, mine is at 75k, of which 42k I have covered , the car had the cam chain issue at 21k , fixed with updated tensioner etc under previous owner factory warranty, high pressure fuel pump at 65 k , covered by my warranty direct personal warranty - recommended- , spends 90 percent on motorways or otherwise the revs are well used down country lanes, a roads etc, and is run on shell nitro or whatever it is called this month, with no dad decoking issues thus far, and is still main dealer services. I would still recommend one to anyone as long as they go in with eyes wide open and are prepared to look after it , like checking the oil level very regularly and keeping topped up..... Touch

I have driven a few cooper works and the only difference I can feel is in the initial acceleration which is much more aggressive in the cooper works and perhaps ability to rev slightly higher and still be on the power , I would recommend driving both back to back if you are thinking of one as you will get a newer cooper s for the same cash , with, IMHO not a lot of performance difference.

[Matt Bird]

^^^^ Top lurking! Interesting to hear though.

[Leggy]

My wife has the R53 JCW. In fact I took it to work today to give it some exercise. Love the supercharger whine. And the handling is so much fun.
I think it still looks the best version too.

[garypotter]

Waste of £10k imho, not for me, looks like any other billion mini's on the market.
I have 2 friends both owned mini's, both hated them and lasted less than 3 months each.

[rtz62]

SWMBO had a Cooper S (supercharged) with low miles and a host of extras.
As she used to ride a Yamaha R6, I thought she would love it.
How wrong could I have been? She sold it after 2 months, quoting terrible ride, poor economy (even for the performance) awful packaging (it really is only a 2 adults and 2 small kids) etc etc.
Replaced with... A tuned Fabia vRS which is the total opposite of all the things above.
Having said that, I liked the Mini.....

[RacingBlue]

I realised about six months into a finance deal on my Cooper S that I really didn't like it at all - for many of the reasons above. I kept it for just under two years until it was financially viable to VT it, and bought a Clio 182 - a brilliant antidote

[jogon]

Another R56 Cooper S JCW (after package with brakes and suspension) purchased it with 20,000 miles on the clock and had it just shy of two years so far - two coil packs failed, separately (£60 a pop), timing chain tensioner (£900), clutch went after i had it 10k miles and never had a clutch go before (£900). Yesterday afternoon it sounds like another coil pack has gone and the engine light is flashing again. It also goes through oil like its going out of fashion.

Great fun to drive but avoid like the fking plague.

[roystinho]

For similar money I'd go for a R53 GP, and did in fact

[mikebrownhill]

I have a MINI Cooper S which was purchased new three years ago - no problems at all with not a single warranty claim, and except for having to replace two run-flat tires (one due to a pothole and the other a massive coach-bolt) it's probably the most reliable car I've owned; and the BMW/Dealer experience has been first class too.

Having said that, and whilst the performance was adequate and the handling impressive, I have now supplemented it with a BMW M135i which is outstanding in every way (I even like the way it looks!) and unfortunately it puts the MINI into the shade - I will keep the MINI though as it's a convertible and my wife likes it.

[SlowStig]

This topic doesn't fill me with confidence, I got this 3 days ago....

[jogon]

The later models seem much better, the one originally mentioned in the thread - '07 - '10 examples, are a different kettle of fish.

[Dr Interceptor]

SlowStig said:

This topic doesn't fill me with confidence, I got this 3 days ago....

I wouldn't worry! Just look after it, check the oil, and drive it like you stole it!

I've had a couple of MINIs, had all the problems under the sun... Would I have another tomorrow? You bet! They're infectious little beasts.

[dandarez]

What a lot of ste some write about JCWs - had 2 Factory JCWs since end of 2008.
Red/Black roof owned till July 2012, White/Red roof one still got, bloody brilliant cars! Oil useage? Only had oil change at service. Fuel consumption is good considering foot floor 90 per cent of time. Had the death rattle on the red car but fixed no prob at dealer under warranty. White car is spot on everywhere, no issues at all.

I know why a lot don't like it... they're always in the rear view mirror!!!

I had some Corsa VXR kids looking round it yesterday evening... dunno whether that's good or not! The colour combo looks really good at night - I say kids, but they were probably late 20s, they looked a tad shocked to see me get in and roar off but then I'm knocking 64.

[mascord05]

Sir_Dave said:

You are aware i assume that the one linked to in the article isnt a proper factory JCW (they were launched mid 2008), its just a MCS with the JCW bodykit and perhaps the JCW tuning kit? As per: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cooper_Works

Article needs some work

Tis in fact a factory JCW

[nickfrog]

dandarez said:

What a lot of ste some write about JCWs - had 2 Factory JCWs since end of 2008.

Unfortunately most of the scary stuff in this thread is true... and some ! Not sure where to start. Oil feed pipe off the turbo coming loose for example...

It doesn't mean that EVERY car is a nightmare but overall they are high risk / high maintenance. Which would explain why the cost of the official MINI insured warranty has increased by 50% last year overnight, which was the only way to cope with the risk, well if you can ignore coking which got excluded from the warranty 2 years ago...

Great cars to drive. Engine not fit for purpose in my opinion and experience.

Having moved to a 3L NA inline engine that uses hardly any more fuel while powering a car that is proving cheaper to run, I haven't looked back...

[Dr Interceptor]

mascord05 said:

Sir_Dave said:

You are aware i assume that the one linked to in the article isnt a proper factory JCW (they were launched mid 2008), its just a MCS with the JCW bodykit and perhaps the JCW tuning kit? As per: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cooper_Works

Article needs some work

Tis in fact a factory JCW

The article was edited... the original car in the article, wasn't a factory JCW.

[Numeric]

We ran a cooper s (turbo) and then got the JCW - we liked the S but deeply loved the JCW. I'm lucky enough to have had a chance to drive a lot of great cars, and in bang for buck terms the JCW, for us, was one of the best.

Not perfect, some interior bits were a bit cruddy for the price, ride was 'enthusiastic' and power delivery not especially grown up, but it was a car we came to love perhaps because it was a bit silly, so I'd really recomend someone to take the plunge, though the way many are driven does put you off - drive it like its stolen, not at 42 down great drivers roads!!

One thing I would say - S drank oil - never put a drop in the JCW (and yes I did check) in 30k+ hard miles. But got through a lot of tyres - but I blame the other half for chewing those out on the edges, she drives like a loon :-)

Edited by Numeric on Friday 3rd January 08:35

[jogon]

Agree, its just as fun down the twisty bits as my Cayman was but proving to be just as expensive if not more to run unfortunately.