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Is this a JCW Mini?

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Caveman 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy my first mini and just got done with a terrible experience at a Honda dealership selling a used 2005 mini S model. I pointed out several issues with the car including two big tears in the intake hose, passenger window motor was bad and a bald front left tire. All of which I haggled to have fixed prior to purchase.
I then decided to pull the car out of its parking spot to find a few drops of oil. I only ran the car for a few minutes. They decided to tell me that they would not put the repairs of the oil leak in with the price we agreed on before. They didn't even know it had a leak. Yeah right lol. That's when I walked. Figured I would share that first experience.
Now I am off to look at another mini claiming to be a JCW. Which is what I was originally wanting. Thinks to my first experience I am hesitant to trust anyone. Please tell me if this is a JCW. Keep in mind I haven't visited the dealer uet and will do so tomorrow. However I would like to know before I get up there and get lied to again. Here's a few pics.
 

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#3 ·
Is it a JCW Conversion?

You don't say what year of Mfg. the car is and where you are, but I'm guessing not in the UK?

I don't think the car is a factory built JCW (FJCW); certainly not for the UK market anyway.

Externally it has the badges of a JCW conversion, and what looks like a JCW set of exhaust tips. It also appears to have red painted brake calipers which may be the JCW's bigger brake conversion, or they could just be painted calipers!

Under the bonnet it should have a JCW badge on the intercooler plastic cover and a JCW engine plate with a conversion serial number.

The seller should also have (with all the other documents) a JCW conversion certificate bearing the same serial number as the engine plate.

It might also have a JCW airbox fitted.

If the conversion was fitted at the time of purchase by the original supplying dealer than they should have a record of it. If it was fitted later in life it will be more tricky to authenticate it without records/invoices.

The basic JCW conversions are not easy to authenticate by simply examining the engine under the bonnet and I wouldn't trust a dealer to know exactly what they are selling without documentation that they can show you!
 
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