Hi folks,
As mentioned in the title, I'm soon going to be a Mini owner, and I'm an old guy (58). I've been learning about Minis; especially the Cooper S JCW cars and reading whatever I can find online. I've always been a bike guy (currently a 2008 Ducati S4Rs Tricolore), but wanted a fun car that will let me take my wife along on occasion.
I'm not the type to buy new, but I don't want a car that's been abused either. I also like the sound of the supercharger, which narrows my search considerably.
I've recently found two very different cars that caught my eye. One is a 2006 Cooper S JCW with the Checkmate package in Space Blue/silver. The other is a 2006 Cooper S JCW Competition Edition in Chili Red/white. Both are 6-speed standards and look to be well maintained.
The Checkmate has higher kms (168k vs 103k on the CE), but is a 1 owner creampuff that lives in a heated garage and never saw snow. It's also had all of it's service performed at the local BMW dealership.
I'm still waiting for more information on the CE to find out how many owners, service history, etc.
Soooo, to my first question...which car will bring a bigger smile on the back roads?
Next; what should I be asking the owners about service history/recalls?
Are there any known issues or weak parts on the cars that may need a second look?
Finally; are there any other things I should be considering when buying a Mini?
Thanks in advance,
Franco58
As mentioned in the title, I'm soon going to be a Mini owner, and I'm an old guy (58). I've been learning about Minis; especially the Cooper S JCW cars and reading whatever I can find online. I've always been a bike guy (currently a 2008 Ducati S4Rs Tricolore), but wanted a fun car that will let me take my wife along on occasion.
I'm not the type to buy new, but I don't want a car that's been abused either. I also like the sound of the supercharger, which narrows my search considerably.
I've recently found two very different cars that caught my eye. One is a 2006 Cooper S JCW with the Checkmate package in Space Blue/silver. The other is a 2006 Cooper S JCW Competition Edition in Chili Red/white. Both are 6-speed standards and look to be well maintained.
The Checkmate has higher kms (168k vs 103k on the CE), but is a 1 owner creampuff that lives in a heated garage and never saw snow. It's also had all of it's service performed at the local BMW dealership.
I'm still waiting for more information on the CE to find out how many owners, service history, etc.
Soooo, to my first question...which car will bring a bigger smile on the back roads?
Next; what should I be asking the owners about service history/recalls?
Are there any known issues or weak parts on the cars that may need a second look?
Finally; are there any other things I should be considering when buying a Mini?
Thanks in advance,
Franco58