Hello NAM!
Long time lurker here. I've found the resources on these forums to be amazingly helpful, and I figured it was time to actually say "hello!"

A little background:
My dark silver '02 Cooper S is my first car. I've had it for about 7 years now, but it wasn't until recently that I finally started upgrading it. So far, this is all I've done to it:
-DDMWorks CAI
-SprintBooster (stays in sport mode)
-Ceramic brake pads (the dust from stock was KILLER)
-Stainless Steel brake lines
-Oh, and a CB radio with hatch-mounted 4' Firestik antenna (Makes it look like an R/C car and makes finding it in a parking lot easier!)

The MINI has a little over 65k miles on it. I know I'm coming up to the time that a few things might need replacing, but I don't know what.

Anyway, I've got money tax return money that I'm itching to turn into MINI enhancements. Here are the big 3 I'm considering:
-15% pulley (Looking at the WMW kit)
-IE catback exhaust
-Front strut brace/stress bar with some sort of mushrooming protection

I've also got a Megan Racing short shifter and Craven shift well cover waiting to go in.

I should probably stick to just 2 of those.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

 

I would definitely suggest a rear adjustable sway bar and end links . It transformed my mini and was a very noticeable change. I remember seeing this question in a mini magazine a while back where they asked numerous mini cooper shops what they thought the top five mods for a mini were. Almost every shop suggested that the biggest performance change you can make is the driver. You might transform some of that money into a drivers school if you havent already. It can be a lot of fun and can teach you a lot about you and your car.

 

I hadn't thought of a driving school. That's not a bad idea. I'm a decent driver, but some recent trips down "Snake" Rd (not the road's actual name, just how it's known around here) near my work made me realize how much I can improve.