I have been looking for an R53 for a while now, missed out on a couple of good ones, but came across a 2006 JCW today.

JCW in the engine dept from what l can tell, no aero kit etc.

The car has 140,000 miles on from the original owner, clutch was replaced at 100k.

Waiting to hear back on the water pump, lower control arm bushings etc..

This is a lot higher mileage than l was looking at, but l don't see many JCW's out there.

So how many miles do you have on your cars? 140K to much?

 

Is it a factory JCW, or the dealer add on kit? The factory JCW will have the front BBK and also a LSD. A VIN decoder will tell you if it is a factory or not. The factory JCW is option code 3AL.

I currently have 105k miles on my 2006 fJCW.

 

I picked up an 05 JCW last summer with 150K (in kilometers...93K miles)
Its a loaded JCW (dealer installed...no factory offerings in 05), that was clean but needed a number of maintenance items.

Its not my daily, and I was looking for a car project so I wasn't concerned about the time needed to get it running great...also I'm lucky to have a great home garage with a hoist.

Older, higher mileage MINI's can require a lot of TLC, time and potentially some significant $$. Looking at what I have done so far, it would have been a big bill if I had to have it done at a shop

If your a good wrench and can do a lot of the work yourself then its worth it They are a great car and a blast to drive.

The R53 JCW's whether Dealer or Factory installed are a great package and are getting harder to find..

 

I picked up a super clean one owner 2005 JCW dealer add on kit that just hit 44K miles almost a year ago. Pretty much loaded minus the JCW suspension, LSD option, and aero kit. Garage kept mini and hardly driven till I got it. Now it's my daily driver as the F150 with mongo tires eats up gas... and here in Hawaii.. it ain't cheap.

 

Nice, the one l saw is a factory kit

 

What was the price on the factory JCW you found?

 

$6k, the only thing doing other than a yearly oil change and wipers is that the clutch was replaced, even the control arm bushings, water pump etc.. have not been replaced.

Think l'm going to keep looking as that's a lot of $ to change.

 

IMO, I think the condition should also play a big role in the price. If it is a southern car that has never seen salt, it might be worth the $6k price if it is in mint condition.

If you are good with a wrench, you can perform all of those regular maintenance projects yourself and save some $$$$. Do you have a listing of the car you can share?

My 2006 fJCW that I bought last month for $7.7k from a small town dealer had 103k miles on it.......and it spend the last five years of its life in Michigan. I only assume that it was driven in the winter, but I don't know for sure.

 

It's in the south western part of the state.

Clear coat is peeling so l wouldn't say it's in mint condition.

And unfortunately l'm no wrench monkey, don't have the tools or even pretend the knowledge. (I know Mini's require a lot of tlc)

 

Just keep in mind that if you plan on getting a lower mileage fJCW example, expect to pay close to $9k.

Another option is to just look for a regular S with some basic modifications. If you could find a regular S (2005-2006) that has the optional limited slip differential, that would make a good car to start with that you could add a reduced pulley to. But even a clean 2005-2006 regular S is going to cost around the $6k-$7k price if it is lower mileage.

Did you confirm with a VIN decoder that the 2006 JCW you found was in fact a factory? It is impossible to tell from the exterior of the car whether it is a factory or dealer installed JCW kit. The factory option gives you the LSD and larger front brakes plus the 210 bhp tuning kit.

 

Please see attached, looks like it to me

 

Yep, that is a factory JCW. The Space Blue with silver bonnet stripes is a rare color combination as well. The car also has leather, the Chrono package, and Xenon headlights. Nice options there.

If the car is mechanically sound, I would think it would be worth the $6k price. Maybe get a local mechanic or dealer to inspect the car and see what problems/issues need to be worked through and have the price adjusted to compensate.

I am not sure how many factory JCWs were made, but I haven't seen that many of them locally where I am.

 

Yeah l would get it checked out for sure, just missed out on a regular S with only 60k miles on it for 7k in pepper white.

Found another regular pepper white with 120k but with a full history including water pump replacement, oil pan etc.. and it's the same price.

20 thousand miles less in a colour that l like, but no JCW package and it has a sunroof.

I want a Mini without a sunroof really, and only found three like that in the last year or so.

 

If you want a MINI without a sunroof......then I would keep inquiring about that 2006 fJCW you found (that one has no sunroof based on the VIN decoder, correct?).

Also, that one is from the original owner, right? If they have a full service history, that is worth it if you ask me. This is just my opinion though, and higher mileage doesn't scare me much as long as I get a good look at the car and can inspect it before purchase. A lot of time a car with highway miles is better cared for than a lower mileage car that did short in-town trips. Highway miles are actually pretty kind to the drivetrain and are not as stressful as in-town driving.

I am guessing you are looking for facelift R53s? (2005-2006)

 

I almost bought an S last year with 125k on in Royal Grey, had 1 owner with a full history and every receipt, l had it checked out by a 3rd party Mini/BMW shop.

Found once it was up on the lift, the tires were down to the wire, and the brakes had needed replacing 10,000 miles prior. The owner basically stopped maintaining the vehicle for at least a year.

Yeah looking for a 5 -6 with all the changes introduced within those years

 

Found a 2005 S with 60k miles on it original owner, but kept at the beach

Rust issues with the salt near by??

So either a 2005 Cooper S with 60k miles vs a JCW 140K Miles....decisions decisions.

I feel the JCW will be come rarer, jcrane your jcw is nice!

 

The only 1st Gen JCW that is rare is the GP.

The only thing that makes a MCS with the JCW Package (3AL) more desirable than a MCS with the dealer installed JCW Tuning Kit is it will have a LSD.

As each year passes the added resale value of a JCW Tuning Kit dwindles.

 

Does the 05 S have a LSD? I would strongly suggest getting one with a LSD.

 

Not sure I totally agree that JCW MINI's are no more desirable than a similar MCS

I know here in the Canadian Pacific Northwest, that any John Cooper Works variant whether R53, R56 or otherwise have greater value.
I think for many, a JCW car is deemed the same as any other Dealer or Factory tuned car of any manufacturer which are the top offerings of each brand.
They have greater collectable potential.

Of course a GP MINI is obviously so much more desirable...especially to a collector.

 

I have 2 2006 fJcw, A loaded space blue (doesnt have alarm or anthracite headliner) with 39K. A silver car with 34K (no chromeline, no HK audio, no leather seats, no cold weather). My 2 cents is that the JCW package adds 2-3K value to the cars I have compared to a regular S. And I shopped like crazy for an S with LSD and still ended up
with a JCW since find a regular S with LSD was hard. Good luck on your search

 

Thanks, the regular S with 60k does not have LSD.

I am not looking at doing track days, is having LSD a huge benefit for me vs the normal handling of the car?

When l checked NADA, even with 140k miles on the JCW, the actual JCW package increased the overall value of the car by just over $2k.

 

I agree that the GP is rarer than a factory JCW, but I also think the factory JCW is kind of a diamond in the rough......especially since the factory JCW offering was overshadowed by the release of the GP in 2006. If you search for magazine reviews of a 2006 fJCW, there are few if any as most are on the GP.

I agree that a factory isn't any better than a 2006 MCS with a dealer tuning kit, LSD, and sport brake kit. Good luck finding a LSD optioned MCS with a dealer tuning kit though.





I have a friend with a 2006 MCS (no LSD) with a Miltek exhaust and 15% reduction pulley, and that car is a one wheel wonder when you are under power. If you are doing any power modifications over the stock 163 hp, I would strongly suggest having a LSD. The LSD also gets rid of the torque steer that the MCS has.

I think anyone who claims that a LSD isn't needed with 200hp in a MCS is trying to convince themselves that their MCS is OK without one.

 

My 06 has almost 103k on it. Bought it in 2011 with 47k.

 

The JCW Engine Tuning Kit was an expensive no matter if dealer or factory installed.

The 200bhp kit originally retailed for $4500 plus 10 hours labor to install. The 210bhp kit originally retailed for $4775 plus 11.5 hours labor. The 200-210bhp upgrade (larger injectors + remap and airbox) retailed for $525 plus 1.5 hours labor.

The JCW Package (Tuning Kit, LSD and Sport Brakes) was a $6300 factory option but required the $1400 Sport Package.

I doubt if anyone who bought a used MCS with a factory LSD would go to the expense of having a JCW tuning kit fit by a dealer.

I had a dealer fit a 200bhp kit to my 2002 MCS about a year after taking delivery. I had originally signed up for a 15% pulley install at one of Randy Webb's pulley parties but opted for the JCW kit when the GM at my dealership offered me deal on the kit I couldn't resist ... 20% off retail and free installation. Still expensive, but it was OEM and came with a warranty.

 

My R52 JCW Tuning kit is at 103K. Already doing motor mount, clutch, LCA bushings, ATI damper, etc. Been a PITA but it will be worth it in the end.

I have $13K in invoices I found in the glove box. Once invoice shows the motor being replaced at 30K miles under warranty, so my internals only have 73K miles. Since then water pump and such have been replaced so I'm in good shape. Made 170whp on the dyno on a HOT summer day.