Hi everyone: A neighbor approached me and asked if I would like to buy his car (he knows I'm in the market for a new daily driver).

He has a 2010 Clubman with limited options:
Horizon Blue / Silver Top
Cloth interior
Sport Seats
Dual Pane Sunroof
Center Arm Rest
Tinted windows and rubber mats installed.
The car lives in an airplane hanger

The good news (to me) is it a 6spd manual and has just 11,500 miles. Better yet he purchased it in 2011 so it has just over 1.5 years of maint. left and 2.5 years of warranty left.

For me, the bad news is it has limited options and is a non-S. I feel I'll crave more power, blue tooth, the garage door opener and the HK stereo. Plus I'll want to improve the suspension and dump the 15" wheels.

He said he'd sell it $18K, which is just above dealer trade in or low KBB private party value.

Curious what your thoughts are.

 

I've had 6 MINIs and I'm currently shopping for a 7th. I've owned both coopers and S's. I had a 2010 Cooper Clubman. I did have some issues with it but I chalked them up to one offs as I didn't see anyone posting about them as well.

What I liked: space, it was nice in a 2 MINI family to have a car that had some extra space.

What I didn't like: non s, it always felt like it was trying to run uphill. My other coopers never had this issue (driving one now). I always thought "I should have gotten an S" when drivign it, I don't have that thought in my 04 Cooper.

On the garage opener, that thing is rare. Trying to find that in a used car will take a while. My wife has always wanted one but I've never come across one on a used MINI. I did do some research and you can put one in as a DIY project.

 

The garage door opener is kind of a minor option that would be difficult to find, especially in the used market. I have not shopped the used market for a MINI so I cannot comment on the price.

As far as the S, I love having the S and probably would not have bought one that wasn't. However, my parents have a "justa" hardtop and even without the S it is fun to drive. If the price is right, and you are using it as a daily driver, it might fit your need. Take it for a spin and see what you think. Depending on your location compared to a dealer go drive one of each and see if you could live with the non-S. Personally I couldn't. I had two stipulations when the wife and I went shopping. S and 6 speed. Everything else I could live without.

 

I would take the car for a test drive and drive on different type of road. Take the time to feel the car whether or not you need the power for your daily driving.

It is a decent price for a car with such low miles and warranty left but considering you want to upgrade wheels and tire which is about $1K to offset the cost of the car, etc.

I have an S with all the options and I love it. I bought it a few months ago CPO with 40Kmiles at $20K. Hope that help...

 

From the sounds of it, this isn't the car for you.
There's a significant difference of powertrains from the Justa to the 'S'-model.
Put your hands on a 'S' and you'll notice the difference; especially if you're in need of the 'speed gene'.
Plus, you're already wanting more options that sound critical to your choice in a vehicle.

- Erik

 

I have a 2009 Clubman S and I drove both back to back at the dealership, and I decided to go with the S model, I'll admit I like the power, but I sit a lot in traffic so I got the auto with the paddle shifters. You should try the S with the Clubman because of the extra weight, but the extra space it offers is great.
The auto is no slouch in the S model with the paddle shifters
Mine has all of the options I want, every time I take into service they want to make me an offer on it, I tell them never mind.
The difference in the gas mileage was not enough for me NOT to get an S model.

Mine has the garage door openers on the self dimming rear view mirror I must say I like that feature no more keeping up with the opener or losing it.
You might even take a look at the loaner fleet at your local dealership, mine is a loaner
(CHECK OUT MY GALLERY)
It was loaned out from Feb 09 to July 27 09, my baby had 7200 miles on it when I brought it. The dealership can't legally sell it as a new car anymore. It was maintained by the dealership and IMPORTANT NOTE I GOT 1 DOLLAR OFF FOR EVERY MILE!!
My car listed out at a little over 32,000 - 7,200 including my trade in I financed around 16,000 for a 2009 Clubman that was loaded !!! and the warranty was only used for 6months, I got to use the rest of the warranty period. Let the dealership take the hit on the depreciation and still get a loaded car..
The loaner fleet is usually loaded because they want you to see what your missing in your car with the expierence of the loaner while yours is in for service.
Most loaner fleets get rotated usually about every 6months, this is just food for thought.