I am in the process of purchasing my 1st MINI. As of right now, I am hooked on the Clubman edition and I think I have my search narrowed down to 2 different cars. 1 is an S model in Chili red and the other is a Justa in Pepper White.
The S model has 62K while the Justa has just 42K. They seem to be similarly equipped and priced pretty closely.
In your opinion which is the better buy and what would you recommend? I tend to like the Chili red color but the turbo scares me with no warranty.
Is either car a good deal or are they both priced too high?
Here's links to both

Chili Red edition

Pepper White edition

 

Did you test drive them both? Is the base engine peppy enough for you? It will get better gas mileage and require less long term maintenance.

The only way to know for sure is to see what your own reactions are to the different engines. Good luck!

 

I've actually never driven either. I must confess, I've never even sat in a MINI before. I am internet shopping at the moment and trying to decide what drive is worth the time. Neither dealership is close to where I live. I am not necessarily looking for performance which is why I would consider the non turbo version.

 

You should go to a mini dealership and test drive both. At least then you could make a better decision.

 

Oh my. You really should test drive the base and the turbo, because you don't want to have any regrets, but personally I love my base model. She's plenty peppy for me, handles well, and is a joy to drive. But you should try both. Are there any dealers close to you? It would at least give you an idea.

As you know from reading this forum, the turbo has more maintenance and more possible concerns in the future associated with it. However, you also want to know something about how the cars were taken care of. Were they rentals? Were the scheduled oil changes done?
A clean Carfax is nice but isn't absolute proof of no major repairs.

As to price, that seems to be regional.

Hope others chime in here for you. :-)

 

Before buying my (used!) '09 Clubman S, I spent a lot of time pondering exactly the dilemma of "Turbo or no?", and I made a point to hit a MINI dealer so I could drive them both. Result: I agree with Joanie -- the base model is definitely peppy. The turbo is just a lot more peppy.

I find the base model, with a stick shift, is just as much fun to drive as the turbo. You work it up and down through the gears a little more assertively, and if anything, I find it more engaging. The base suspension allows more body roll in corners, but is softer and more comfortable on rough roads.

The turbo is a hell of a lot of fun. It also has serious torque steer, though not as severe as a Mazdaspeed 3. That can make it a little bit of a handful under hard acceleration at lower speeds. (At highway speed, the effect isn't strong enough to matter. But at 25 to 50mph, it's there.)

That said, obviously I went for the turbo -- an advantage of buying used is you can buy "more car" -- and have done so knowing that I'm probably in for more maintenance and much more expensive repairs in the coming years. I'm okay with that.

@CrewChief, I am sitting on several unused CarFax report credits (paid for, not yet used). I would be happy to pull reports on those cars for you if you're thinking of going to look at them in person. Send me a private message.

I would expect the Pepper White Clubman Justa to cost substantially less than a similar S model.

You should go hit Edmunds for a "TMV" ("True Market Value") report. They tend to run a little lower than actual selling prices for MINIs, but are dead on for most cars.

According to this Clubman 2008 eval, it should be selling for around $12k private party, or $13k dealer, assuming good (not pristine) condition.

Running the same eval on the S model with 62k miles, it's suggesting a $13500 private or $15k dealer.

As a data point, I just paid $18k for my 2009 Clubman S with full sport & winter packages, sunroof and leather/fabric interior, 44k miles, in New England. That's about $4,000 less than what dealers around here are asking for comparable cars.

So given that you're looking at higher mileage cars, and older, I think you have plenty of room to negotiate a much better price on those two cars.

TL;DR: Yes, both are priced too high.

 

How many miles do you drive a year? There is a 20K milage difference so depending on how much you drive the Justa has a lot more life remaining than the S. I agree the Chili Red is a little nicer looking - in particular the wheels - but the Pepper White is one of my favorite color combinations. I believe a white car is easier to keep clean and they look great at night.

I agree with the comments on torque steer for the S and I know the Justa will cruse just fine at 80 or 85 on the highway. That said the S engine is fairly amazing for a 1.6L. With the sport button engaged it pulls hard from about 2000 RPM and the throttle response is impressive. You should also expect that the maintenance costs of the S are going to be higher than a Justa - this blog seems to indicate the Justa is fairly reliable while the MCS has a few meaningful power-train issues. In either case the cars are a ball to drive.

Finely, I agree that you should find a dealer - any dealer - and drive both an S and a Justa before you make a decision.

 

I still remember my first test drive. The Justa seemed very peppy. In fact the S seemed too peppy by comparison. Thing was I was coming from an at least 12 year Camry that had near 200,000 miles and probably more. After another test drive though I got accustomed to the S. Glad I did too because it's a blast and I'm a bit of a speed demon, though I probably seem like Miss Daisy compared to some here. Had a loaner yesterday while they were servicing Pep and it was a Justa. Well it "justa" didn't have enough pep for me. Sport mode helped, but big difference between the two. I would say that if you're coming from a car like mine and don't even give the S a shot you'll probably not even know.

As for the two cars you linked, I think the S looks a lot better. Factor out that the S IMHO generally looks better anyway, the red without the bonnet stripes and those awful mirror caps is much better looking.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like the Justa is a more reliable vehicle.

At the end of the day it all depends on what you want to get out of the car. Oh, and have you looked outside of New Jersey? I would do an online search and see if you can find any comparable Clubmans cars for less.

 

I am now on my 2nd Clubman, the first being the standard 2009 Clubman; my latest is a 2012 Clubman S 50th Anniversary Hampton. I can tell you the Turbo make a huge difference in acceleration when you need it. My previous Clubman was wonderful, but now having the Turbo S getting on the interstate or passing someone is effortless. Go for the turbo if you can!

 

Thanks everyone for taking the time to school me on this whole MINI experience. Like I said, I am a complete newbie when it comes to MINI's. I have done my homework as best I can (from behind the keyboard so far)and have also expanded my search to close to 300 miles from my home zip code. Finding a Clubman in my buying price range of at or under 16K isn't as easy as it sounds

As for the preference of turbo or not, I asked more for reliability and resale than for the driving experience. I am used to driving (and still own) a 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 with a bit of driveline enhancements ( 440hp to the wheels according to the Dynojet) so if I want to get my thrills I can always hop in that. Here's a pic of my current thrill ride
2011-04-17_09-00-58_389.jpg?t=1303045266

This purchase is more for a fun run about town kinda thing and a commuter car for me, although I must admit my commute will be all of 10 minutes. I'm not sure having the Charger will help or hurt my need for the S model here or not as I'm used to the performance being there but I don't always crave it. My other vehicle is a custom van which is about as slow as a slug stuck to the hot sidewalk so I am also used to being the slowest off a traffic light
I suppose you're all right in your suggestions of driving both and I think that's what I will do this week. Who knows, maybe I'll decide the Justa is all I need or I may come to realize my inner "need for speed" is too great and will have to have the turbo

Either way, I expect to be behind the wheel of my 1st MINI very soon and I hope to see some of you all out on the back roads real soon.

Thanks!
Tony

 

One of the primary reasons MINI's are so much fun is their "Go-Cart" feel. MINI's are a total blast to drive. You will get that with either version but now that I see the "toys" you already have, the added HP and Turbo will be right up your alley!

Good luck!

 

One possibility is to expand the search radius out even further, and ask for help on NAM for a local inspection. So, say you find a car in Illinois. Post on NAM asking if there is someone nearby the car who can go inspect it for you. (Friends of mine have done this with motorcycles, no reason it can't work for cars too.) Of course you'll still need to do the final inspection and decision yourself, but you'll greatly improve your odds and be able to screen out the obvious lemons or misrepresented vehicles.

That said, it's been my experience that most used MINIs are in good condition; they seem to attract responsible owners. Ignorance is more of a risk than abuse.

That is one seriously hot car. Resale value of a MINI will be good; they hold their value better than they should considering their reliability track record ;-) (See also the inflated prices you've found on those two listings.) Reliability of course you'll have to make your own call based on what you've found here. (You may also want to check out the Motoring Alliance and Mini2 forums.)

Get the turbo. After 440hp in a 3900lb chassis, I suspect that even 170hp in a 2800lb chassis will seem slow. (But please don't blame me when it blows up in a few months ;-) (That's what I keep telling myself about having bought my used S!)

 

I suspect even the Clubman S, while quick, still might feel sluggish compared to a 440HP SRT8 Charger

Very nice car!

 

Your thrill ride is clearly at the opposite extreme from a MINI and in particular a Justa. To address your question directly on reliability and resale this would have to fall in favor of the Justa. With age the price gap between a JCW, MCS and a Justa closes for similarly equipped cars. The maintenance costs will also favor the less complex drivetrain.

That said anyone who drives a 440HP SRT isn't just a practical dollars and cents buyer you must be a car guy. I think this is why some of us are a little confused. it seems to me that the MCS or even a JCW would be much more up you ally.

Good luck in your search.

 

You're just gonna have to drive both.

The biggest downside to that R55S is the "leatherette from hell" seat coverings (shame on MINI for making that the dominate offering). On the other hand, the "Justa" R55 you show has the heated/perforated leather... which is quite comfortable.

To me, in Texas, the leatherette is a deal breaker.

 

You might look at this one nearby. 35K, $17,777. Clubman S 6spd... cloth seats, better stereo, nav.

http://www.paulmillerbmw.com/preowne...39TP72810.html

 

I agree - this is a very nicely equipped and appointed car. It also seems to be a reasonable value given the Nav system - which I happen to like.

 

If its truly a commuter car, go for the pepper white justa. It's easy enough to get different wheels or lose the mirror caps. I quite like the looks of my pepper white justa. It's no drag car, but the handling will blow you away compared to your dodge. Is light, nimble, and goes where you point it without any complaints from the tires. All that and I have just been driving on 16 inch all weather contis. Fwiw I am getting 32mpg in my traffic heavy city commute.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/8041770818/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jprime84/8041770818/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jprime84/, on Flickr

 

Wow. That's a cool looking Clubman. Thanks for all the advise everyone. I am in the process of making a decision and plan to schedule some test drives asap.

 

This is a no-brainer: buy one of each. Get matching outfits & sneakers for both.

 

I like the way you think. Have you ever considered becoming a financial adviser?

 

My father has had some trouble with his 08 clubman S. expensive timing chain replacement, turbo oil line clog and a few other little things while my justa has been perfecto. I would go with the plain cooper. I'm more of a purist. Especially if you have a fast toy sitting at home. Get yourself some nice 17's rims and some sport tires and you will love your justa. But a side note, the turbo is a little rocket ship and i love driving my dads

 

I vote Turbo.

When I bought my Clubman S I drove both the turbo and non-turbo version of the Clubman and the turbo in sport mode is a serious blast to drive. With the non-turbo I found myself doing a lot of gear rowing just to get anywhere close to the the pace I could keep with the turbo with hardly any effort.

If you're worried about the maintence buy a warranty. I was able to get a extended warranty through Mercury that is fully refundable if I don't ever use it or if I sell the car prior to using it.

 

Being that the OP has a modern pure street musclecar I can't see him driving anything less than the turbo s! I've got a few musclecars of my own which can't compare in horsepower but I bought my wife a clubman, it gets 33 mpg in mixed driving and its a freaking blast to drive in sport mode. I try every excuse to use it when she's not driving it.