Hey guys,

I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on upgrading my wife's 2012 AT base Cooper to a 2011 JCW that popped up recently in the perfect color combo.

It's got about 45K miles, 1 owner car, looks to be in pretty good shape from the pictures. There is a spotty service record on Carfax but I'm hoping that's not very reliable. If there's a dealer on this forum who would be able to look it up for me from the VIN, I'd be super grateful. (Please PM me!)

I've been lurking on here a bit and it seems like there are lots of concerns about the N14 engine which I believe is what this car has. Is this pretty much a guaranteed ticking time bomb on every 2007-2011 turbo Mini or has it only affected a portion of cars? Is the likelihood of this issue reduced with a later model like a 2011? Basically I want to go into this with an understanding how likely it is that I will be shelling out $1K or so in inevitable repairs. I don't put a lot of miles on my cars -- maybe 4-5K tops.

Any advise for when I check the car out? I'd also be curious to get a consensus on what you guys think would be a fair price given the MY and mileage. I believe it just has the premium package.

Thanks!

 

The JCW used the N14 engine thru 2012. Is the 2011 JCW an oil burner?

 

I can't comment on most of your questions, but seeing a lot of post about problems with the n14, I'd pass and stick with your 2012..

 

2013 JCW or bust.

 

Don't let people scare you on the N14.
Just check the maintenance and it helps if you
Can work on your own car.

Over 1 million N14s produced

Sure they aren't perfect. What car is?

Just expect to put a little money into
It from time to time.

I don't mind paying for something I love.

 

I love my JCW especially once I added the JB+ and SB. I recommend it.

 

The key is maintenance history. None of the MINI S cars can be treated as you would a Toyota or appliance. Even the later models will have leakage issues (it will take 3-4 years for the water pump, thermostat, and oil filter housings to begin to have issues). The N14 has a carbon buildup issue that needs to be maintained every 25k miles or so, and timing chain issues are common on early cars (the replacement parts improved as time went on). All MINI's need to have their oil level watched, some cars go through oil quickly, some have no issues.

For the JCW, look at the maintenance history. If the car only had the basic maintenance done at factory intervals, be wary. Don't automatically run away, have someone look at the car. Check the timing chain for slack, check for leaks, check for carbon buildup.

If the car has history (or receipts) of oil changes every 5-10k miles, maybe a set of plugs, intake valve (carbon) cleaning, then the previous owner took good car of the car. Be more optimistic.

Most important, look at this car the way you would look at a 'normal' car. Look at condition, options, colors. If it passes this test, then look at it as a MINI.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Thanks for the feedback guys! I called a couple of local dealerships to ask them if they could pull the VIN and check the service history. Only one was willing to help and the best they were able to do was give me some general info over the phone. (Apparently they won't actually deliver anything in writing unless it's to the owner of the car, although I've had BMW dealers provide detailed service history for cars I've purchased in the past...)

That said, they did mention that the car appears to have been regularly maintained through the local BMW dealership (impossible to tell if any additional DIY or 3rd party maintenance was done) AND the previous owner bought the extended warranty on the car which would give me another year and a half of coverage.

Going to finally check out the car in person tomorrow. If I do end up buying I will definitely be paying attention to oil consumption and all of the common issues. I don't mind shelling out some money for occasional repairs as long it's not the $6K for a new engine kind.

 

Get a pre purchase inspection done first if you do decide to purchase it. Local MINI garage or dealership. It's worth the hr of labor spent.

 

+1 Then you know what you're at least in for on repairs that may need to be done.

-Luccia

 

The N14 engine was still used but it was the JCW version of that and almost in its last year which was 2012. Early N14 Cooper S seem to have the problems more then later N14 JCW engine in general, which is a version of the N14. . 2013+ JCW have the N18 engine.

Most JCW are cared for as they were more expensive and rare, so you have that going for you. Other then that post up some pics and get it looked at before buying.


I would get a inspection and have it looked over also you can possibly get a local MINI dealership to pull what was done as far as service and recalls if they are nice and you know them.

Good luck.

 

A lot of valid points have been mentioned, including that the early N14 engines were the worst. The N14 in the 2007 MINI Cooper S tops the charts for engine issues.

The oil consumption is only a problem if you don't check the oil level on a regular basis.

Checking the car's history on Carfax is hit or miss because a lot of people avoid the dealer and rely on smaller shops or DIY for their maintenance needs.

Having a warranty for 18 months is a big plus!

Ovrclck's statement about the 2013 JCW has merit as well.

Good luck to you!

 

Avoid N14's unless you either can't afford a newer car, or just love DIY-ing (including engine rebuilds) ...

a

 

When I got my car, I test drove a couple JCW's. They are noticeably faster and sharper, but I couldn't justify the added expense when many of the upgraded components (brakes, shocks, tires) are either wear components that can easily be upgraded, or personalized options that can be done even better via aftermarket sources (ECU tune, exhaust). If keeping a car factory original, top of the line, and more exclusive is your thing, you'll probably be happier with the JCW. If you think (or know) you can do better yourself with modding up an S into something more than stock, go for that.

As far as reliability goes, there is an old saying...the devil you know is better than the devil you don't....

I have a sneaking suspicion that the N18 will have plenty of end of life problems that start to rear their head as the N18 powered cars older. There is definitely more internal things that can go wrong...and a late production N14 should be pretty reliable (revised valve cover/PCV, water pump, turbo oil line heat shields, etc). The biggest actual killer of N14s was the long oil change intervals...we know how stupid 'people' are, and many people if you tell them they need to do the oil every 15k will cheat it far past that. There aren't many modern, economical AND fun engines that will put up with that kind of abuse. Think of how many of those cars ran around on break in oil for 10-15k??!?!?!

 

If I were interested in buying a used car (especially a Mini) the first thing I would have checked out is how even the cylinders are after performing a compression or leak-down test, this will tell you a lot about how well the previous owner took care of the car and if he/she maintained the oil levels. If the compression is low in one or two cylinders you'll burn through more oil than most, ie. my cylinders are exceptionally even and seal well. My MCS burns through a half a quart of oil every 1000 - 1500 miles which is above average. Whoever owned, maintained my MCS before I bought it was religious about maintaining oil levels.

It's to know this before buying the car you want, more confidence in your purchase. My early N14 engine doesn't follow all the bad things I hear about other's experience with this engine. Hell maybe I got a new motor installed before I bought my Mini, sure feels and looks like it.

 

Don't be put off by the N14 in a 2012 JCW. As a general rule the end year of production runs are usually the best as they've had time to work all the bugs out. I just bought a 2012 JCW and have put 3000 miles on it. Zero oil consumption. I'd definitely recommend getting your valves cleaned if it hasn't been done yet though.

 

Hey guys, appreciate all of the great feedback!

Car looked great in person and drove well. I'm taking the wife back to see it this weekend (this is replacing her car) and will probably put down a deposit and get a PPI or compression test done to see if there are any signs of the usual issues if she's on board.

It's not so much that I'm not willing/able to shell out more for a newer car, but frankly there just aren't any used JCWs (or MCS for that matter) in the particular color combo that we're looking in our area. I've traveled to pick up exceptional cars before but we're definitely trying to stay local for this one.

How much do Mini shops typically charge for a valve cleaning?

 

I have seen indy shops charge as low as $350 and some Mini dealers charge $550, my dealer charged me $800, but that included an ECU update which got rid of 80% percent of my torque steer. I have no complaints, my torque steer sometimes made me jump halfway into the left lane. I live in an area where just about any dealers going to be more for labor, Irvine and Newport Beach areas typically charge more.

 

+1 on seeing 300-500+ from indy shops to dealerships.

DIY repair here: Then you can do other MINIs or yours in the future.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-cleaning.html

 

Took the wife to see the car yesterday and she loved it. Test drove it again a little farther this time in lighter traffic, so I was able put it through its paces a bit more. Car feels awesome. Wifey was like "whoa, this has so much more power" :D

No rattles on the interior and nothing stood out as sounding weird from the engine bay. Paint looks to be in great shape. A couple of small dings but easily fixed by PDR if it end up bothering us enough.

Getting a PPI done today and potentially taking it home! Will post pictures of course