[pipsyp]

The JCW bit falls into the aesthetics/resale area more than the performance I think.

I might this tomcat on the S and see if that changes things. Then with the Sparco seats in, I might just love it enough to stop....maybe🤔

Yeah.....I'm on the fence with JCW resale values.....I cant see that these cars sell all that well or all that quickly because people think they are really special and try to command a big premium for them. At the end of the day they arent a limited run special like the GP.

I think there will come a day where largely standard/unmolested S's and JCW's will become more sought after and prices rise accordingly but as much as I'm not against modding I think heavily modified cars (both cosmetically and mechanically) wont see the same levels of desirability or residual increases. People are fickle at that point and strive for originality.....certainly not to belittle some of the amazing modded R53's people have produced (I'm in awe and somewhat jealous of most of them) but its just how it is when cars gain that kind of status.

Is one of the reasons I've decided not to do too much to mine...I'd love to but I figure in time to come it might hinder rather than help me if I ever come to sell.....I certainly know when I bought mine on of the big draws to it was that it was completely standard and unmolested.....not entirely the case now but everything that has been done is minor and could be easily reversed.

I think a decent spec S with the aero kit would make a better case for itself financially as a swap out.

 

[S666TTC]

.....I think if you were buying a facelift JCW 210/215 to largely keep it stock (and gain power over a stock S that way) then yes makes sense....but seeing as you've modded your S and would carry the mods over the need for it to be a JCW in my mind fades away.

Again a 15% pulley'd facelift S in many cases is JCW'ish go before you do anything else anyway......I think you get my point.

Ive done that 15% and added the JCW back box...I agree its very JCW ish

 

[pipsyp]

.....I think the Minis starting to come out of the other side of being the cheap chav hot hatch of choice now. So many have ended up mistreated/not looked after/binned/split for parts having been through the cheap to buy, not so cheap to run (properly) times that tidy straight cars are becoming ever rarer.

That the R53's have a bit of a cult following, and they are now generally universally accepted as being arguably the best BMW Mini that's been made (down to it being fantastic to drive and the closest a modern Mini gets to the classic one) prices IMHO will be on the rise.

For what I got I feel I paid very little for my car....I personally liked mine as it was non aero pack, the right colour and spec (Chilli Pack, but none of the other stuff that'll break/add weight like the sunroof, climate, leather etc)........I've probably put a similar amount of money again into it in maintenance, mods and improvements so I'm probably out of pocket now but give it a few years (particularly as they get rarer) if a decent S (good history, low miles etc) isnt worth 9/10k to the right person I'll be surprised. A JCW will be worth a bit more I expect but probably no more than the kit cost in the first place.

Dont get me wrong Im doubtful the R53 S will become the next Sierra Cosworth (prices of those things are silly....and as much as I like them they arent worth the money) but good ones will be worth holding on to for sure and I think now the time to invest in one.

With your car, that's incredibly tidy and very nicely done....residual wise it will serve you well in time to come.....might not be in any way important to you but it's worth noting mate. If you yearn for an Aero Pack car I'd personally look out for a decent facelift S with it already fitted with a view to trying to make some money on selling yours or at least being a more or less cost neutral trade. I wouldn't go and spent a few more K on a JCW just to get the tuning kit and the aero pack (after all the Aero pack isnt a JCW thing...just as JCW's tended to be quite heavily spec'd by their original owners many tend to have it).

In fairness my reasons for buying my car are probably a little different to most people on here......I'm not huge into modding and bought my car as I'd always wanted an R53 and figure it might also serve as a decent investment down the line......I might well be proven wrong on the investment front but there are telltale signs prices of these things are on the rise.

I saw a very low mile, albeit automatic non JCW S recently up for sale for about 6k.....and it sold so people are out there looking to pay the money for good ones.

 

[pipsyp]

......if I could justify spending the money I would sell mine and buy a decent GP1 in a heartbeat. Hugely fond of the GP

 

[S666TTC]

Kind of wish I hadn't sold this one a couple of years back.

Prestige Car Sales

Top marque British sports cars for sale in the North East. Lotus, TVR, MG, JCW, Westfield, Caterham

www.britishsportscarservices.co.uk

3rd car down in the sales list.

I think I am paying for my stupidity of selling it and trying to create the best replacement I can. That grey car in the advert was awesome. I had to fly to N.Ireland to pick it up and drove it back via ferry from Belfast to Stranraer. The drive back was amazing and the lower almost bass note sound of the Milltek zaust was sweet as a nut.

I'd convinced myself I could do better....

However in light of the price comments above. It did sell to a local lad to me very quickly and he offerred £200 below asking and I just said, no. Find those seats anywhere else on earth. He quickly stumped up and drove it off. Seen him around town a few times since and he loves the car. So a modded S can go for over £6k comfortably. It wasn't a difficult sale, he was practically salivating....These cars, done well, with nice additions, are good value.

 

[KeithyCoop]

The R53 is a long long way off being a modern classic to the masses, it’s loved by those who love the gen1 Mini, but to most it’s a cheap car to run in to the ground or a cheap car with very expensive tax and insurance.

I love them, but that state of most suggests their owners take a much less cherished point of view.

£8k for a non GP is utterly ridiculous, as said the car lacks any originality and is still too common (Ok most others are no way near as nice, but if you have £8k what else can you buy?).

The Sierra Cosworth was a rare car when new, much more desirable then too, yet alone rare and more desirable now.

I hope the gen1 Mini is seen as the true rebirth of the original and as such many will be saved and cared for, but prices will not suddenly jump up this high.

The “modern classic investment” is a huge risk.

 

[Dave^]

Kind of wish I hadn't sold this one a couple of years back.

Prestige Car Sales

Top marque British sports cars for sale in the North East. Lotus, TVR, MG, JCW, Westfield, Caterham

www.britishsportscarservices.co.uk

3rd car down in the sales list.

I think I am paying for my stupidity of selling it and trying to create the best replacement I can. That grey car in the advert was awesome. I had to fly to N.Ireland to pick it up and drove it back via ferry from Belfast to Stranraer. The drive back was amazing and the lower almost bass note sound of the Milltek zaust was sweet as a nut.

I'd convinced myself I could do better....

However in light of the price comments above. It did sell to a local lad to me very quickly and he offerred £200 below asking and I just said, no. Find those seats anywhere else on earth. He quickly stumped up and drove it off. Seen him around town a few times since and he loves the car. So a modded S can go for over £6k comfortably. It wasn't a difficult sale, he was practically salivating....These cars, done well, with nice additions, are good value.

You could recreate that car for about £4k.... There's no need to pay £8k for one that, let's face it, the dealer probably gave £4k for it....

 

[pipsyp]

The R53 is a long long way off being a modern classic to the masses, it’s loved by those who love the gen1 Mini, but to most it’s a cheap car to run in to the ground or a cheap car with very expensive tax and insurance.

I love them, but that state of most suggests their owners take a much less cherished point of view.

£8k for a non GP is utterly ridiculous, as said the car lacks any originality and is still too common (Ok most others are no way near as nice, but if you have £8k what else can you buy?).

The Sierra Cosworth was a rare car when new, much more desirable then too, yet alone rare and more desirable now.

I hope the gen1 Mini is seen as the true rebirth of the original and as such many will be saved and cared for, but prices will not suddenly jump up this high.

The “modern classic investment” is a huge risk.

I think the tide is turning TBH......good ones (lightly/considerately modded or not) are becoming more and more scarce and prices are definitely starting to firm up now.

For sure it's going to take time (as there are still quite a few around) but as more and more of these things die/get crashed/broken for parts so the process begins.

Not comparing it to the Cosworth as they are completely different cars but it did go through a similar thing.....fairly plentiful and cheap to buy for a time in the early/mid noughties (but not run and care for properly).....lots again went to ground from being abused/not cared for properly. The best of those cars (the 3 doors particularly) are now skyrocketing because there are now so few good ones around.

I do agree there are some chancers at the moment (probably in the trade) trying to sell some of these things for silly money but it does serve as an indication of where prices of these things are headed in the coming years.

Investment....yeah its probably not quite the right term....a good bet is probably a better term. I bought my car for what I felt was fairly low money at the time for what it represented and with how the car sits now I know I could sell it comfortably for more.....probably not enough to break even quite but not far off. That situation is likely only going to improve with these things....if you buy a good one and keep it good you certainly dont stand to lose money on one IMHO.

 

[pipsyp]

You could recreate that car for about £4k.... There's no need to pay £8k for one that, let's face it, the dealer probably gave £4k for it....

Agreed, they will have alot of money in that car if it sells for anything like that money......it wont but they will probably still do well enough on it.

 

[pipsyp]

Kind of wish I hadn't sold this one a couple of years back.

Prestige Car Sales

Top marque British sports cars for sale in the North East. Lotus, TVR, MG, JCW, Westfield, Caterham

www.britishsportscarservices.co.uk

3rd car down in the sales list.

I think I am paying for my stupidity of selling it and trying to create the best replacement I can. That grey car in the advert was awesome. I had to fly to N.Ireland to pick it up and drove it back via ferry from Belfast to Stranraer. The drive back was amazing and the lower almost bass note sound of the Milltek zaust was sweet as a nut.

I'd convinced myself I could do better....

However in light of the price comments above. It did sell to a local lad to me very quickly and he offerred £200 below asking and I just said, no. Find those seats anywhere else on earth. He quickly stumped up and drove it off. Seen him around town a few times since and he loves the car. So a modded S can go for over £6k comfortably. It wasn't a difficult sale, he was practically salivating....These cars, done well, with nice additions, are good value.

Yeah that's a lovely car. I dont think it holds much ground over your current one tho to be perfectly honest.....but then I do prefer non Aero Kit R53's (GP excluded) generally speaking.

 

[Alski]

any luck ?

 

[Alski]

Mini Cooper S JCW John Cooper Works, Sparco Seats, Aero Kit, Big brakes, Mint | eBay

This car has £1200 of Sparco JCW embossed bucket seats fitted to the front. with very little wear to the drivers bolster. Showing just 86,000 miles from new. Fitted with JCW sport brakes with uprated Lohen drilled and grooved discs front and rear.

www.ebay.co.uk

might be worth the trip ?
im a sucker for blue colour coded arches

 

[Alski]

I knew I had seen this car before ...

How the Jamaican bobsleigh team trains in lockdown

Two team members push a Mini around Peterborough as they cannot use their training facilities.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[bidsy26]

That first ones been up for sale for ages. Way over priced, no black headlining, no jcw strut brace, wank heavy wheels.