1. How did you come to the decision of buying this car?
When I was in college, MINI released the 2004 MINI Cooper S MC40 special edition that celebrated the 1964 Monte Carlo winning Mini Cooper driven by Paddy Hopkirk. Until this point in life, I had a wide variety of cars that I was interested in and I had a short list of cars that I was hoping to purchase after getting my first job: E30 M3, an original Mini, Audi TT, VW Corrado, and 2nd gen MR2. I also had a weakness for old British cars thanks to my dad who specialized in building and maintaining old British SCCA race cars and street cars. So once I saw that MC40 edition MINI, I was hooked on the idea of getting a MINI and my fiancé, now wife, was also on board as well. However, during the ensuing two years or so, two things happened 1) MINI resale values were insanely good so buying slightly used didn't make much sense and 2) I found out the MC40 didn't have cruise control, which was a deal breaker as I did a lot of highway driving. My wife and I purchased dark silver 2006 MINI Cooper S convertible.
Fast forward 11 years and more than 207,000 miles, the convertible was getting a little old and showing its age and mileage and we began the long (I am not a quick car buyer) process of replacing it. I drove a few different cars including the newer MINIs, but I simply couldn't imaging paying the asking price for a newer JCW MINI ($40k+) or buying a different car that didn't replicate the driving experience of that 2006 Cooper S Convertible. After a few months of watching the market in Spring 2017, I saw that a perfect, red 2006 MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works had sat languishing for sale on a MINI forum for about 3-4 months mainly due to an ambitious asking price. This car had 60,000 miles on it and was almost exactly how I would have configured a MINI hardtop back in 2006 if I had $40,000 to spend. Also, it was Chili Red just like the 2004 MC40 special edition I had seen back in college that made me want a new MINI in the first place. After a few missed connections, I was finally able to get in touch with the doctor who owned the car and quickly made a deal, flew up to purchase it, and drove 700 miles back home. Ever since then I've been completely stoked to own my "affordable dream car".
2. What has your ownership experience been like?
In a word, fantastic! I love the additional practicality of the hardtop versus the convertible. Plus, here in Florida it is actually too hot for a convertible most of the year. Most of all, I love the additional pep that the JCW package adds to the already fun Cooper S and I've come to enjoy having a car that stands out a little from even the other MINIs I see. For those who have never driven a supercharged MINI Cooper S, I highly recommend it as I think it is the perfect combination of "classic" and modern cars.
As far as reliability goes (since MINI is known to be a bit lacking in that department), it's no Toyota, but with my convertible I averaged about $1300 a year in repairs, maintenance, and tires over 11 years of ownership. So far in the 3 years I've had the JCW, I've spent $2500 including a set of tires so to me it's not that bad and for the driving experience it is totally worth it.
3. What is your fondest memory with this car?
Within a the first couple months of ownership, my wife and I decided to attend our first MINIs on The Dragon (MOTD) get together at the famous U.S. 129 "The Dragon" on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Prior to that we had gone on informal drives, but never a big car event. Since we are both from the east Tennessee area and we had recently found out we were expecting our first child, we made it a combination baby moon / car honeymoon / mountain vacation.
For those who haven't attended an event like this, it is basically a festival of driving where you spend the day driving along some of the most beautiful roads in the US, stopping at local eateries and activities, and heading back to the central camp for a nightly event like a drive-in movie or brew swap all with other car owners who share your passion for driving. After a long weekend of "spirited" driving along scenic roads, we both knew this was a car to keep as long as possible.
4. Why do you love cars?
Like many, I attribute my love for cars to my father who was a mechanic when I was little. As time passed, he got involved in SCCA racing and was eventually able to make that his full time job. This of course meant that most of my childhood summers were spent at various SCCA race events where my brothers and I would wander the infield, look at all the interesting cars, and of course watch the races.
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If you would like to participate, just answer the above four questions and submit one to three photos of your daily driver to milhousevanh at geemail. Thanks and have fun!
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