I owned a 2010 JCW for 7 months. The shortest I ever had a vehicle. I bought it used with under 10K miles. Initally I wanted a fuel efficient small fun car. Albeit small this car really had nothing else going for it. The fun factor wore off already on the second month of ownership when the clutch needed replacement. Since I bought the vehicle from a mini dealer they helped a bit with the cost. I paid 1200 vs the 4000 they initially wanted to charge. After some research I realized it takes 20 hrs of labor to do the job. Everything in this car is so compact that you nearly have to take out the engine for major repairs. I replaced the battery myself and ended up removing windshield trim pieces to access the battery compartmemt. Sorry not very well engineered. The service departmemt told me that the clut h on Minis can easily burn out every 10K to 20K miles. Another weird Mini fault is that for some reason the engines burn oil. Mini service actually recommends that you check the oil monthly or every 1K miles and refill. In terms of ride quality, this car is terrible. I actually started to develop bak pain from the poor seats and stiff suspension combo. The entire quality is cheap for a car in this price range. Performance was fun at first, but I soon realized that there are plenty of other options out there. This car handles like a go cart so you get the illusion of speed. Fun on twisty roads but when you feel every little bump in your lower bak the fun wears out quick. I chose to purchase this car because Mini always intrigued me, now I learned my lesson and will never go back. After only 7 months of ownership I went back to a normal car not needing so much tlc and $$$. If you are the kiND of person that purchases a car for dependability, resale value, efficiency, comfort, etc this is not the car for you.
