Cooper S JCW v a GP1
Discussion
I'm thinking of getting a mini , to use for general fun and track days with my daughter.
The best value seems to be around cooper S JCW's but I'm tempted by a GP1 , my question is this is a GP1 worth twice as much as a 06 JCW. Also by 06 did all JCW's have LSD?
Also are recaros a coomon option on JCW's??
I look forwards to hearing your thoughts.
The best value seems to be around cooper S JCW's but I'm tempted by a GP1 , my question is this is a GP1 worth twice as much as a 06 JCW. Also by 06 did all JCW's have LSD?
Also are recaros a coomon option on JCW's??
I look forwards to hearing your thoughts.
I'd say it depends on what you're going to do with the car in terms of leaving it standard or looking to modify. If you're thinking of buying a great car and hooning it around then I'd suggest going for a JCW and adding a few choice mods to it because you'll get better for your money. If you want the car to leave totally standard because resale value would be important then I'd suggest the GP will hold it's value better in standard form.
We've had loads of customers visit us for a 17% pulley, manifold, intercooler, diff etc and spend only a fraction of what it would cost to pick up a GP1.
The RECARO's are not common in JCW's and are a great addition for comfort and performance. Even rarer are the JCW Sparco's! But of course for track you may prefer a bucket seat and harness setup.
We're always happy to chat through options if you need. Give us a call on
We've had loads of customers visit us for a 17% pulley, manifold, intercooler, diff etc and spend only a fraction of what it would cost to pick up a GP1.
The RECARO's are not common in JCW's and are a great addition for comfort and performance. Even rarer are the JCW Sparco's! But of course for track you may prefer a bucket seat and harness setup.
We're always happy to chat through options if you need. Give us a call on
Edited by marshalla on Friday 16th September 15:18
If you're tracking it, I'd go for a JCW and spend the savings on go-faster bits/tuition/tyres etc - it won't exactly be a garage queen.
LSD came as part of the Chili pack from Jan 05 builds on (mine is Dec 04 and just missed out, that's how I know).
An 06 R53 JCW makes a lot of sense - has all the little upgrades, should be more reliable as the last of that model etc
LSD came as part of the Chili pack from Jan 05 builds on (mine is Dec 04 and just missed out, that's how I know).
An 06 R53 JCW makes a lot of sense - has all the little upgrades, should be more reliable as the last of that model etc
I bought my wife one of the best 2006 R53 JCW cooper S cars I could find.
She loved it, but I bought her an Audi S5 and sold the JCW after 3 years. Never heard the end of it so ended up buying her the best spec JCW R52 I could find as I could get a 2008 (she loves the supercharged models).
Last year - the original R53 we had came up for sale again - so I bought it for some fun. I originally got it from the first owner who specced it in 2006 and paid (wait for it!!) over £40K new!
It has 85K miles on now and still drives tight as a drum. Amazingly well built cars - I guess BMW made sure the first gen were over engineered as the brand was build on the back of it.
I like the idea of a GP - but I also like the spec of mine, so have never moved on.
Highly recommend....
She loved it, but I bought her an Audi S5 and sold the JCW after 3 years. Never heard the end of it so ended up buying her the best spec JCW R52 I could find as I could get a 2008 (she loves the supercharged models).
Last year - the original R53 we had came up for sale again - so I bought it for some fun. I originally got it from the first owner who specced it in 2006 and paid (wait for it!!) over £40K new!
It has 85K miles on now and still drives tight as a drum. Amazingly well built cars - I guess BMW made sure the first gen were over engineered as the brand was build on the back of it.
I like the idea of a GP - but I also like the spec of mine, so have never moved on.
Highly recommend....
There are a few things to consider here, if you buy a JCW that is a factory one, or a GP, you're not into modified vehicle insurance which is limited, but also not particularly dear, just awkward especially if you planned to add a car to a family policy
The JCW is branding, and has some nice differences, better if a factory model rather than the kit in an ideal world, and there are two versions, 200hp or 210hp, the latter is the better, It has a different airbox, and people get confused, or worse misled on spec.
The GP is nice with the main differences being the lack of rear seats, so a bit more exhaust sound, and feels slightly more responsive due to weight reduction.
You can still get the BMW supplied JCW kits, so it can be worth searching for an immaculate standard cooper S with the right options, and add the kit, which will passively renew the cylinder head gasket, and provide a opportunity to check engine condition to a degree, renew the exhaust which may be tired on any other car, and also renew the supercharger which could also be, this includes the water pump, so not to be dismissed. I can help with a discount on the kit too :-)
These cars are frequently modified, and so many people ignore the fuelling on poor advice that they don't need adjustment. There are very few companies that map these well it seems, and only one that maps it with new software in the existing ecu, that you can alter.
The intake air temperature gets hot, and the GP's intercooler is a great answer to this, there are others that sellers will be very quick to tell you are as good, but they're simply not. You can add the GP intercooler very easily and they come up second hand when those owners believe they're upgrading when in fact they're downgrading, but you can pick up the benefit.
They need money spending to do the right things for the car really. The engine mounts are a bit soft for further tuning, and have a lot of movement, and the front suspension arms benefit from better bushing. Many aftermarket exhausts drone on motorways and the few that are common choices are around £500
Pulleys get swapped for smaller ones, and 15% is better all round and if on track as you will have less power loss due to high intake temp, where 17% is very popular for the little extra power available for most drivers most of the time. Still ok on track, but as above, you'll need the right intercooler, and a GP one is the only one that will shed temp before the next turn significantly.
The pulley on the original car is an interference fit, where the cheap solution to modifying this is to pull it off and use a multi piece clamp on one, yet there is a company that uses interference fit called GTT, and this eliminates any risk of slip or running out of true, or future damage on attempted removal, or from slipping which you might not notice.
No R53 engine should rattle! Always start them from cold to gauge this. Also any with a heavy feel clutch pedal will need a new clutch, and unfortunately there are risks of crankshaft thrust bearing wear when this is ignored. The car will last some time like this, but damage will spread, so find one with a nice clutch feel.
Don't get a car you suspect may be damp. Watch for oil leaks, many avoid things like rear main seals, which potentially means they've been frequently below the max, also beware of any coolant stains in the engine bay and overheating signs, make a seller take you out from cold and up to 30 miles if ness in all kinds of traffic to reassure you that heat and noises are not an issue.
My own car has run away with me a bit, for a car I kept saying I was selling, but as I work for BMW now, I hung onto it to play with it more haha.
I think without any garage bills (bar one at BMW in Feb), it's up to around 23k now but such a hoot, and over the last bank holiday a different cylinder head was fitted to complement other bits that gave it close to 250bhp I think it works out at, or 216 at the wheels. It should be around 270 now but won't have time to check it again for a while, maybe more. I have another head to try too.
I would avoid certain cars that have been lowered too much personally, or those that have been tracked to death already, as your costs will be fixing all the effects I would guess. I took mine out in Feb, and briefly last December for testing off the public roads, and will again some time if I still have it, but it was only a fast road plaything, I have a company car to use now instead.
Ultimately, if you get the right car, you'll never look back. Just please beware of some of the cheaper advice regarding tuning, as not far away there will also be forum information on rebuilds or problems. Also people selling tuning parts, that can't tune them!
Some of the most reliable, tractable, competitive/quickest cars, are not the result of budget tuning and quick bolt on modifications.
Sorry for boring post, bad habit haha.
Good luck!! (2005/2005 facelift is what you want to find, with Chrono pack that puts speed & rpm in front of you, plus oil pressure and oil temp in the centre, and Chilli pack for LSD and Sports Suspension Plus) ;-)
The JCW is branding, and has some nice differences, better if a factory model rather than the kit in an ideal world, and there are two versions, 200hp or 210hp, the latter is the better, It has a different airbox, and people get confused, or worse misled on spec.
The GP is nice with the main differences being the lack of rear seats, so a bit more exhaust sound, and feels slightly more responsive due to weight reduction.
You can still get the BMW supplied JCW kits, so it can be worth searching for an immaculate standard cooper S with the right options, and add the kit, which will passively renew the cylinder head gasket, and provide a opportunity to check engine condition to a degree, renew the exhaust which may be tired on any other car, and also renew the supercharger which could also be, this includes the water pump, so not to be dismissed. I can help with a discount on the kit too :-)
These cars are frequently modified, and so many people ignore the fuelling on poor advice that they don't need adjustment. There are very few companies that map these well it seems, and only one that maps it with new software in the existing ecu, that you can alter.
The intake air temperature gets hot, and the GP's intercooler is a great answer to this, there are others that sellers will be very quick to tell you are as good, but they're simply not. You can add the GP intercooler very easily and they come up second hand when those owners believe they're upgrading when in fact they're downgrading, but you can pick up the benefit.
They need money spending to do the right things for the car really. The engine mounts are a bit soft for further tuning, and have a lot of movement, and the front suspension arms benefit from better bushing. Many aftermarket exhausts drone on motorways and the few that are common choices are around £500
Pulleys get swapped for smaller ones, and 15% is better all round and if on track as you will have less power loss due to high intake temp, where 17% is very popular for the little extra power available for most drivers most of the time. Still ok on track, but as above, you'll need the right intercooler, and a GP one is the only one that will shed temp before the next turn significantly.
The pulley on the original car is an interference fit, where the cheap solution to modifying this is to pull it off and use a multi piece clamp on one, yet there is a company that uses interference fit called GTT, and this eliminates any risk of slip or running out of true, or future damage on attempted removal, or from slipping which you might not notice.
No R53 engine should rattle! Always start them from cold to gauge this. Also any with a heavy feel clutch pedal will need a new clutch, and unfortunately there are risks of crankshaft thrust bearing wear when this is ignored. The car will last some time like this, but damage will spread, so find one with a nice clutch feel.
Don't get a car you suspect may be damp. Watch for oil leaks, many avoid things like rear main seals, which potentially means they've been frequently below the max, also beware of any coolant stains in the engine bay and overheating signs, make a seller take you out from cold and up to 30 miles if ness in all kinds of traffic to reassure you that heat and noises are not an issue.
My own car has run away with me a bit, for a car I kept saying I was selling, but as I work for BMW now, I hung onto it to play with it more haha.
I think without any garage bills (bar one at BMW in Feb), it's up to around 23k now but such a hoot, and over the last bank holiday a different cylinder head was fitted to complement other bits that gave it close to 250bhp I think it works out at, or 216 at the wheels. It should be around 270 now but won't have time to check it again for a while, maybe more. I have another head to try too.
I would avoid certain cars that have been lowered too much personally, or those that have been tracked to death already, as your costs will be fixing all the effects I would guess. I took mine out in Feb, and briefly last December for testing off the public roads, and will again some time if I still have it, but it was only a fast road plaything, I have a company car to use now instead.
Ultimately, if you get the right car, you'll never look back. Just please beware of some of the cheaper advice regarding tuning, as not far away there will also be forum information on rebuilds or problems. Also people selling tuning parts, that can't tune them!
Some of the most reliable, tractable, competitive/quickest cars, are not the result of budget tuning and quick bolt on modifications.
Sorry for boring post, bad habit haha.
Good luck!! (2005/2005 facelift is what you want to find, with Chrono pack that puts speed & rpm in front of you, plus oil pressure and oil temp in the centre, and Chilli pack for LSD and Sports Suspension Plus) ;-)
mon the fish said:
If you're tracking it, I'd go for a JCW and spend the savings on go-faster bits/tuition/tyres etc - it won't exactly be a garage queen.
LSD came as part of the Chili pack from Jan 05 builds on (mine is Dec 04 and just missed out, that's how I know).
An 06 R53 JCW makes a lot of sense - has all the little upgrades, should be more reliable as the last of that model etc
The factory fit diff upgrade is slightly better than the OEM but is not as effective as the Quaife ATB. We've driven cars with all variants in and the Quaife is the next stage again, particularly for fast road and occasional track use. We offer full plate LSD's for track use, too!LSD came as part of the Chili pack from Jan 05 builds on (mine is Dec 04 and just missed out, that's how I know).
An 06 R53 JCW makes a lot of sense - has all the little upgrades, should be more reliable as the last of that model etc
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