Hey guys, new to the forums and currently waiting for my week 51 Alpine White to arrive. I wanted to share the story as to how I got here.
So, it all started when my 2007 Mini Cooper S had some mechanical issues that were not worth the price to fix them.
While at the MINI dealership I spotted a Rebel Green JCW hardtop and wanted it. I've always wanted a John Cooper Works edition. After some paperwork and 7 hours I made it happen and left the dealership.
This JCW was a ton of fun to drive. The sub 3000lb weight and 265hp (With a controller almost identical to JB4 and Dinan Sport Tuner) made this thing move.
Fast forward 6 months and the car starts to make some stranggeeee squishing, rubbing type noise as if there was a rubber duck in my wheel well. It only seemed to make this happen going in and out of driveways, over certain road conditions, etc.
I bring the car in and after 4 weeks of them having the car and MINI replacing suspension components like they were water "it was fixed". Well, it wasn't. I called corporate and explained how much I loved the car and how phenomenal the dealership has been. I just wasn't happy. MINI allowed me to Lemon the car.
They let me build my perfect JCW from the ground up. My new one was going to be almost identical except Midnight black with Red roof and mirrors. They threw in Nav and HK Sound system for the inconvenience.
I was told I'd receive this vehicle in 6-8 weeks and until then I drive my current JCW. Ok I thought, not too bad.
4 months later and it's finally here. Why it took so long, I'll never know. I was told this and that, factory problems, human error, waiting on this person and that person.
Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago and my new JCW starts to make the SAME noise that was originally happening on the first JCW! The head unit and navigation start to turn on and off for no apparent reason too. I bring the car in and they just swap out the head unit brain for another one and say it's all fixed. They didn't touch the suspension because, well who knows. I get the car back and drive it around, where out of nowhere the head unit STILL doesn't work and to make matters worse, the techs at MINI never activated my Navi, so now I have to head back to MINI.
I drop it off, angry and frustrated with everything. At this point everyone at MINI knows me and we've all become pretty close. They understood where I was coming from and when I bring up the suspension...Well apparently that's "just what these cars do because their suspension is so stiff".
Me: So then if that's normal why did you guys have my original JCW for 4 weeks swapping out parts and ultimately giving me a new car?
Dealer: Well, we were just helping you out, but we knew you'd be back.
Me: That doesn't really make sense, but ok.
At this point I began talking to the finance guy at MINI who I became close with and asked about getting out of the car. He said only I can do is trade it in (I'm financing it). That's when I smirk and ask, well can you help me get into an M2?
Lucky for me, he used to work at BMW for a few years, right next door. He says he'll do everything he can.
Within a few days we walk from MINI to the BMW dealership in the same parking lot and he hooks me up with his sales buddies and I build my M2 to order right then and there.
I'm a week 51 build. Alpine White, 6MT, Exec Pack, No Sunroof.
I
Cannot
Wait!
I tend to be a lucky person and this situation I see no different. At the end of the day this was a huge cluster F, but it allowed me to get into an M2 at a VERY good price.