{"id":246596,"date":"2023-11-28T10:19:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T10:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=246596"},"modified":"2023-11-28T10:19:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T10:19:39","slug":"how-i-ended-up-buying-a-cooper-s-clubman-instead-of-the-bmw-m2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/news-features\/how-i-ended-up-buying-a-cooper-s-clubman-instead-of-the-bmw-m2\/","title":{"rendered":"How I ended up buying a Cooper S Clubman instead of the BMW M2"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the JCW Exhaust and remap, the car really came into its own and was a hoot to drive.<\/h2>\n

BHPian quickdraw <\/strong>recently shared this with other enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

Introduction and Story of ‘Why This Car?’<\/strong><\/p>\n

After selling my last car (Mini Cooper S JCW), I found myself in a bit of a pickle. This was just after the first wave of COVID, and the bonkers second-hand car market was beginning to take shape. Since I was in search of a fun weekend and road trip car, there was no rush. I wanted to explore the available options in the market.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, after six months of searching, my wife grew tired of me ‘borrowing’ her car and issued an ultimatum. Buy a car for myself ASAP or start taking an Uber to get around. Fortunately, around the same time, I came across a massive ad in the newspaper for the first-ever ‘BMW Auction’ of their fleet cars. Many of these were corporate\/company cars that hadn’t been abused like media cars. It was the first time BMW officially conducted an event like this, and I noticed they had set steep fees to avoid unnecessary bids. Excited, I became a proxy bidder for several out-of-town friends who wanted me to check out the cars they were interested in.<\/p>\n

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Loaner Clubman ‘Indian Summer Red’ Edition that I had briefly<\/p>\n

I want to emphasize that during this time, I indeed visited various popular used car dealers in Delhi NCR specializing in exotics. Needless to say, I was thoroughly offended by the way they conducted their business. The cars were repaired at non-authorized centers, they used fake or used parts to fix issues, and old tires (pre-COVID stock) were installed. Additionally, the practice of accepting cash became rampant. For example, a 70 lakh rupee car could be paid with 20 lakhs in cash and 50 in white. This is also one of the significant reasons why used cars cost as much as new ones, as people with black money can easily purchase these cars without scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I was not prepared to shell out my hard-earned money to exotic wheeler dealers. When I confronted them about these issues, there was no satisfactory response. I distinctly remember a day when I went with my chequebook to finalize a deal on a Porsche 718 Cayman (the dealer had 4-5 of them in stock), but I returned empty-handed. It didn’t make sense for me to pay around 75 lakhs for a ’16 or ’17 718. I understand these are going for even more now that Porsche has increased the prices<\/p>\n

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A picture of a friends car (unrelated) Cayman remains a dream!<\/p>\n

Fast forward to auction day. I had gone with the intention of bidding on a gorgeous Hockenheim Silver M2 Competition. I was worried about closing the deal since there was only one M2 on sale, and I was sure that interest would be high. Apart from this, I checked out several other cars in detail for friends, such as the M5, X4M (the only one in India), X4, Mini Cooper S, and Mini Countryman, to name a few.<\/p>\n

Purchase Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s funny how things conspired. There was a bunch of really gorgeous-looking Clubmans parked next to the M2. I had always loved this car but had never seriously considered it. Also, I had a sinking feeling that my bid would likely be too low for the M2, so I decided to check out these Clubmans for myself. Out of the three cars there, one was the latest and greatest ‘Indian Summer Red’ edition model with all the bells and whistles, unregistered, which I loved but didn’t really like its interior. I had one of these briefly, and the 18-inch rims with low-profile runflats were a bad idea. So, I turned my attention to the other two. There was one with 5000 mileage and another one with 15000. I sat in the car, and it was loaded to the gills: Harmon Kardon Audio, gorgeous Indigo Dakota leather seats, Pano Roof, HUD, Electric seats, and finally, wireless CarPlay, which literally sealed the deal for me.<\/p>\n

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Always a great experience at Bird Auto!<\/p>\n

I immediately returned with my wife in tow for the second day of the auction, showed her a few cars I was interested in, and kept the Clubman for last. She instantly loved the car, and I placed the bid. Luckily, BMW contacted me a little while later, informing me that I had won the bid, and my preferred dealer, ‘Bird Auto,’ would take care of the purchase responsibilities. Thanks to my familiarity with the dealer, the process was extremely smooth. I got the car financed by Mini Financial Services (again) and received the delivery on the day I wanted. Bird Auto is definitely the go-to dealer if you own a BMW, leagues better than the other dealers in NCR, in my opinion.<\/p>\n

Spec, Factory Options & Add-ons<\/strong><\/p>\n

After winning the car, I realized it was a limited edition ‘Pure Burgundy’ edition that came with every option ticked. Initially, I wasn’t in love with the burgundy color as it looked dull and faded. My opinion changed after paint correction and detailing; boy, it looked amazing, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking. I went with Dazzle Detailers, and they really did a fabulous job on the car. The car has absolutely gorgeous ambient lighting that keeps shifting between colours in the night on the doors.<\/p>\n

Here are the notable options on the car:<\/p>\n