I happened to wander past my local dealer the other week and spotted a Works S outside. I popped in, had a chat with a very helpful bloke and discovered to my joy that it was their demo car. So I booked a test drive. Friday afternoon comes and I'm at the dealer, anxious to drive this thing. Having read so much about it, I just wanted to get out there. Now, my local dealer at the moment is in Wimbledon (I'll come on to that in a minute), so it takes 30 minutes to get to a point where you can actually drive above 40mph. But the point on the A3 where it beckons 3 lanes is great, as most people don't use the outside lane. So you can build up the speed and blat past most people. I loved the noise. I loved the push in your back in 3rd gear when you put your foot down. I loved the way it just kept going. I loved the 3/4 mile slip road on the return journey when nobody else was on it....
Having spoken to the people in the dealership about costs, it would be 3.5 to 4K to fit this kit. Plus the insurance over, say 3 years. Suddenly your looking at 6-7 K extra for this kit. At that point I started having major doubts. While it was no doubt faster, was it that much better? So on Sunday I undertook some serious background checks on my S around Oxfordshire lanes. 4 hours later and a serious amount of miles, and I realised that I loved my S just the way it was. To be honest, it scared the c**p out of me on more than one occasion in the way that corners sneak up on you. All part of the fun :) I would like the noise, but the extra oomph just does nothing for me, as I love the MINIs handling, thats the cars appeal to me, and the S is fast enough, thank you.
So, before I get flamed to bits, all you works people, I love your cars, make no mistake, it's a serious piece of kit, it just is not for me. I'd rather spend the money on an old Westfield and run that as a toy as well.
On the Wimbledon front, am I still allowed to be a member of NMS if I live in the dreaded south? I promise I wont go all southern!
Personally I love the feel of the standard Cooper, I just wish it had a wee bit more poke at times 
