Had mine for nearly 13 years. Think BMW have lost the plot a bit with all the bonkers derivatives and not sure I'm a big fan of the latest generation's 'guppy' grille.

I had an R52 Cooper for Mrs S, which after a Ford Puma 1.7 felt under powered. So two years later we bought an R56 Cooper S JCW which we still have 6 years later. An awesome little car and fully loaded, the original buyer having ticked every option. Even has a TV and DVD player! Changed the 18" to 17" just over a year ago as it was rock hard on 18s and with the crumbling state of roads it was damaging tyres which cost £250 a corner. Only issues we've had have been sunroof and chain tensioners. Mrs S loves it and we'll keep it until it falls apart, which will be some time as it has superb build quality.