Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt. Plato's Shadow.
Convertible models cost about $5,000 more than their corresponding two-door models. The base Cooper convertible starts at $25,950, the Cooper S at $29,600, and the John Cooper Works at $35,600. A John Cooper Works Mini with loads of options and features can command a price of over $45,000.
More power is available in the Mini Cooper S models thanks to the 189-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. The JCW trim, offered on the 2-door Hardtop and Convertible, puts the most powerful engine ever in a Mini: a 228-horsepower version of that 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder.